By Helen Kull
Despite the name, this column admittedly features far more “then” topics than “now” ones. This month’s, however, considers aspects of Ewing “now” and “yet to be.”
A confluence of ideas presented at two unrelated events at the beginning of June inspired me to share them here.
The first event was the 2014 N.J. History and Historic Preservation Conference, and the other was the Ewing Green Team’s invitational visioning activity held at The College of New Jersey.
The annual History and Historic Preservation Conference typically features sessions on local preservation efforts (successful and unsuccessful), preservation techniques (both direct artisanal practices and indirect policies), best practices for operating and maintaining a historic museum, caring for collections, and utilizing ever-improving technology to interpret local history.
In this milestone year for New Jersey (Happy 350th!), the speakers, each with years of professional experience in cultural conservancy, history, strategic planning, leadership development, and the process of assessing community character and sense of place, spoke of, among other things, communities.
One of the messages to the historians and preservationists gathered was the need to “get the message out” beyond the history community that history is far more than dates and facts. History is stories — of individuals, communities, peoples and nations — and of how they act, interact, evolve, change, and affect the lives of others.
History is people seeing a situation and wanting to improve it, in an effort to better their own life, and/or lives in their community, state, or nation.
Whether it’s the invasion of the beaches at Normandy 70 years ago, or a group of volunteers restoring New Jersey beach towns post-Sandy, history is how we shaped and how we continue to shape our lives, our communities, our nation, our world and our planet.
Thus, telling our stories, hearing the stories of all our neighbors, and creating new stories together is the backbone of successful civil discourse and meeting the needs of the future, whether those needs are local or global, economic, environmental, or social.
Sharing, celebrating and commemorating these stories — these histories — is not insignificant. The stories of these people and places distinguish a location from a true community, one built of shared values and events and many, many stories.
The shared achievement in creating, protecting and celebrating spaces and things that are important to us, and in discovering our identities and commonalities in an intercultural world and celebrating that rich cultural diversity, makes a community successful, significant and a source of pride and commitment to its citizens.
And that in essence was also one of the messages at the visioning session for a comprehensive community sustainability plan for Ewing, as hosted by the Ewing Green Team.
On a gorgeous early summer Saturday, approximately 50 people dedicated their creativity, thoughts, values, time, and hometown love to gather indoors to share what they like about Ewing, and to imagine and dream about its future.
Like Ewing, communities throughout the state are endeavoring to become more sustainable, which is more than just being “environmentally” sustainable. Sustainable communities, like rich ecological habitats, are economically viable, environmentally rich, and culturally diverse.
The day’s task was to identify and keep what is working and to imagine new possibilities for sustainability. The list generated included: more recycling; walkable and bikeable areas; community gardens and pocket parks; reusing buildings; embracing history; providing more family-friendly, recreational & arts activities; encouraging and strengthening civic associations; more celebrations of community; and better communication.
It takes civic leaders — like the Green Team — to gather these ideas, and it takes many members of the community to make them happen. It takes people seeing situations and wanting to improve them, and working with others to bring that change about: people who shape the stories — the histories — that will be written about Ewing in the future, and who will shape our Ewing Yet to Be.
If you’re inspired, get involved! Consider participation in the township citizen’s boards: the Green Team, the Arts and Culture Team, the Preservation Commission. Become an active member of a civic association – or start one if you don’t have one! Join the Historic Society. YOU can help write the continuing (hi)story of Ewing!
Do you have a story to share? Contact Helen at ewingthenandnow@gmail.com
