Local businesses enhance public spirit

Clyde Davis

The compliments must go out to local businesses which, not only during the holiday, but in other times of the year, do what they can to spread and enhance public spirit.

I have lived in enough places to know that, not only Clovis, but every town, has its detractors, and that many or even most of them are simply people who would find fault anywhere they lived.

It is not too late to stop by Taco Box and listen/view the light show happening through New Year's Eve. The west side of the building, covered with music coordinated lights, involves turning in to a certain FM frequency and simply allowing yourself to enter the world created for you.

Like the pyrotechnics at the Smoke on the Water, which Taco Box also underwrites heavily, it’s probably a moot point to try to figure out the technology, at least if you are like me. Just go, and be happy it's there.

It is too late to celebrate Christmas at the zoo, light up nights that were held the third week of December. This event gets perceptibly better every year, having grown from its beginnings just a few years ago into quite a journey of sight and sound.

I was aware this year of about five golf-type carts parked at the gate, with an attendant, and can only surmise that he was there to give a ride to anyone who wanted to tour the zoo but isn't able to do so on foot. Very thoughtful.

However, it is never too late to celebrate the zoo itself, which is so far ahead of the zoo I remember when I first moved here almost 15 years ago. Nights at the zoo also present great teachable moments, as I was able to explain to my grandson why the hyena (which I adore), the owl, and the bobcats were active at night. And we learned the new word "nocturnal."

CATS made a great contribution to the holiday of many, by scheduling tours of the town to view peoples' home light displays. I do not have personal knowledge of this, from the riding end, but am grateful that it existed for those who might find driving at night difficult, or just want some company with whom to enjoy lights.

I do have knowledge from the other end, though, as while we are not in the House Beautiful category, we do spend two and a half days or so every year building our light display, so its nothing to be ashamed of. Knowing the CATS tours were running gave me a solid deadline for getting everything up and lit, so folks could enjoy it.

(The Scrooge award for the year, by the way, goes out to the person who stole my penguins from the front yard. You probably stole select items from other yards too, and my holiday wish for you is that they all shorted out your fuses the minute you plugged them in.)

Keeping Clovis beautiful, or active, or energetic, as I have said so many times, is not a matter of waiting for "them" to do it; "they" don't exist. It is us.

Applause to businesses, usually the locally owned and operated, who realize this and motivate it.