Settling in and getting to know the area

by KELLEN HOLTZMAN

Friday, Aug. 4, will mark my second full week as PS Communications’ associate editor/community journalist. As “the new guy” and a native of Warren County (about 90 miles east of Reidsville, near Kerr Lake), I’m only beginning to get to know this neck of Guilford County.

I think of myself as a curious and watchful fellow, and I plan to keep our readers abreast of my impressions as I settle in. Hopefully, viewing our coverage area through the lens of a newcomer will be interesting, if not useful.

So far, I already sense the level of community engagement in the Oak Ridge, Summerfield and Stokesdale communities. Despite modern development, these don’t feel like bedroom suburbs to me, rather they’re towns with rich history where residents want to not only live but to preserve as places that can stand on their own and endure the challenges that inevitably come with growth and change.

Places where you know your neighbors.

Over the weekend, while driving through a Summerfield subdivision, the driver in the vehicle I met on a neighborhood street gave me a wave from behind their steering wheel. When I got out of my truck, I suggested to a resident that the person must have thought I was someone else. She replied, “We wave at everyone here. Are you from the South?”

“Yes, I am,” I said.

“Then you should know that,” she politely told me.

Hey, fair enough. From now on, I’ll start waving too.

Other observations I’ve made:

Sometimes, the level of devotion from a pubic body, school or private entity to sports and recreation is evident by how well-kept or ornamented its facilities and grounds are. From what I’ve seen in limited visits (I haven’t been everywhere yet!), the playing surfaces on the Northwest Guilford High School and Oak Ridge Town Park ball fields are top notch. You don’t get that in every community.

The same can be said of the devotion Stokesdale residents have put forth in caring for Summerfield Community Park, which is owned and maintained by Stokesdale Parks & Recreation Association, a nonprofit that’s run entirely by volunteers.

On that note, thank you to Stokesdale Mayor Pro Tem Derek Foy and Town Councilman Jimmy Landreth for setting aside some time to offer me perspective on the significance of Stokesdale’s hidden gem of a park.

As a former resident of Williamsburg, Virginia, I did not expect this area of the state to remind me so much of the Commonwealth’s Historic Triangle. Oak Ridge is within 32 miles or less of North Carolina versions of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, as well as the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. Patriot pride is evident in these parts, especially in Summerfield, which incorporates its Revolutionary War history into its town seal and logo. The spirit of independence here is also palpable.

Thanks to all who have reached out to welcome me – I look forward to getting to know you and your communities as I continue to settle into my new home base.

Associate editor Kellen Holtzman can be reached at kellen@nwobserver.com.