Nov 5, 2013 3 min read

The one thing that seems to define the holidays is tradition.

Now, there is nothing wrong with tradition. It offers a sense of calm and certainty during a time often filled with stress and friction, unless, of course, you happen to be a member of an organization that “traditionally” plans a holiday event for the community.

Then, as I am discovering, calm and certainty go out the window.

The Rotary Club of Waynesburg, of which I am now a member, is in the final stages of putting together its Winter Wonderland Gala to be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Greene County Courthouse.

This is my first year as a participant and a planner for this gala event. Last year, it had to be canceled because of construction taking place in the large courtroom. It was decided it would not be a good idea to have ladies in gowns and gentlemen in suits maneuvering through a maze of building materials and risking the chance the roof of the courtroom falling down atop them.

So, here we are, a month before the event, and as is usually the case, putting together all these last-minute details is about stress-producing as it gets. Fortunately, the gala will be over before the real holiday stress sets in.

I must say, however, observing the Rotarians who have labored tirelessly in years past to pull together this event has been impressive.

When it seemed as if nothing was coming together, a Christmas miracle would happen. The entertainment and food vendors were all signed up.

My role in all this was to handle the publicity, this column being one of several ways I plan to make sure the word gets out.

No matter how all this plays out in the end, and I have no doubt it will play out very well, kudos need to go to Kelly Stepp, Nancy Davis, Bette Stammerjohn, Barb Wise, Joy Eggleston, Susan Plachta and Peggy Rock. Forgive me, other committee members, if I failed to mention you. Your reward will come on the night of Dec. 7.

While food, entertainment and decorations begin to fall into place, one thing that has disturbed me, and I am sure it has disturbed other committee members as well, is the difficulty the gala committee is having soliciting financial sponsors.

I can understand that “major” sponsors, such as coal and natural gas companies, are inundated with requests for contributions for a myriad of causes. But oftentimes, as we are seeing here, it is the small businesses that come forward and commit $250 or $500 or whatever they can. We graciously thank them.

This is going to be a great evening and I salute my fellow Rotarians for their hard work to make this a memorable event. This, along with the annual Waynesburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas parade, also held Dec. 7, is the kickoff for the holiday season in Greene County.

If you want to feel that sense of calm and certainty, mark your calendars for the first Saturday in December.