Walt Mares File Photo/Gila Herald: The Duncan Boy Scout troop mixes patriotism with Christmas holiday spirit on this float at a past “Small Town Christmas” light parade in Duncan.
Not a good idea with Coronavirus so rampant
Column By Walt Mares
I love Duncan. It has some of the friendliest folks I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know them. Perhaps one of the reasons is that I come from a town much smaller than Duncan and appreciate folks living a simple lifestyle where everybody in town knows everyone else.
Duncan has a population of about 700 and in my hometown, there was a count of 100 souls. The town was so small I wondered if the population count included cats and dogs.
There is a strong connection among folks in Duncan, although not everyone gets along with each other. Where on earth is there a place where people do not have their differences?
As for the Christmas season, there will be some differences this year. There is something deadly in the air.
As a reporter, I have covered several events there, the Greenlee County Fair, town council meetings, July 4th parades, and flooding when the Gila River jumps its banks. I have especially enjoyed Duncan during the Christmas season. There has been much enjoyment in shooting photographs and writing stories about “A Small Town Christmas.”
This year’s Small Town Christmas will be held Saturday, Dec. 12. It will undoubtedly be a gala event as it has been in years past. At night there will be a parade of lights with floats and other entries. The parade is always beautiful. During the day there will be doings in the park that will include local vendors.
However, this year I do not plan to be there and there will be others who prefer to stay away.
The reason? A deadly COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping the U.S. The virus knows no borders nor is there any consideration for the size of a community’s population or its locale. Big cities, small towns, it does not matter. The virus kills people of all ages no matter where they live or sit on the socio-economic ladder.
Duncan lies in southern Greenlee County. The county has an ordinance requiring people to wear protective face masks when they are in public places such as stores or restaurants. Unlike Clifton, the county seat, Duncan does not have a protective mask proclamation or ordinance in place. In fact, Clifton has canceled its annual Parade of Lights due to the virus threat. Neither will there be any holiday events in Morenci. Next to the county fair, the Clifton festival, which would have been its 24th year, is the largest public event of the year.
There are very many people in Duncan who do not obey the county’s direction to wear protective masks.
Why?
Those folks say having to wear protective masks is an infringement on their freedom. By gosh, they want to be free and they express that feeling by refusing to wear masks. A question arises is what that freedom involves. Is it freedom to contract the virus or spread it to others? Is it freedom to become sick and die?
When one thinks about the many many freedoms we Americans enjoy, one has to ask what is so oppressive about wearing a protective mask while in public.
Some argue that wearing a mask interferes with personal constitutional rights. Not true. I spoke with five attorneys from three different states and they all said wearing protective masks has nothing to do with constitutional rights.
Duncan town councilors Deborah Mendelsohn and Valerie Smith were spot on at a recent town council meeting in speaking out against holding the Christmas event. The same goes for Dr. Matt Bolinger of the Greenlee County Health Dept. They were adamant in speaking against holding the event. Unfortunately, Smith and Mendelsohn were outnumbered by 3-2 on the five-member council. Despite detailed information about the risks of holding the event, Bolinger’s message was all for naught.
Mayor Anne Thurman and Town Manager John Basteen, Jr. spoke in favor of the event, basically saying they trust the people to do the right thing and protect themselves and others.
On Tuesday, Basteen told the Gila Herald that the town will post signs encouraging people to wear protective masks and implement other safety measures.
Yeah, as if that will do any good. On a quick tour of Duncan on Tuesday, Dec. 1, I saw that none of the restaurants or other businesses had any signs telling customers they should wear protective masks. To me, that in itself is an indication of disregard of the fact there is a deadly pandemic,
Nope, not one of those businesses addressed wearing masks for the public’s and individual’s protection. That is, except the Family Dollar store which is located outside the town limits.
Suggestions about wearing masks are not enough. Again, there are those who say they want their freedom from wearing masks. And again, does that involve freedom to contract or spread the deadly virus?
I dare not to be so vain or self-important to think my not being present to cover the event is a factor in what happens in Duncan on Dec. 12. Not at all. I will miss being around such friendly folks. Small Town Christmas is a showcase of the best of the American holiday spirit and the importance of family togetherness. The concern is that it will come at a price that no one should want to or have to pay. The Coronavirus can mean a matter of life and death. And there is no getting around that fact no matter how much people refuse to recognize that and how much people want to declare their so-called freedom
