The healthy sense of community in our area got a nice shout-out in an April 25 "Washington Post" op-ed piece by John A. Burtka IV, who lives in downtown Kennett Square. He wrote:
"Not long ago in my town of Kennett Square, Pa., the owner of our local bookstore for more than 40 years, Thomas Macaluso, died at the age of 85. A sign on the door of his shop reads, “Loving Husband, Father, Brother, Grandfather, and Community Friend. Over the years Tom was a fixture in the town of Kennett,” and goes on to describe all the local charities and civic associations where he volunteered.
"In our living room, prints from his store are a daily reminder of Thomas’s presence. Shortly after his passing, we were dining at a local restaurant on bingo night, and the bingo caller raised a glass in honor of a life well lived. Everybody knew whom he was talking about. Ask yourself, do you know the owners of the stores where you shop? Would you mourn their absence?"
He continues: "If we want to strengthen our country, we must strengthen the fabric of civil society in our towns and neighborhoods . . . Limiting the size of the administrative state is certainly a necessary ingredient toward achieving this goal. However, when financially possible, people should also reinvest their dollars into locally owned institutions — vigorously defending community and cultural heritage against the stifling conformity of our national monoculture."
John is the executive editor of "American Conservative" magazine.
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