Make Your Voice Heard
It’s finally here. Election Day. “I VOTED.” Those two words really mean something in our small Southern town.
We take the right to vote very seriously. It’s our way of letting our leaders know what we feel.
It wasn’t so long ago that our very own Edna Sanders ran for mayor of Shady Pines Story Town. Yes she did!
Why you can only imagine the chaos in the Sanders’ household when that happened. Oh, for goodness sakes. You don’t need to hear from me. I’ll let them tell you about it.
“Harold did you vote today?” asks Edna.
Recently home from his job running the Nuts ‘N Bolts hardware store downtown, Harold sits on the couch watching TV.
“Of course I did, honey. I went by the polling place and cast my vote on the way to work.”
Down Memory Lane
Edna settles in beside him. “Remember when I ran for mayor for the Common Sense Party?”
Harold chuckles and turns off the television. “Kinda hard to forget. ‘Ole Mayor Fibbs and his Gimme (Gimme This – Gimme That) Party had no idea you were going through with it.”
Edna nods. “I really didn’t have a choice. You saw how bad things had gotten. Repairs weren’t being done around town. Potholes in the streets; paint was peeling off of buildings and park benches; why even the dog park was closed.”
“It did make you wonder,” says Harold.
Edna continues as her voice gets more emotional. “And then we found out the mayor had new office furniture and a brand new car!”
Harold agrees. “Something wasn’t right that’s for sure.”
Edna sits a little taller. “After the Town Hall meeting when all the facts came out I felt I had to do something. How could I have known our neighbors were going to put me on the ballot?”
Family Gets Involved
Harold sighs. “That was some kind of shock. Yes indeeedy.”
Edna giggles. “Remember how Boomer and Halley got involved?”
Harold closes his eyes and leans back. “I sure do. The craziest part was when that author who writes about us got involved with your campaign. I can still see the image of her turning my truck into a campaign vehicle.”
“I’d forgotten that part,” says Edna. “Our four-legged kids became more famous that me!”
Harold opens his eye and holds Edna’s hand. “And then there was our campaign headquarters.”
“Oh, yeah that,” says Edna. “Our once quiet kitchen sure was buzzing.”
“It was hard to escape the fact that people were talking about the campaign everywhere,” says Harold. “Even the soda fountain in my store 
became a meeting place.”
Working To Make Things Right
“People were fired up, that’s for sure,” says Edna. “But the good part was our neighbors got involved. They wanted to fix the problems.”
Harold stands up and stretches. “And once the mayor realized people were on to him he
did the right thing.”
Edna looks at him and smiles. ” I was so happy Mayor Fibbs did that. He apologized and paid the town back. Honesty is powerful.”
“You know what else was great?” asks Harold. “We all learned a lesson to pay more attention to what’s going on and make sure our leaders are doing right by us.”
“We also made sure to clean up the mess together,” say Edna. “And I didn’t have to be mayor!”
And so folks, wherever you are on this Election Day in America we hope you feel that your vote is important.
If you get discouraged about anything feel free to pay us a visit. Because Kindness and Caring Lives Here in Shady Pines Story Town. And you’re always welcome.
We need more projects like Shady Pines to emphasize these important lessons for young children
Nicely done. What a great lesson on the importance of voting, especially at the local level
A very timely and important reminder.
Thank you Teresa
I’m so glad to see this. We all need to be reminded that our vote matters
Honesty is powerful. What a true statement. This was a really good post
Thank you for the reminder that every vote is important and that no matter how small we think our contribution is – every vote makes a difference
Thank you Joanne. Completely agree!
You made a message to understand how important it is to vote into a page turning story. I love “Common Sense Party!” And who is that author that writes about Shady Pines? 😉
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sheri. As for the author’s identity… hmmmm..let me see. Who could it be?
Very good post
The presentation of this message is cute. But the message itself is so important
No matter how cynical we are about our government the power of the vote is not to be taken lightly
What a fun and important way to remind us about the importance of voting
Glad you liked it Jim!
Nice post.
Thank you Tamara!
As they say,
vote early – vote often !!!
Amen. Thank you Frank!
We all have a duty to get involved and vote! This is a cute reminder that it matters. Thank you Shady Pines.
Well said Elaine. Thank you!
Way to go Shady Pines. You are on the pulse as always. Really well said
Thank you Sharon!
Oh man. Thank you for getting this out. We need to remember the importance of voting
Shade Pines Story Town is an important reminder that every vote and every voice matters.
Well said. Thank you Tammy!
Maryjane. This really hits home’!we do need to pay attention to what’s going on and to try to do something! So glad I could still vote today!
So glad this resonated with you Sharon!
Very timely message
That was the BEST EVER
from Shady Pines And whose that adorable truck driver Your words were timely and direct
Wish there were an “ outlet”
for our dear Shady Pines news
Jane I’m so glad you enjoyed this one!
This is a wonderful post for kids of all ages