By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
Aniwodihi (Painttown)
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Last summer, my wife visited Ireland and one of the main things that stuck out with me from her trip was the idea of “Tidy Towns”; an idea I feel would work great here in Cherokee. Created in 1958 by the Ireland Department for Rural and Community Development, the competition looks at various aspects of tidiness to name “Ireland’s Tidiest Town” each year.
Heather Humphreys, Minister for Ireland’s Department for Rural and Community Development, said in a statement, “Tidy Towns is all about people, places, and possibilities. Everywhere is unique and the competition provides a platform to share what is best about communities across Ireland.”
According to her, they received entries from 880 towns in 2023.
City entrants are judged on various categories including: overall developmental approach (five-year plan), built environment, landscaping, wildlife and natural amenities, litter control, overall tidiness, waste minimization, and the condition of roads and streets.
This seems like a competition built for the communities of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). I feel this could build upon some of the beautification contests run by the EBCI Cooperative Extension Office.
As we see at the Cherokee Indian Fair each year, healthy competition between the communities is a big draw. For an EBCI Tidy Cherokee competition, sponsors could be garnered to provide prize money for the community to use towards future projects.
Ian Allen, managing director of SuperValu (current sponsor of Tidy Towns), said in a statement that the competition has “become an integral part of community life” across Ireland. He noted, “It is a powerful, uniting force, which shows what can be achieved when communities work together towards the common goal of improving their local areas to make them better, more sustainable places to live, work, and play.”
A competition such as this could really jump start community development within the various EBCI communities. Tidy Towns is about much more than just picking up trash. It is about creating a nice environment for people to live and visit. It’s about creating spaces for people to grow.
Carmaleta Littlejohn Monteith, Beloved Woman of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, once said, “We’re not islands unto ourselves. It takes everyone in the community to achieve things.”
I might be naïve, but I truly believe there’s not a thing that the communities of the EBCI cannot achieve if people band together and work towards a common goal.
As always, this is just an idea.
