Big Idea: A Very Civic Thanksgiving

You know the Thanksgiving spiel: This is a time when we’re supposed to reflect on the things in our lives that we’re glad we have. Assuming you’ve not been under a rock, you also know the post-modern answer to that view: This is a time we willfully ignore the illegal land theft, genocide, utter lack of human rights and generally terrible things we did to get our hands on this country, and we’re thankful we have it because it has enabled us to spend an entire day gorging on unbelievably fattening food without anyone else in the world being able to do anything about it because we have The Bomb.

Now that that’s out of the way, it’s worth noting that the basic idea — thinking about the good things in your life, the things that make life worth living — is a good one. And it doesn’t have to work on just the personal level, either. From the citizen level, we have a number of things to be very thankful for.

In spite of the terrible economic climate, downtown Spartanburg’s immediate future looks bright indeed, with two new college campuses on the horizon, BankMeridian moving into fancy new digs, the new RJ Rockers’ brewery/tasting room, the Main Street Pub opening, Croc’s coming into focus, Wild Wing Cafe came back from the brink and Hub City Coffee made a notable return … and that’s just off the top of my head. All of these are completely bucking national trends, and I suspect we’re just seeing the start of a much larger economic trend in the city.

I’m also thankful that there’s a sea change happening in local politics. The local GOP is moving in a new direction, while the local Democrats appear to be getting a little self-confidence again. While I doubt they’re particularly thankful about the situation, Spartanburg County Council is having to face the reality of the coming zoning debate, and hopefully we’ll see some improvements in land use that we can all be thankful for.

And at the City level, there’s quite a lot to thankful for. The next City Council is looking like it will hit the ground running, the decades-delayed annexations are moving forward, and there are a number of low-profile projects in the works (such as new wayfinding signage) that will have a small, yet noticeable impact on Spartanburg.

On a cultural level, “thankful” isn’t even the right word. Astonished might be, though. If you step back and look at what has happened culturally in Spartanburg since last Thanksgiving, it’s almost impossible not to be impressed. Tons of great concerts have taken place at venues all over the city, the theatrical community has really stepped up their game and put on some memorable shows, Upstate Pride astonished everyone with a clear message of “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it,” efforts like the Partners for Active Living and the Hub City Farmers’ Market have become things to brag about, and tons of very good ideas relating to local food, sustainability and green thinking have moved much closer to the mainstream conversation.

There’s a lot to be thankful for, as I see it. And it’s all happening so fast that it’s hard to keep up with it all.

Which brings us to today’s Big Idea: Speaking as a citizen of Spartanburg (city or county), what are you thankful for? And what are some things you’d like to be able to be thankful for this time next year?

As always, I’d like to remind everyone that this is a brainstorming session. There are no bad ideas, and even the goofiest, snarkiest things you could mention to be thankful for might remind someone else of something a bit more grounded.