Around Edmond: City Candidate Forum streams live this Wednesday and Thursday. First Thursday Vibes seeking artists by February 1. Emory Anne Interiors brings Botanical Bar in house offering subscription floral service.

Hi everyone! I couldn’t be more excited to get this new year off to such a productive start. Along with finalizing the first issue of our print

January/February 2021 Issue with 2020 Community Favorite Winners, ShopEdmond for your Valentine, and Christmas fun around Edmond

magazine for print (it’s January/February as we typically print 8 to 10 issues a year), we’ve been super busy helping business owners around our community by amplifying their services.

Photo of Pete Holloway from Boulevard Steakhouse

I do want to take a moment to offer my prayers to the Holloway family, friends and work family of Pete Holloway.

He had a rougher year than most in 2020, starting out with Stage 4 Melanoma, then switching up operations for his restaurants when Covid started, then ending the year contracting Covid and succumbing to this virus last week.

Everyone has a story about Pete, and it is a resounding overwhelming feeling that he left this world better than he found it.

This is what most of us aspire to. I will never forget the business advice he gave me in 2010, and still to this day heed it in everything I do. If you get the chance, stop by and offer your support to Boulevard Steakhouse, Sparrow Italian or Cafe 501 on Boulevard and 5th Street.

The numbers for the end of the year are out and Edmond appears to have excelled under the global pandemic in tax revenue collected. It’s not by much but over 2018 and 2019, yet this is hopeful, to be sure, for retailers around Edmond. This is on top of real estate being hot through out their typically slow season, so 2021 looks to be a seller’s year for certain! Whenever you can, be sure to shop at a locally owned business first before making your clothing, gift and home furnishing/accessory purchases. An actual person will appreciate your business very much.

I won’t get into the horrifying events that occurred at our nation’s Capitol January 6, however, we must all remember that all politics is local, as our District 5 Congresswoman is from Edmond, and objected to the electoral count being certified in two other states citing untrue concerns, despite their being no evidence for standing in 62 out of 63 lawsuits.

Senator Inhoffe had already made it clear he could not in good conscience vote to do this because it violated his oath to protect the Constitution, and rarely do I agree with him, however, he was not wrong. Senator Lankford only changed his vote after the insurrection at the Capitol building.

This brings up the importance of knowing your candidates who represent you, whether in our city, our state or federally.

The one thing I do believe is that in situations where everything feels out of control, we must concentrate our focus on what we can control. This summer saw so many very vocal residents speaking their minds during virtual City Council meetings, and it was startling to find out how many people didn’t know how our municipality works, what our Mayor and Councilmen and women can and cannot do and so much more. Many demanded recalls and petitions to remove these leaders which lead to nothing, but if you don’t know anything about these candidates and didn’t participate in the elections that seated them, then you now have a chance to become civically engaged.

You have an opportunity tomorrow at 6:30 pm to meet the Candidates for Mayor in a live streaming forum at our FB Page and Youtube hosted by Eriech Tapia of the Edmond Summit Rotary Club to which you’ll hear first hand answer’s to questions about the City’s future Covid responses, development around Edmond, learn about the relationship between City Council and Edmond Schools and more, and then at 6:30 pm Thursday to meet the City Council Candidates. These forums are not political, they are civics in action, that affect your every day living here in Edmond.

Edmond Vibes Calling for Local Visual and Performing Artists

Artists sought for the 1st Thursday Vibes Events in Downtown Edmond April through October. Click the banner below to apply by February 1st!

ShopEdmond at Emory Anne Interiors! Botanical Bar now offering floral subscriptions!

Anne McCarthy has been busy, visiting Dallas Market virtually, and coming up with some great ideas to cheer all of us up! At Christmas time, she offered boxed gift options and now Botanical Bar is offering weekly and bi monthly floral arrangement deliveries! I can’t tell you how much I love this idea, and may just do it myself to have a little pick me up to look forward to on my office desk.

That’s it for today, check back Thursday for more of what’s happening around Edmond!

Sherri