Giving thanks to those who volunteer

This might not be said enough as an overall statement about our communities: We are what we are, in a lot of cases, because of volunteers.

Various organizations make an effort to honor their volunteers annually, but so many volunteers do great things without a lot of fanfare. And they don't look for it. They simply love helping.

At a recent presentation in Batavia, Betsy Zinser, director of Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Clothes Closet, said she was astonished at the number of volunteers and the hours they put in to make that charitable project click.

"When a volunteer leaves or moves, another one always steps forward to help," Zinser said.

The St. Charles Park District annually honors its volunteers, noting that the district could not provide its services as well without them. The district recently noted that 1,018 volunteers contributed a total of 5,622 hours to park district activities last year. And it's likely other districts can say something similar.

It defines a spirit that is hard to place a value on. But we know what happens without it. Our communities become far less appealing.

Volunteers contribute so much. They plan and support our community festivals and parades; they plant flowers in our downtowns; they pick up trash along our highways as part of community organizations; they deliver meals to the elderly; they teach the less fortunate to read and write; they share knowledge to teach job skills to young people; they help their churches or schools offer extra programs or obtain needed supplies; they help kids from shattered families get through the legal process; they fund abuse-prevention and family support programs.

The list goes on and on in communities in which residents care about where they live. The list is short in places they don't.

We live in "long list" towns and for that, we can say thanks to those who volunteer.

'Strange' winner is

In the category of "Strangest business tenure in the history of the Tri-Cities" we have had a fair amount of qualified nominees.

But, the envelope, please. The winner is … Golden Corral in Batavia.

Yes, fans, the Golden Corral earned this honor by taking forever to open in the first place in the fall of 2012, then shutting down only a few years later.

Maybe this building just feels a lot better sitting empty. Either way, the residents of our fair cities simply think this is strange.

Get out clothespins

It dawned on me the other day that since my mother-in-law passed away more than two years ago, I have not seen clothes hanging outside to dry on a clothesline.

She did it on a regular basis. And I certainly grew up in that mode, watching my mother and grandmother hang clothes outside in our southwest neighborhood in Chicago. My mom kept doing it when we moved to the suburbs in the late 1950s.

So what's the benefit? Are clothes fresher air-dried like that? Do they not need to be ironed? Or was it just a way to save power and not use the dryer inside the house? (And yes, years ago it was the only way to dry clothes, which is where this ritual came from.)

My mother-in-law put out clothes even in colder weather. But is anybody out there still hanging clothes outside during warm weather?

That was heavy

It's nice to know my house is pretty much clear of those clunky, old TV sets.

It's getting far too hard to find a recycling place to get rid of them as area sites keep shutting down, limiting what they will accept or considering charging a fee to accept them.

I did keep one old TV, to have a makeshift TV-VCR set up to watch old tapes when the urge hits me.

Otherwise, I have only this to say on the topic of recycling old TVs: A couple of those old TVs were the heaviest things I have ever tried to lug into a car.

For the Scouts

It was enjoyable to see all of the girls and boys in Scouts marching in the recent Memorial Day parades.

Scouting organizations may not thrive with the numbers of kids they enjoyed in the past, but it remains a great way for kids to learn something above and beyond organized sports or video games.

And most Scout troops have a grand history behind them, many nearing 100 years of service. The Aurora Boy Scout Troop 11 is in that category, celebrating its centennial mark from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Wesley United Methodist Church in Aurora.

Those involved with this particular troop say it is the second oldest troop in the state.

dheun@sbcglobal.net