President's Column

I have a favorite country and western song that goes by the title of “How can I miss you (if you won’t go away?).”

Well, here I am again after my supposed farewell column in the August newsletter. Our loyal newsletter staff informs me that owing to the editorial calendar, which requires me to submit the text for the September newsletter no later than August 15, I still have plenty of time to contribute one more column. At the end of this column you will see the number -30-. The explanation for that, in case you missed out on the era of green eye-shade journalism, is that it is traditional for columnists to exit the scene with this number as a sign-off at the end of their final opus. Journalists are divided on the origin of this practice, since most articles in the days of letterpress journalism were ended with this number. The origin is thought to have been from the first telegraphed dispatches which always ended with -30-, which is Morse code for “the end” or “finished.”

It has been a busy and intermittently wet spring for all of us, but the rain is the herald of good news.

Thanks to the army of dedicated volunteers, and the forbearance of everyone in the Fair zone, the King William 2012 Fair appears to have been a smashing success. There will be more to report when final accounting is completed, but I can say that the Fair topped last year’s proceeds, so all the effort truly was rewarded. The Fair staff made me an ID badge on a lanyard (making me feel like a belled cat) but the label allowed me to receive a lot of first-hand feedback from visitors. I was surprised by how many out-of-towners there were, including an entire family from Houston who’d piled into the car on a whim and come to try the Fair. I ran into an attorney from Bermuda who tells me she came last year and now will make a visit to King William an annual event on Fair day. Even the parade seemed to be moving more smoothly, partly due to its reduced bulk, and partly, no doubt, to the lack of interference from speeding fire engines. The only one in the parade this time was an antique, the one we expected. Not that there was anything wrong with the arrival of the SAFD last year - as usual they were doing their competent and careful best to minimize damage.

I should check with my erstwhile editors, but I think this is my last column as President. In September there will be new Board members and a new President. Early indications are that they will all be strong candidates who have already demonstrated a love for King William and devoted ample time volunteering for various tasks here.

Because of the lead-time necessary to meet press deadlines, I’m writing this column on July 6. Like everyone, I’ve returned to work after the midweek holiday a little more sun-burned and a little more fatigued, but much happier. I had a wonderful fourth on our stretch of the River in the annual King William Regatta, the all-for-fun canoe race that seems always to be a summer idyll. Spectators lining the banks and a picnic afterward. Thanks to Marita Emmet, the muse and steward of this wonderful occasion, the lucky participants can always count on the completely ad-hoc event coming off every year. Marita suffers from the curse of success: the event is so beloved by its participants that she can’t retire from organizing it. I don’t know how she feels about the labor, but I’m glad she does it. I know my holiday would be much poorer without it.

By the time this column appears the Fair and all of Fiesta will be history, I’ll hope that we will have made an offer to the top candidate for our new Executive Director position, and we will have passed the halfway point for this year’s presidency. From my perspective, the rest of the time I have serving King William will be focused on strengthening our ability to manage change.