Is it just me, or does it feel like everyone has disappeared in the last few years?
I’m only a part-timer with the Leader and spend a majority of my time as a stay-at-home mom to my toddler, but I regularly take him out to get some socialization. Unfortunately, it seems like no matter where we go, it’s empty.
Probably three or four days a week, I load us up and head to one of several local parks to take a walk and visit the playground. More times than not, very few other people, if any, are using the great walking paths and playgrounds of Jefferson County, even on the most beautiful days. On many of those trips, I look around and ask my son, “Where is everyone?”
After trying our luck at the park, we often go to the local library to see if we can catch any other children playing in the kids’ section. Again, more times than not, we’re the only ones there.
Sometimes we’ll stop by a coffee shop, bookstore or other local business, and, again, we’ll find ourselves in an empty building outside of the few staff members.
Now, I completely understand that getting out and about with my child on a weekday is a luxury many families do not have because both parents work full-time jobs. But surely I’m not the only stay-at-home parent in the county?
Honestly, if it weren’t for the large annual celebrations, like the recent Twin City Days that attracted thousands of people to the festival, I would really start questioning whether the reported population numbers in the area are accurate. I know plenty of people live in Jefferson County, but where are they when they’re not at a street festival or city holiday celebration?
To me, the lack of use of our parks, libraries and local businesses indicates a bigger problem that I’ve noticed more and more in the last decade, especially post-COVID – the loss of community.
When I was growing up, it felt like there was an endless number of activities where I could socialize with other people, either for cheap or free. I have so many fond memories of roller skating, bowling, playing laser tag, going to dollar movie days at the theater, walking around the mall, and back then all those places were packed with people. Now, few of these places exist, and those that do often feel like a ghost town.
I grew up on a rural farm with no close neighbors, but I have heard my husband’s fascinating tales of growing up in a subdivision where neighbors became friends and spent time at each other’s houses. He’s still friends with many of those same people today. My husband and I moved into our neighborhood more than a year ago, and I can tell you exactly how many times we’ve spent time socializing with our neighbors: zero. Maybe I’m the weird one, but I don’t feel like I know anyone who hangs out with their neighbors anymore.
Another great source of free entertainment that I had growing up was our little town’s community center. The small facility had several free games, like air hockey and pool, that could be played at any time, as well as a television with DVDs to watch, and cheap meals and snacks served daily. It also had an outdoor basketball court. The closest thing I’ve seen to that old community center in my adulthood are the area senior centers, but, of course, those are only intended for folks a bit older than me.
In college, I joined several clubs and intramural sports teams. I routinely went to free open mic nights at a local bookstore where performers read poems and sang songs to a crowd of people drinking coffee, browsing books and playing board games. It was so much fun, but I don’t think I’ve seen an open mic night advertised anywhere in the last decade.
After college, I joined a slow-pitch softball team, I occasionally jogged with a local running club and I took a 12-week watercolor painting class. I went to a free wine tasting every Tuesday night at a local wine store, all activities that were cheap or free.
After getting married, my husband and I moved to Jefferson County, and not too long after that COVID hit, and then after that we had a kid. So I feel like now that the pandemic is over and we’ve got our feet under us as parents, we’re ready to join in with the local community. Sadly, we’re having a hard time finding those same types of cheap or free activities that we used to take part in.
During the pandemic, everyone disappeared into their homes, and the world got smaller, and then it never seemed to get bigger again. Several national surveys confirm that nearly 50 percent of people say they are less social than they were before the pandemic.
Service club membership and church attendance have both reported declining participation for years. Those used to be a huge outlet for socialization for adults.
Heck, even social media is less social than it was a decade ago. I used to get a lot of joy from seeing what my friends were up to with their status updates and shared photos. Now when I log on, it feels like a miracle to see even a handful of posts from my actual friends instead of just a never-ending stream of ads.
I follow many local businesses on social media to try to keep up with any special events they have. Unfortunately, it seems like content from local accounts is so suppressed in favor of ad content, that on the few occasions when a local business has an exciting event, like a trivia night or game night, it doesn’t even hit my home page until after it’s already happened.
Jefferson County, tell me – Where are you? Where are you socializing? Where do you find your community?
Local events can be found and advertised at myleaderpaper.com/local-events.