By Mark Scott, executive director of Market MontGOmery Chamber & Tourism • Touch a hot stove and the result is forever etched in your memory. See a particularly beautiful sunset and you’ll remember it forever. Smell a skunk and you’ll never forget it. You can remember the wonderful taste of chocolate or a great steak or a perfect fruit cobbler, can’t you?
You get the picture; our senses have a lot to do with our memory.
On the other hand, an ordinary meal can become memorable because it was shared with a first date, or you saw a celebrity while you ate, or the waiter spilled drinks on someone. Perhaps a certain sunset was nothing out of the ordinary, but it became special because it was the last one you saw with a special person who passed away, or the last before you sold your lake house.
Memories may come from the senses, but they’re enhanced by the people we are with, the situation, the setting, etc. That’s why the chamber and I applaud the town of Mt. Gilead and its people for setting the stage for a lifetime of memories with a wonderful new 22-foot-tall, beautifully-lit Christmas tree. Imagine the memories that will be formed in years to come, perhaps seeing the tree in the background while huddled under an umbrella watching the Christmas parade, or maybe one year it’s wearing shorts in unseasonably warm temperatures at the parade.
The town of Mt. Gilead, its business owners and its citizens have provided the elements for memories to be made. Take advantage of it and make your lasting memories there this year.