LEGACIES

A pebble dropped in a pond sends out ripples in all directions.  Do you ever think about the ripples you create as you move through life?  Last Friday night, a celebration was held honoring the 30^th Anniversary of the U.S. Olympic Festival held in the Triangle (and beyond) in 1987.  The program included a flow chart tracking some of the legacies of that event.  If you attend an event at USA Baseball’s facilities in Cary, the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, PNC Arena, and Wake Med Soccer Park you can trace those facilities back to ripples from the Festival.  If you attend any of the host of Olympic Trials held in the area, you can thank connections from the Festival.  Even, if you enjoy the flowers along our state’s highways, that is a legacy of the Festival.

The Olympic Festival came to this area because a small group of visionaries thought that pooling the resources of a region made sense and that this area could and would support something larger than had ever been tried.  That small group inspired many others to dream big and reach out for large prizes.

As we enjoy the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual visit and Wide Open Bluegrass this weekend, remember that a small group of dreamers can send out very large ripples to the benefit of us all.  Hannah Sheridan Loughridge & Cochran is proud that our partner, Chad Cochran, has been an active volunteer with IBMA since it arrived in town – and he plays some bluegrass himself!  Get out and enjoy the arts this weekend and think about how you can contribute, what will be your legacy?