Downtown Charles Town is decorated and festive for the 2022 Christmas parade.
Editor’s note from the December 2022 print issue
The holiday festivities seem particularly energetic this year. Perhaps it was the unseasonably warm weather for the parades — or that our pandemic-related anxieties of the past several years have cooled. The Shepherd University band certainly lifted a lot of spirits as they marched past McMurran Hall (cover image) during the Shepherdstown Christmas parade. The University’s football team was also full of energy later that day, romping up and down the field on the way to a 48-13 victory over Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Part of the fans’ excitement for the team is linked to the local roots of some of the star players (as profiled in August’s Observer). The connection of a shared community makes the players’ dedication and effort seem closer and more relatable. It’s the same spirit that local service organizations rely on for their support. John Cloyd, Assistant Director at Jefferson County Community Ministries, shared what his organization sees: “We’re serving roughly 2,500 different individuals over the course of a year. Our food is in pretty good supply, but we always need money to purchase specific items, especially meats and other proteins.” Shepherdstown Shares, which provides services in the northern part of Jefferson County, notes a similar need for money to fill in what they don’t receive in food donations. The need is year-round and there are dozens more worthy local causes with which we can share our time and resources.
From all of us at The Observer, we hope you are able to enjoy the rest of December’s festivities and ring in the new year with some good cheer!
Read the December 2022 issue online.
By Steve Pearson