Deborah Levine
DL Opinion columns

Community gift of unity: Venue 1921 – by Deborah Levine

(column for Friday, Feb. 13)

When East Ridge was officially founded in 1921, I wonder if residents envisioned a gathering center like the one that just opened. As we gathered together outside the beautiful building, it was obvious that the tag line was a perfect fit: “Where History Meets Celebration”.  Beginning the ribbon cutting ceremony, ER Mayor Brian Williams highlighted the words of the new brochure: “Every event held here adds a new story to the city’s timeline – a place where neighbors, families, and friends gather to create lasting memories.” What a gift! Not only to East Ridge, but to the communities surrounding us.

“Coming together…Unity” was emphasized by Mayor Williams in his introduction. He shared that a decade ago, the vision was an open pavilion with a basketball court which will now be added to the Community Center. Today, the expanded vision for Venue 1921 was built by a team whose members applied their passion, experience, and expertise. I was delighted that City Manager Scott Miller had delayed his retirement so that he could make this public statement: “In my 45-year career, this is the grandest building and team I’ve overseen.”

Venue manager Tara Viland explains that grandeur: “Venue 1921 is designed to host everything from community gatherings, and private celebrations such as weddings and birthdays, to civic events, markets, fundraisers, and is a recognized regional destination—known for quality events, meaningful community impact, and flexibility.”

What a team! I loved hearing that from the head of the team’s HK architecture firm, Heidi Hefferlin. Years ago, Heidi told me HK mission statement: “We are founded on the principal that we can improve the lives of those we serve through outstanding design”. I’m reminded of this quote by anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

The joy of the ribbon cutting with shouts, claps and whistles was a reminder that even in divisive times, we can still come together as a community. Not surprisingly, the crowd streamed together into the venue, loving the music, the food and the display of local artists’ work. I’m grateful to ER Council member/Vice President David Tyler for giving me a personal tour of the venue. He shared that it can hold up to 500 people and there are already 100 requests to hold events here. 

The diversity of the crowd included all colors, ethnicities, genders and generations. An elderly African American woman approached me, wanting to share how glad she was that her son insisted that she come to East Ridge. She lived alone and was grateful that folks here were kind and helpful. Looking around at all the attendees, she repeated ‘unity…unity…unity’. We both smiled at a Hispanic family holding twin baby girls dressed in Valentine outfits sporting huge red bows on their heads. One of the babies smiled back at me, so I made a couple of silly faces at her. She giggled. And we all laughed.

The interactions went even deeper. I got a big hug from the police chief who loved that I wrote about his dedication to community in an earlier column. There were more hugs, especially from the staff of the Community Center. I’ve never experienced such a wonderful sense of community!

Current divisiveness shall not prevail! As President Jimmy Carter said: “Each of us must rededicate ourselves to serving the common good.  We are a community.  Our individual fates are linked; our futures intertwined; and if we act in that knowledge and in that spirit together, as the Bible says: “We can move mountains.”

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