Mayor Jim Auxer

Thank you.

In today’s world, those are two words – expressed sincerely – that we hear too little uttered.

For all the requests this column publishes – such as picking up trash and removing dog droppings – this is the “thank you” for everything. First of all:

Shepherdstown just hosted the Freedom’s Run 2009 races; approximately 1,400 participated in the five races, and more worked in support capacity – most of the races started and all ended at the Shepherd University Stadium; SU alone supplied more than 400 volunteers.

The town had increased foot traffic, an increase of drive-in visitors, and when the day ended our town looked as if nothing had happened, the litter and trash were collected and delivered to the Shepherdstown wastewater plant property for the town to later haul to landfill.

The businesses and citizens handled the increased traffic without incident.

In other words, the organizers, in partnership with the town and university, managed a very well-run event.

Thanks to National Park Service, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown employees, Shepherdstown residents and businesses, and Mark Cucuzzella, director of the Freedom’s Run Marathon, and his team for a smooth running event that exposed many first-time visitors to our town.

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Overall, the various house-cleaning tasks in town are going fine, especially the business community with their efforts in sweeping the walks in front of their shops.

One aspect of the new (and old) brick sidewalks that you may not be aware of is icing. With high-visitation possibilities for the remainder of the year – Shepherd University Homecoming Parade will be Saturday, Oct. 24; then it’s Halloween, followed by the holiday season – if we get a snow or freezing rain and it settles in and around the bricks, that ice may stick around until spring. Also, now that we’re in the height leaf season, a freeze could make leaf-covered walkways and streets more treacherous.

Finally, we thank the joint effort of the Shepherdstown Men’s Club and the Jefferson County Historical Society for organizing and hosting a monthly series of speakers focused on historical issues in the town and county.

The first speaker in the series was John Allen, who has researched and is writing a book about the historic houses of the county.

This month’s speaker was Dennis Frye, a Shepherd graduate and historian with the National Park Service; Frye presented an insider’s look at government and public activities and reactions to anniversary events surrounding John Brown and the raid the 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry.

These history-focused lectures are held at 7 p.m., Men’s Club second floor, on the second Monday of every month.