Bird is the Word

I recall sitting on the front porch of my Grandparents home in Tobias, Nebraska as a young man, staring intently at a mature apple tree they had growing in their front yard.   My Grandma loved birds and for as long as I knew her, she always had bird feeders around her yard.  The feeder in the apple tree was filled with sugar water, so we would sometimes get to see Hummingbirds, which was a rare thing in southeast Nebraska.

Early in the year, we would always watch for the first Robins to appear, not only because they meant Spring was right around the corner, but because we felt they also represented good luck, happiness, rebirth, etc.  The Robin best exemplifies what happens in Grimes every spring.  Of course, this time of year, we all look forward to shedding the winter blues and hopefully getting more than a few days of remarkably temperate, non-windy days.  When this happens, the community comes alive!  We see patios start to fill up at local restaurants, sports fields populated with young athletes, and before too long there will be the hum of mowers in the air.

While we live in a community where development occurs all year, it ramps up dramatically when the frost leaves the ground, and the days get longer.  Businesses begin to offer more visible products.  A great example of this is the color that begins to pop around Canoyer Garden Center, Bomgaars, Fareway, Walmart and Hy-Vee as the flowers are put on display.  Like the Robin, these activities can’t help but promote happiness and the growth is a type of rebirth that occurs annually in Grimes.

With better weather comes the start of community events.  They start in the backyards with neighbors interacting with one another at barbecues and around fire pits.  This interaction hits full stride when Grimes Governors Days takes place.  This year, that event occurs June 8-10^th and the details can be followed at www.GovernorsDays.com.   At that point we’re more like the Hummingbirds than the Robins as things are moving fast.  One might even say that the community is “In Full Bloom”, which just happens to be the theme of this year’s Governors Days Celebration.

For the time being, Bird is the Word in Grimes.  We could draw the analogy out further and talk about Eagles in relation to the Home Base Grimes Fourth of July Fireworks Show or perhaps even Vultures as they might pertain to Grimes Cleanup Day.  But for now, we’re happy to stick to Robins and Hummingbirds.  We don’t know what bird reference will encourage you to be kind to one another and do what you can to shop local, but we hope you do that as well.  Here at Grimes Chamber & Economic Development, there is a lot of work to get done, so I must fly.  #LoveGrimes