Last modified: Sunday, December 2, 2007 6:52 AM PST Celebrating a unique, local event By Pat Caldwell The Winter Wonderland Parade is one of those local, feel-good events we all enjoy, and to a certain extent, expect to occur every year. Yet the event does not simply appear out of nowhere. The parade, something I believe is a unique and wonderful phenomenon, circles through town only because there are a number of people who work hard behind the scenes. The entity that puts the most into the effort is the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. While the event is, in a way, the chamber’s signature event, it is also a truly community-oriented celebration. Looking back over the years at earlier coverage of the event I was struck by the fact that, while the event was always tied to the chamber in some form, there was rarely an out-and-out recognition of that entity’s critical role. Without the chamber stepping up — and by chamber I mean all the members and merchants and those, like Executive Director John Breidenbach and his staff, that guide the organization — and helping spearhead the event, it might not occur. If, by now, readers are expecting a few more paragraphs lauding the chamber and the parade, they’re right. We spent a lot of time reporting, as truthfully as we can, all aspects of our community, but I’m always concerned the seemingly small, good things organizations do every month either get missed or sidetracked. The Winter Wonderland Parade is a good example of an event that creates a lot of joy and fun for a short time every year, and without it a gap would exist in this community. Just as reporting on crime and city government and other issues are important, so too are things like the Winter Wonderland Parade. Even more important, I think, are those who toil behind the scenes at the chamber or volunteer their time to make the parade a success. It is easy to fall into the trap of getting used to the parade and taking it for granted. I hope we never do that as a community because the parade is truly a unique event in Eastern Oregon. There is nothing quite like it. At least not in La Grande, where I grew up. When I came to Ontario more than 10 years ago and heard people talking about the Winter Wonderland Parade I was stumped. “What is that?” I asked my relatives. And, of course, they told me about this neat local event that occurs every year at this time. I had trouble grasping that concept at first. A parade. In the winter? Yet after I took part in my first one, I was sold and have been every since. That’s why I think it is important to make sure those people behind the event — and I mean everyone, from volunteers to the participants to the chamber of commerce — really should know just how neat, how important and how crucial their work is. The parade is a good, community event. It seeps good will and fellowship, and I believe it is more than just another event but something bigger and more important to the collective soul of a community. In a sense the event is a community priority, as much as other big-ticket items like economic development and tackling crime. In a way, the parade showcases all that is good about us. The parade represents ideals and motifs we all strive for, and it illustrates a community that is very effective in using its hidden and obvious resources. I love this event. While many behind the parade may not hear it, we want to make sure they know their work, their dedication to this event is appreciated. Without that kind of civic service, items like the Winter Wonderland Parade would fade away. And we, as a community, would be missing something. For a short time every year, a community can convene and take part in a truly unique event. That’s good news and significant. Significant because events like the Winter Wonderland Parade help us remember we are a great community with a tremendous amount of potential. Pat Caldwell is the editor of the Argus Observer. He can be contacted at PatC@argusobserver.com