Sometimes just looking at the moon is comforting and feels secure but it doesn’t have the same impact as allowing your eyes to drink in the entire Milky Way canvas.

The gazillions of glittering lights enhance the deep darkness and connect our luminous moon to the Universe. So too, can we, as unique, beautiful small towns, connect to be part of the bigger picture … a destination county in Pure Michigan that is pure sparkling Cass County.

Last Spring when I was told Dr. Roger Pecina would no longer be part of Cass Can as he would be concentrating solely on his own foundation, The Cassopolis Restoration Group, I wasn’t sure which direction Cass Can should go. I’ve always believed it is redundant to have two people with brooms following one another sweeping the same floor. It is often allowing time to pass though and looking past the moon to other parts of the sky when the answer becomes clear: Expansion, the Big Picture.

It is so appreciated that Dr. Pecina will continue to preserve and enhance the buildings he purchases in Cassopolis as a positive piece to preservation in Cassopolis because it now allows for Cass Can to grow from just Cassopolis Can to Cass County Can with a new structure and name: Cass Can Community.

My walks in nature always energize and inspire my creativity. As Einstein stated, “Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” It will take you outside the box, away from the moon and allow for connection … for CommUNITY. There is a je ne sais quoi attribute to our hometowns, an indefinable, elusive quality that is somehow pleasing and unable to be captured by malls and shopping complexes.

However, people want convenience and trend toward one stop shopping which makes it difficult for small towns to capture steady foot traffic. There is something else though people want, perhaps even more … it isn’t found or available inside fluorescent lighted boxes. No. In fact, it isn’t found inside buildings, it is found outside. Outside the box … Outside in Nature. It is escape to outdoor recreation and Cass County has it in abundance.

A recent event I attended with county officials at Turtle Lodge Event Venue solidified the concept. Remember what I said about sweeping the same floor with different brooms? Well, now is the time to connect and work together to create a unified vision of all our communities, together, becoming the destination region for those seeking pure recreation.

We have trout streams, lakes, trails, historic sites, parks, and small town spirit that needs to stop looking at just the moon of our own town and reach out to the neighboring stars in our sister towns. Competition is the old regime, a concept that needs to be swept in the trash, never to dirty our floor or community again.

Today, it is the 3 C’s: Collaboration, Cooperation and Communication. It is Cass Can Community.

We are about to begin a new year and a different way of looking at the sky in our county. We now have a fantastic resource to connect with. It is the new moon of illumination for information and connection in Cass County and our region, www. Discovercasscounty.com created by Laurel Ward. I would encourage you as an individual to sign up for updates, or to connect with her to help promote your business, organization, events and is indeed, the one stop shop, for all things Cass County. It is professional, impressive in its scope, interactive capabilities and cutting edge social media dissemination. Best of all, you can now take advantage of a fantastic discount to add enhanced options for your business or organization. Laurel stated she is promoting big this month, including a billboard off of State Road 23 in Mishawaka.

The sky is limitless. Our vision is limitless. Let’s make our collaboration, cooperation and communication limitless as well. Cass Can Community … it’s all about pure Connection.

I’d like to invite you to two free public events at Turtle Lodge Event Venue across from the vintage courthouse downtown Cassopolis.

The Holiday Potluck Celebration on Sunday, Dec. 21, starts at 3, eat at 4. Please bring a dish to pass. New Year’s Eve Party for 21 and older on Dec. 31, starts at 8 pm. Bring your ID and your own alcohol if you choose. We will provide food, non-alcoholic beverages, music, karaoke and tons of fun and connection on Dec. 31. Lastly, the Christmas Store is open through Dec. 23 at the former Treasures Down Under next to The Smile Center downtown: Open 11-6 all days, except Sun & Wed, Saturdays from 11-2.

 

CeeCee Wilson, is Organizer for Cass Can, Inc. and owner of Last Tagine in Paris, LLC