We owe a big thank you to Connie Henke and her faithful volunteers for another great Good Ol’ Days festival.

All their hard work brought a lot of people downtown. Some downtown business owners did not welcome those who came. A large downtown bank closed its parking lot for the first time in 20 years. A strip mall with a paint store had guests who parked in its parking lot impounded, and another building downtown was locked so people could not take a shortcut to the back parking lot.

To top it all off, the mayor and five members of the council did not make attendance a priority.

Auburn Regional Medical Center and the rest of the sponsors also are owed a thank you. They showed that they care for this community. All the sponsor dollars go into the festival. No one receives a salary. In fact, if there is any shortfall, the director pays it from personal funds.

So come on, Auburn. If we want this to continue, let’s get behind it 100 percent.

– Roger Thordarson