Brown Bagging It

From 12:15 to 1:15 every Wednesday during the summer, the lawn beside the downtown library bustles with children playing, local artists performing, and there is a captivating aroma coming from a shiny silver cart.

Renae and the kids met me for lunch last week during the Lucas County Library's Brown Bag Concert Series. Last week's concert was a kid oriented show filled with whimsical renditions of "The wheels on the bus go...," "If You're Happy and You Know It...," and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."

Zach had a blast running around and singing. Avery was content with being held, and she enjoyed getting out for some fresh air. Renae packed a nice, healthy lunch, with turkey sandwiches, carrots, and cheese, so we ate out health conscious lunch while sitting right next to the hot dog cart.....

Toledo has some wonderful community programs year round, but people do not always hear about them or attend them. There was a young man downtown that day collecting signatures to get an issue on the ballot this fall, and he was not from this area. His reaction was "what a great idea, I wish our city had something like this."

Sometimes I think the locals are their own worst critics. I would be nice to see the community rally behind its strengths and not dwell on its weaknesses. The city has a rich past, many unique qualities and resources; it just needs some good leadership to steer it in the right direction for the future.

Here's a link to the library's website with concert details for the rest of the summer.

Brown Bag Series