As a kid, I loved the show, “The A Team.” The program fell right into my wheelhouse – great action, a token female character to run around, Mr. T and his catch phrases.
But one of the great parts of the show would come when Hannibal, the leader of the group played by George Peppard, would sit back, light a cigar and say, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
The phrase had some irony to it because the resolution didn’t always match the plan. If there even was a plan. But I loved his cool confidence when things turned out despite the chaos.
Now I have not been to all the meetings which led up to Thursday’s Halloween parade in Hanover, but I have a funny feeling that if Hannibal had a seat in the Jaycees room along York Street, he’d pull out a stogey in celebration.
I wish I could claim a bunch of credit, but lots of other people did way more work than I did. I actually feel like I did very little, but I felt lucky to sit in the early meetings and see the passion and commitment of the folks who have made sure that a Hanover tradition will continue this week.
Not everyone can sacrifice the time to take part in planning a large-scale event like this, especially with a limited time frame. The people that did step up did so for one simple reason – they care.
They care about something that entertained them as a child. They care about making sure that we maintain some connection to the past. They care that the various segments of the community come together because all of our lives improve when we push past differences and have fun.
I could not think of a better time for the Halloween parade. With so many issues facing our community, the opportunity to throw on a costume and walk down the street could not mean more. Local businesses and organizations can strut their stuff. Kids can collect lots and lots of free candy.
But once all the candy is cleared and the banners folded up, people need to start thinking ahead. Not to next year – I believe the 2014 parade will come together smoothly because of the high from pulling this off – but to the years beyond.
The people who sat around the table at the meetings for the past few months need company to make sure that the fantastic effort which made Thursday’s parade a reality doesn’t happen again. Sure, the Jaycees sponsor the event, but the time has come to not expect them to do everything by themselves.
Whenever people from outside the area – and some who live here – make fun of, or worse yet actually get angry, about the way Hanover handles trick or treat, I try to explain the long game to them.
This isn’t about “ruining” the actual day of Halloween. This is about creating a week full of activities to bring the community together. This is about Miss Hanover Area leading into Trick or Treat so the kids can have that out of the way in order to enjoy the parade, especially if they want to walk in their costume.
So let’s all lend a hand to make sure that collection of activities continues because a Hanover Halloween is about more than just dressing up and getting candy from the neighbors. When all is said and done, you’ll see how great the plan can come together.