Lessons of 2 years in N. Aurora

On Nov. 18, 2005, my first North Aurora column appeared in the Neighbor section. It was about the North Aurora Fire Department's annual Turkey Raffle fundraiser.

Looking back on that piece, I see that I didn't know what a turkey raffle was and had never been to one before.

I went with my family to the raffle at the firehouse garage for two years and we just went to our third turkey raffle Saturday night.

We loved the loud DJ and his rock music blaring in the garage. We loved the long tables filled with generations of families and North Aurora neighbors. We loved the treats served by the firefighters. We loved the beer and the brats. Our little girl loved holding her hand above her head, waving dollar bills to buy raffle tickets from the orange-hatted volunteers.

We didn't love the cigarette smoke that filled the garage. And we didn't love the fact that we have never won a turkey … or a ham or steak … or anything in our three years attending the event.

Last year Chief Steve Miller assured me that our time would come. But he didn't say how long we would have to wait to have our numbers come up the wheel.

Don't get me wrong, though. We'll gather up our dollar bills and be back again next year.

Since I've been looking back at my two-year supply of columns, I've been reminded of how much things have changed, and how the rhythms of North Aurora remain the same as the seasons change.

The Mother's Club Halloween party and Operation Christmas, the school plays and musicals, the library activities, North Aurora Days and the pet parade roll by through the months.

A student reporter for the West Aurora High newspaper asked me for advice about becoming a reporter last week when I was sitting in at the rehearsal for the school's fall play.

I asked her what she was doing in school toward her goal. She told me about her activities with the school newspaper and told me about a controversial column she had written recently.

We didn't have much more time to talk, but I told her that she should keep doing what she was doing and that she was on the right track.

On my way home from the rehearsal, I thought of a few more things that I could have told her from the two years I have been writing the North Aurora column.

I would tell her to be involved, be interested and be invested in your community and in the world around you. Don't just stand aside and observe. Join groups; attend meetings for your own interest and not just because you have an assignment. Attend events around town for yourself and be a part of the community.

Whenever you see something new, poke your face in the door and see what's going on.

And if you are lucky enough to actually live in the community where you work and write, you can be more involved and invested in your town than you ever thought you could be.