☀️The Sun's Not Done
Friday, September 9, 2022 - Vol. 01 No. 16
Good morning, Marysville. There’s still sun in the forecast for the next seven days, but like your last few tickets for rides at the fair: they will soon be spent.
☀️Remembering and Re-telling
This Sunday is September 11 and it will be the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01. Marysville will host its annual ceremony of remembrance at the new Civic Center at 8:30am.
Because it’s the Lord’s Day, many worshippers will be preparing for church instead, but there are still all sorts of resources to re-tell the stories of sacrifice. The following video is only twelve minutes long and provides a different angle on what happened in New York City. Parents should view it first to determine if their kids are ready, but our family has watched it and talked through it numerous times. (That September was memorable as my wife and I’s first as residents of Marysville, none of our kids had been born yet.)
For more resources, consider The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11. The audio book is long but very well done. I’d also recommend the 30-for-30 documentary “First Pitch” available to watch for ESPN+ subscribers or to purchase on Amazon.
☀️Learning Our Place
by Maggie Rothenberger
Higher education is rather pragmatic these days. Choose the college with the best/most affordable program in the field you want, work for a number of years to earn a piece of paper that will hopefully help you get a high-paying job. The perks of luxury facilities, pizza parties, and great sports distractions often obscure the absurd price mark, which sinks many students in crushing debt. Young men and women abandon their hometowns and communities to experience the reportedly thrilling social life of college students.
As I considered my college options in high school, just a few years ago, I came to the conclusion that I simply had two options: either I would attend a small liberal arts college six hours away from Marysville, or someone would start a college here in Marysville that I would attend in its founding years. As God would have it, my father worked with a group of like-minded men and founded Comeford College in the fall of 2020, which happened to be my first year of college. A group of us gathered for our first convocation service, excited to start the work of building.
Three years later, the college continues to offer a Christian Classical Liberal Arts program, and hopes to be accredited someday. The full-time student body consists of two this year, with auditors joining for some classes, and a thriving community choir. It is of course, a baby institution, working towards a full-fledged program that can eventually offer degrees and an even more extensive education than currently possible.
One of the essential aspects of Comeford College is its dedication to Marysville, as it is even named after James P. Comeford, the city’s founder. Jim Martin, Comeford’s President, answered what the college seeks to do: “I would say the primary goal is to instill in our students a love for Marysville and as well as their place in the cultural river we call Western Civilization. We want those students to appreciate how God has moved over time to bring them to this place and this time and to eagerly engage in making both even better.” This attention to Western Civilization culminates in a focus on the seven original liberal arts, and the Great Conversation which has been echoed from generation to generation, only to be generally neglected in recent decades.
“Today, students in many learning institutions are encouraged to find fault with, and erase, our past. Critical Thinking skills have morphed into just being critical. Comeford College is not just about gaining skills to get a job. It is about enculturating students to truly be free men and women who can define terms like true, good, and beautiful and then work to make Marysville fit those terms better,” continued Mr. Martin. To this end, students are encouraged to be actively involved in their local community, and be building it up in whatever ways they can.
As is this column’s tradition, I asked Mr. Martin what he loves about Marysville, and he kindly responded, “My wife and I have lived in Marysville proper since 1988 and raised our four children here. We've always liked the ‘small town’ feel. As it grows, we are encouraged to see it becoming more of a destination in its own right rather than a ‘drive through’ town. We also appreciate the sensible leadership our city council provides.” What better to help establish it as a destination than offering a faithful and valuable higher education to those interested in loving where they come from?
You may have noticed that I myself attend Comeford, my father, (who is also the editor of this publication), was involved in its founding, and the whole thing must be an overblown practice in nepotism; if that’s true, considering this little college an option seems unnecessary. However, the goal of this column is to promote and highlight the lovely aspects of Marysville, and those who seek to make it lovelier, which Comeford College qualifies for in its own right. In every day of small beginnings there are plenty of jobs to be filled by willing workers, if they only ask what they can provide, not what they can take. There is great privilege involved in building the foundations of faithful institutions, even if the work looks silly to those watching. Even if you find that you are not called to this particular work in Marysville, you’re more than welcome to visit concerts, classes, or watch from a distance!
☀️Beveraged Events
The Marysville Brew & Cider Fest 2022, tomorrow, September 10, at the Marysville Opera House. The Facebook event page is here, and you can purchase tickets here.
Coffee with a Cop, Friday, September 23, at The Creamery Co.
Jazz Night in The ‘Ville, Monday, September 26, at 5 Rights Brewing Company. Doors open at 5:00pm, with a suggested cover charge of $7/person but kids/students are welcome for free.
☀️Friday Fun
A goat and a monkey are hopping through the woods. It’s not just the start of a joke.
