When we think of an old-fashioned village, images of Andy Griffiths Mayberry may come to mind. Norman Rockwell’s pictures for the Saturday Evening Post, Beaver Cleavers hometown, and the Kenmore of the 1950’s add to our idea of an idyllic American oasis; An oasis caught in time and in our collective memory, expressing a desire for home and well-being.
Our little 1.44 square miles of village has many fine small town qualities: quaint homes, a main business district, a village hall, churches, a park and library, police and fire stations, sidewalks with street lamps. With all this, what is it in us that still yearns for ‘Mayberry’ and how can we articulate it as the modern society we are today?
The answer to this may be found in examining what we don’t have presently that exists in that id
eal village. In the past our villagers shopped together: older neighbors tell us that Delaware Avenue was so busy on Saturday that a trolley was run all day to accommodate shoppers. Many people then worshiped together or belonged and met at organizations like the Masons whose Delaware Road building is now for sale. When our villagers met at these places, they would come to know, care for, and invest in each other.
Today our village struggles with keeping costs low, aging property, vacant commercial spaces, and more. Yet these are only a part of the issues keeping us from reaching our full community potential. What may be the missing ‘Mayberry’ ingredient is an active and positive sense of community, a common goal.
It isn’t unusual for a sense of social disconnect and apathy to occur as a result of the many problems we are experiencing today in Western New York and throughout the entire state of New York. This disconnectedness from a sense of community is present in Kenmore to a degree; we have challenges to a healthy sense of ownership in one’s community that foster a lack of investment here. This sense of apethy can be detrimental to communities in so many ways, yet the common goal of improving our Village, though often subjective, is a unifying force that may be able to help ignite the imagination of residents, fostering a desire to participate in helping create a modern Mayberry.
As KVIS proceeds it will be important for us to address the less visible social situations as we undertake to improve the more obvious physical conditions in the Village. This growing observation and understanding of our strengths and weaknesses as a community will direct our purpose and support our mission as we strive to help improve Kenmore and work with care to make our community the very best it be.
