We have to thank the Mount Vernon Fine Arts Association for a lovely concert featuring international Steinway artist Jim McDonogh in the Performing Arts Center just ahead of the Christmas holiday.
It was a great way to see the work that can be done by a professional artist on that stage, while also raising funds for supporting the arts in our communities.
And we agree with Jim McDonogh on the importance of the arts in any community. Mount Vernon and Lisbon have long been champions of uplifting students in what they are passionate about and giving them the opportunities to excel. None of those opportunities do not exist without the excellent music teachers, art teachers and drama instructors at all levels in our area schools, and their work is important. Like Jim said, many of those students may never become professional artists in their own rights, but they will forever have appreciation for the skills the arts teach them the rest of their lives.
Lisbon’s second annual holiday parade was bigger than the previous holiday outing. More vehicles participated in this year’s parade, and it went off beautifully. One of the changes this year was moving the SELCC bake sale into the fire house itself, which helped ease traffic congestion, as everyone was moving to the same destination on the evening.
Speaking of Lisbon, the City of Lisbon and newly formed non-profit Pleasant Grove Heritage Park, Inc., came to a transfer agreement for the park.
As the Lisbon Historic Preservation Commission noted, it was a case of Christmas coming early for those who loved the barns, as it allows a new commission to fundraise and secure the barns for future generations.
And as city administrator Brandon Siggins said, it was definitely the best solution for all partners involved to keep the vision of that particular park moving and evolving forward, without impacting grants the park had already received.
The City made no profit in transferring the park to a non-profit, but dotting the I’s and crossing the t’s took time behind closed doors to make this the vision both entities wanted, and allowing the preservation of historic barns moving forward.