Mark’s Musings – December 4, 2013

| December 3, 2013
Mark Fortune

Mark Fortune

Football, food, football, food and even more football and food. What else is there to talk about after a weekend of thrilling finishes? Obviously, the Buckeyes one point win against that team from up north has propelled them into a possible championship game versus Florida State. Or does it?

Auburn might have something to say about that. THAT was a finish! I imagine you have seen the missed field goal return of 109 yards and fans storming the field in a frenzied celebration several times by now on the sports channels, internet or other places. Both teams believe they have earned the right to head to the BCS title game. We might want to remember that there is still a game remaining for both teams. The Buckeyes face off against Michigan State this Saturday night while Auburn takes on Missouri. The title game will come down to this weekend. The Buckeyes must put up a good showing against the Spartans and Auburn needs to win big against the Tigers. Then it is up to the calculations. We will see.

Do you have an opinion on stores being open on Thanksgiving Day this year? The list grows longer each year while the hours open is also extended. I predict that there will be a year where Thanksgiving Day is truly known as the beginning of the holiday shopping season and perhaps nothing more. I hope not but it seems that our insatiable and inalienable rights to shop and consume overpower the tradition of the day. Can you really blame the retailers? After all, if people are going to shop – and frequent the stores then who, really, is to blame for the madness?

Locally, we have many options to help people. You probably know someone that could use some help this holiday season. Think about your family and friends – helping those you are close too is perhaps one of the greatest gifts you can give.

Our community is headed into what is a great time of the year. You can celebrate the season at a local school with drama, musicals, kids programs and more. You can celebrate by watching the Coshocton Community Choir perform in what is always a terrific presentation. You can take in a play at the Triple Locks Theatre; support the Higher Hopes auction, and many, many more opportunities.

Something that is also very important to remember during this time of year – is to shop local. Shopping local keeps your dollars moving in our community. It allows businesses to keep people employed, pay local taxes that help keep our streets paved and our community looking good. Yes, we all know that the internet provides a luxury of shopping that did not exist in the lives of our forefathers. And admittedly you can’t find everything you need locally. But I bet you could find most of it if you just sat back, let that Thanksgiving Day meal digest and wrote out your list. Checking it twice of course.

Category: Mark's Musings

About the Author ()

I live with my beautiful wife Nancy on a small farm just outside Coshocton. We have been married for thirty two years and have two grown children, Jessica and Jacob. Jessica is married to Aaron Mencer and they are employed with Coshocton City Schools. Jacob is a sophomore at Kent State University. I graduated from River View High School, have a Bachelor’s Degree from North Carolina Wesleyan University and am actively involved with the Roscoe United Methodist Church, serve on several local committees and am a member of the Coshocton Kiwanis Club, having served as Past-President. I love reading, especially military thrillers, the Civil War and history in general. My goal is to write a novel. My wife and I are also AdvoCare distributors and encourage anyone wanting to lose weight, gain energy and better health to explore AdvoCare at our website; www.fortunes4advocare.com. I love the media field, innovative technology and have worked in newspapers for over 30 years – in fact, my first job was delivering newspapers. The Beacon is a dream made possible by the support of this community and a great team. I hope to continue serving Coshocton County for many years.

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