While preparing to write this season’s Hometown Guide message, I took a few minutes to review my message from last Spring. We were gearing up for the usual spring sports season, and I encouraged all of you to help volunteer with our local Sharonville Youth Organization. Of course, we all know that there was no spring sports season as states of emergency and statewide state-at-home orders went into effect in mid-March due to the coronavirus. Many of the publicized events in that Hometown Guide were cancelled or postponed much to the dismay of the organizers, the City, and I’m sure many of you. It was necessary, however, to protect the health and safety of all. I know that as we entered into those initial days, I hoped that we would be ready to tackle most of those events again by now. However, despite some positive movements in the battle against the pandemic, we are still not quite there yet but there are some signs of returning to normal.

SYO is gearing up to have a spring sports season. And now, as much as ever, they need your volunteer efforts to help make that successful for our City’s young people. The Sharonville Cultural Arts Center is continuing to find ways to bring visual and performing arts into our downtown Sharonville. The City, by leveraging federal coronavirus relief funds, has provided some assistance to the organization to help it through these difficult times (especially for creative arts venues), they could certainly use some of your support as well. We hope that you will take some time to visit our Sharonville Convention Center this March for events like the Sharonville Gems, Minerals & Jewelry Expo or the Greater Cincinnati Home Expo. And as always, please find some time to support the many small businesses around Sharonville to dine (in or take-out), drink, and shop (thanks to Cliff’s Hardware for helping to provide for the snow removal needs of so many this unusually snowy winter).

I’m sure many of you, like me, are anxious to return to life before the coronavirus. That day will come, but it’s going to be a lot more gradually coming than most of us want. The City will continue to do all that it can to bring back the programming that you find so valuable – and to do it safely. Stay safe. Stay strong. I’ll see you around the neighborhood.