Get Out and Vote!

by Mary Jane | Nov 1, 2018 | Breaking News

Hey Everyone,

Scoop here. The countdown to the 2018 Mid-Term Elections is on and you can feel the excitement building. From Cup ‘O Joe’s to Maggie’s Diner and darn near everywhere in between, our neighbors in Shady Pines Story Town are talking about how they’re going to vote. Some of those conversations get a bit loud that’s for sure. People are really passionate about their feelings.

Lookey there. Our local author, Mary Jane McKittrick is driving around with Boomer and Halley trying to get out the vote. Or, maybe she’s out promoting that book of hers, Boomer and Halley Election Day, A Town Votes for Civic Responsibility. Either way, if she can get more people to the polls, that’s a good thing!

Here’s the breaking news I have for you. We’re seeing people participate in early voting in record numbers. Why, you’d think it was a presidential election or something. Folks seemed all riled up about the way things are in the country right now.

But, I have to say, down at the Shady Pines Gazette newspaper office, we’re kinda discouraged about young voters not turning out. My editor, Zulah Talmadge and I were talking about that very fact this morning. She was checking the numbers coming in and it seems that only about a third of young people eligible to vote are actually voting. Ms. Talmadge was impressing upon me the importance of every vote. She told me when I get old enough, she’s going to make sure I get involved. The way she sees it, it’s the only way things change. She reminded me in a lot of places in the world, people don’t have the right to vote.

Well, until I can vote, I’m going to make sure I cover the story. This is my way of being a good citizen. Have you voted yet?

By the way, if you want the Election Day book, you can get it right now. You’ll see what it was like when we had a special mayoral election here in our small Southern town. Honesty and Responsibility were up for a vote and civility was the big winner. The whole thing was a hoot. ‘Ole Mayor Beauregard P. Fibbs was on the hot seat during that event. The entire town got involved. And the book won national awards and stuff. Get it HERE

Or, find you can buy the book on Amazon:

-Scoop out!

From The Sandbox to the Ballot Box, Teaching Kids the Importance of Participation

by Mary Jane | Oct 23, 2018 | Shady Pines Stories

It’s me, Zulah Talmadge, editor of the Shady Pines Gazette newspaper here with some big news. Our very own local author is Re-releasing her Children’s Book in Time for Mid-term Elections. The publication is part of our Shady Pines Story Town website focused on restoring civility.

Mary Jane McKittrick, creator of Shady Pines Story Town, and our website promoting “Civility for Children” with online stories and off-line activities, and author of the nationally recognized book series, Boomer and Halley, re-releases “Boomer and Halley Election Day – A Town Votes for Civic Responsibility” in time for the 2018 midterm election cycle.

First published in 2008 during the Clinton-Obama election, the book, a Mom’s Choice Gold Award Winner for readers ages 4-8, chronicles the events of a local mayoral election in the small Southern town of Shady Pines and features Boomerang, an Australian Shepherd dog, and Halley’s Comet, a silver streak of a cat, who elect to get involved. Themes of honesty, forgiveness, responsibility and proper pet care weave throughout the story line where honesty and responsibility are up for debate, and civility is the big winner.

“The book is less about politics as it is a call to get involved, be informed and be of service to your community,” says McKittrick, who is concerned about the rancor and lack of decorum and polite debate in today’s elections.“How can we ask younger voters to support our representative-driven republic if all they observe are civil servants being anything but civil? Why should the next generation want to get involved and participate in public life if all we show them is that if they do, they will be ripped apart, attacked and destroyed?

“Research shows that voting is habit forming. Starting early makes it more likely that an individual will continue to vote throughout their life time and are more likely to get involved with other forms of civic engagement, such as participation in community groups and advocacy organizations.”

McKittrick says that’s what the Boomer and Halley Election Day book seeks to achieve.

“We use our small town of Shady Pines to showcase a mayoral election. Neighbors, old and young, human and animal, get involved. It’s a fun way to show children that it’s important as citizens that we make out voices heard if we want to affect positive change. Our power in the voting booth is the single most significant individual power we wield as citizens, and it’s a right that many around the world don’t possess. We should teach our kids to value it and to use it wisely.”

For more information about Shady Pines Story Town, the Boomer and Halley book series or to purchase a copy of the book, visit www.shadypinesstorytown.com

Mary Jane McKittrick is the Chief Creative Officer of Shady Pines Story Town and the author of the national award-winning book series, Boomer and Halley, for ages 4-8. The books feature Boomerang, an Australian Shepherd dog, and Halley’s Comet, a silver streak of a cat, both adopted by Harold and Edna Sanders who learn to parent their four legged “kids” in the small Southern town of Shady Pines. The stories introduce core values in a fun-filled way. McKittrick is a former communications consultant and broadcast journalist who holds a dual bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts and Speech Communication.

For more ideas on how to use the four life lessons embedded in Boomer and Halley Election Day, A Town Votes for Civic Responsibility GO HERE

Inspire Kids to Be Active Citizens

by Mary Jane | Oct 23, 2018 | Offline Activities

To get your copy of this Mom’s Choice Gold Award winning book from the Boomer and Halley series, GO HERE

Once you’ve read, Boomer and Halley Election Day, A Town Votes for Civic Responsibility, here are some things you can do to keep your youngster engaged in civic participation. Keep in mind that emphasizing the importance of taking action to enact change is an important message to send. A person who gets in the habit of voting when their young, tends to continue that pattern the rest of their life.

Mayor Beauregard P. Fibbs will be glad to hear that you are spreading the word!

Here are some things you can do with your kids to inspire them to be active citizens:

Vote: It’s difficult to teach your child about the election process if you don’t vote. You should make a point to vote, and when age-appropriate, bring your children with you when you do. If you vote via absentee ballot, show your child the form and explain how important it is to make sure your vote counts.
Don’t Talk Politics, Talk Issues: Politics can be boring for kids, and they may not have a frame of reference for it; but issues such as whether the school year should be longer or why they take standardized tests at school can be discussed easily because it’s relevant to their lives. Ask questions such as, “Do you think it’s fair that the rules are this way?” or “If you could make the rules, what would you do?” It will get them thinking and caring about democracy and their role in it.
Connect Laws to Their Lives: Children may not have a frame of reference for how a law is passed, but they encounter government in action practically every day. When there is road construction on the way to school, it represents tax dollars being spent to improve the community. When a new playground opens or old equipment is replaced with new equipment, it can be traced back to the local government. When they see campaign signs all around during an election cycle, it’s another opportunity to explain what it’s all about.