WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO
It's the heart of who we are
By Myron B. Pitts
Staff columnist
It's fitting that Fayetteville is cut through by a freeway named the All American.
Not only does the name represent the 82nd Airborne Division, but there are few cities our size that patch together so much of American life.
The U.S. Census Bureau agrees. That's in part why Fayetteville and its surrounding counties were picked as one of two areas in the country -- the other is San Joaquin County, Calif. -- to test the way the census will count Americans in the future.
As a preview for the 2008 census "dress rehearsal," hundreds of federal workers this year have combed our neighborhoods and streets, updating addresses.
Their pens and pads have been replaced with hand-held computers that use coordinates from the Global Positioning System. But fancy GPS equipment can never measure the heart of the folks who live here.
That spirit can be witnessed in full flower at our annual Dogwood Festival in April and smelled and tasted at the food court at the International Folk Festival in September.
That spirit rumbles underfoot as people dance outside at concerts at the new Festival Park or walk with their families downtown for the monthly Fourth Friday arts events.
Consider this edition of Discover Fayetteville your echocardiogram, our way to sketch a picture of a city's beating heart.
In our diverse community, we still find a few people clinging to the notion "there is nothing to do" here. What once may been true is becoming a stretch.
|
DISCOVER VIDEOS Fort Bragg Faith in Cumberland County |
In exploring our theme, "Who We Are, What We Do," we present plenty of Fayetteville and Cumberland County folks who tell us what they like to do as a way to help you get connected with the city.
Over the years, I have seen downtown come to life with new restaurants, new residences, new business fronts and one of my favorite hangouts, the Cameo Art House Theatre. The retail sector around Cross Creek Mall has fairly exploded.
Meanwhile, the Cape Fear River Trail, which wends its way through scenic woods between Clark Park and Jordan soccer complex, has become an attraction for 50,000 folks a year.
Fayetteville is not yet where she is going to be. But she is a long way from where she was.
To paraphrase another Fayetteville columnist from years ago: Don't tell me this city ain't got no heart.
Columnist Myron B. Pitts can be reached at pittsm@fayobserver.com or 486-3559.