Some Reflections on New Sanford, Accompanied by Mad Men GIFs

Six months ago, I made some pretty drastic changes in my life. I remember the six month mark because in the middle of my personal craziness, there was Sofas and Suds. I remember sitting down the next day, looking over the photos and video, and obsessing over a negative comment I found about the event. I was right in the middle of researching a project about the perceptions of Sanford, inside and out, and this person complaining about quite possibly the most awesome event to ever come to town, quite possibly the single most impactful way to change the perception of Sanford for 1000 people in a single day, all because the event charged for entry...well, it really pissed me off.

I wrote a huge diatribe imploring people to be more Sanford-positive, and for people who didn't like the way New Sanford was running their events to stay at home. I stewed on it for the next several days, angry that we were up against this sort of ignorance, angry that I still heard so much negativity about Sanford on a regular basis, angry at myself for feeding into the ugliness my whole life.

So now that I'm sitting around remembering all of this, and where I projected we would be as a town, and where I would be as a 22 year old kid with awful judgment in a six month period....guys, I'm freaking stoked.

Don't know about y'all, but I feel a change. Sofas and Suds was a hit: bars full, the crowd hyped, and teams getting truly competitive over a couch race. It's just one event, but here's finally some evidence of the fruits of our labor-- two years of waiting, hoping, and pushing, there are people lining the street and having a good time in a little historic town everyone traditionally loves to shit on.

But you know what? I don't hear very much of that anymore. I hear people oooing and ahhing over how beautiful Sanford Ave looks. I hear people tell me that yes, they've been to all of my favorite bars before, and yes, maybe we'll run into each other there next time. I hear people speculating about who is running a Tribe Called Sanford. I hear people exclaiming that this is NOT what they expected. I hear people use the words "we" and "our" in reference to Sanford. Most important, I hear people correcting their friends when they say something negative about our town.

And me? I think I got very very very lucky by surrounding myself with the right people. Without the influence of the incredible New Sanford clan, I would not have had the guts to pursue being an outspoken, crusading, overemotional, ever-so-slightly-hipster young thang with a blog.

(And don't worry, I'll be back with more burlesque for the next Sofas and Suds.)



So are we (the royal we) exactly where we need to be? Good god, no. I'm 22! And Sanford has a long way to go before it becomes the super awesome historic walking town on the water with an urban, alternative, beer and foodie destination twist we dream it will be. But, if this weekend was any indication, we have some good things ahead. Let's keep trying harder, Sanford Tribe.

(Side note...you negative bitches better keep watching out.)