Being a leader in your community takes a lot of sacrifice.

Oftentimes, you’re asked to give of yourself in order to lead others.

Nowhere is that on more prominent display than Christmas on the River.

Annually, RockTenn is asked to step up to the plate for countless needs; financial, services or manpower. They are there without hesitation.

The list of volunteers and contributions to the annual event reads like a Who’s Who of Marengo County: Parr’s Inc., Robertson Banking Company, BankTrust, Collins Communication, Alabama Power, Foster Farms and so on and so on and so on.

Men like Ben Sherrod put so much of this event on their backs, the value of his talents are immeasurable. As is that of the hospital auxiliary and countless others.

Local companies, their leadership and their personnel see the value of the event and see that personal involvement is the only way to ensure the community has the resources it needs to put it all together.

That means sacrifice through donations of both time and money. That means picking up a hammer, a 2-by-4 or a can of spray paint.

It means working in the freezing cold and parking vendors for Fair in the Square, or RVs at the BBQ Cookoff or countless other events.

These volunteers don’t sit on the sidelines because the community has come to expect their volunteerism, has come to rely on it, and can ill afford to lose it.

Once that last lit float drifts down the river tonight, the Fortieth Annual Christmas on the River will near its close. Most of these men and women will go home – or to the dance – and receive far fewer thank yous than they deserve.

The construction and execution of Christmas on the River is a full-time job. That’s a second full-time job to many of the volunteers.

The impact this event brings to our community is measurable. Even if you don’t own a small business, it sheds a positive light on Marengo County.

We should all be thankful for that, and the many other residual benefits we reap from the handwork of others.

I offer my heartiest thank you to all of the COTR event organizers and volunteers. If your name hasn’t specifically been mentioned here, please know your contributions have not been overlooked. I have simply run out of space.

Each of you continue to do your friends and neighbors proud and have helped produced yet another COTR that we can all be proud of.

 

Jason Cannon is publisher of the Demopolis Times.