Mittge Commentary: Three Good Reasons to Venture Out Into the Storm

Posted

As a series of squalls dubbed “the Big Dark” descends, it’s tempting to hunker down and stay home. However, those willing to brave the rain for a good reason have some enticing activities and events over the next few days that are worth your attention. 

First, head to the Wilson Hotel in downtown Centralia (corner of Tower and Maple, at 328 N. Tower Ave.) for a limited-time opportunity to take a deep look into the intriguing life of Centralia’s founder, the black pioneer George Washington. 

The museum is gorgeous. Exposed bricks on one side of the room speak to our community’s living history, while fresh, rich golden-yellow paint on other newly restored walls suggests the dynamism of the energy in downtown Centralia these days. 

Exhibits and displays follow Washington’s life from Virginia to Centralia. A huge map shows today’s city with the outline of his original 1850s homestead. A prescient quote from the young Washington is superimposed on the map: “If there is a decent place in this world, I will find it.” As his heirs in the Centralia area, we still benefit from his energy and vision.

Jason Mattson, the new director of the Lewis County Historical Museum, and Scott White, the new director of the Downtown Centralia Association, clearly have the vision and talent for creating a fun, inviting space to explore our community’s heritage. They were ably aided by downtown design business owner Tory Graf and HUBBUB owner Rebecca Staebler, as well as many other members of our George Washington Bicentennial Committee

The pop-up museum is open 10 to 7 p.m. today and Sunday. The goal is to eventually put a museum like this up permanently in Centralia. It’s a worthy aim in this 200th year of Washington’s birth.

(And did you see that Seattle Times story that ran online this week about Washington and Centralia’s celebration of his bicentennial? Check the newsstand this weekend for the print version, but don’t clear out the racks until I pick up my copy! And along with your Chronicle subscription, consider supporting The Seattle Times as a paying customer. Their reporter spent a lot of time in Lewis County and took care to get the story right.)

 

Horns of Plenty

Also this weekend in Centralia, the Northwest Wind Symphony will kick off their 27th concert series tonight. This year’s theme is “National Interests,” and will begin with American music tonight. Future concerts will feature music from France and Italy.

This regional ensemble pulls in players from around the Northwest (my trombonist sister comes down from King County), and in Lewis County we are the beneficiaries of all this talent right at our doorstep. Come early so you can be assured of a seat in Corbet Theatre at Centralia College. 

You’ll be glad you came. 

 



Reclaiming Life From the Screens

Last year I was fortunate enough to catch a showing of the new documentary “Screenagers.” I was so heartened by its positive message of how to help our children safety and effectively navigate a world full of screens that pull them away from positive social interactions and can cause complex problems that even adults are having trouble handling. 

The movie is coming back to Lewis County next week, and I’d really encourage you to attend. This film, made in Seattle, takes an unflinching look at the impact of smartphones, tablets, video games, television and computers on children and teenagers. 

Screens are compelling. They can be fun, but like anything addictive, their power can be hard to control. Fortunately, there are ways to tame the beast.

This film is a great one to take your children along with you to watch. It’s very family-friendly, handling even the fraught subject of “sexting” with tact, gentleness and a restorative spirit.

I can’t recommend “Screenagers” enough to parents wondering and worrying how to handle the balance of digital life with their kids. 

This film offers lots of useful ideas and practical solutions on how to control the siren call of online and virtual life — making screens our aids and servants, rather than lords and masters of our time and relationships. 

Thank you to the Centralia Timberland Regional Library for showing the film this Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 5:30 p.m. 

I should say that I recognize the irony of watching a movie about how to limit the power of screens, but watching this kind of video in a group setting is the exact opposite of the kind of isolation or false “social” networking that digital life brings. 

I loved watching this movie and talking it over when I had the chance last year, and I encourage you to brave the storm of the real-world’s clouds to find a way to a sunnier relationship with the screens in your world. 

•••

Brian Mittge can be found outside, and more than occasionally online at brianmittge@hotmail.com.