Express what you’d really like to see — or the door may close, and you find that you had not spoken.
The situation is akin to the parent or sibling who died too soon, before you could say how much you loved her.
Love Arlington?
Let her know how much.
Weighed down by past, but there’s hope
Here’s how I feel:
Arlington is your sometimes-creative aunt who can don odd clothes and sport liberal opinions but falls short of following through. The past seems to weigh her down.
She remembers her high school years, the glory days as a “hockey town” under Coach Ed Burns.
She knows the town was once called “Menotomy,” as a stopping-off place for murderous English forces just before the Revolution.
She knows it has long lain in the broad, historical shadow of its wealthier neighbors, in Lexington and Concord.
She yearns to find her own light.
She can, and here are some possible routes for Arlington to take, offered as quick jottings to get you thinking:
— Expand your night life.
— Attract more music.
— Open more venues for concerts, including Town Hall, which in the 1980s was the host for folk-music concerts; or the garden area between the library band Town hall; or the open area in front of Arlington High.
— Cambridge has its Lily Pad. Why can’t we? Don’t know about this hip spot in Inman Square? Read this story >>
— Don’t just accept the Mass. Ave. project in East Arlington; welcome it as a way to shape a gateway to Arlington. Perhaps the avenue out of Cambridge can lead to a place just as inviting as the one you left.
— Establish a meeting place for artists and entrepreneurs. Could that be the Arlington Center for the Arts? It could be, but for now that is not really the case. Let’s look into what’s holding it back. Should food be served there?
— Arlington lacks its own clear story. Find the town’s narrative, and then fashion a way to tell it … to sing it.
— Open up your history, Arlington. Why be wedded to the story that we were “on the road to Lexington”? We are more than Nina Winn’s diary.
— Go beyond declaring that our town is “art-friendly.” Those are mere words. We need action: Embrace art by putting its deepest sense to work at changing how we see ourselves.
We need a community that cares for the Earth and cares for its people. We need an Arlington that that grows thoughtfully, carefully.
To do this, I encourage a view that marries the arts, technology and business. Bring all three together in a way that uses the best of each tradition.
This brief essay looks at just one of the three parts — the arts. I’ll look at the other as time (and brain cells) permit.
What are your thoughts about our future? Comment below — or in upcoming town forums.
This viewpoint was published Wednesday, May 29, 2013.
