A Busy Weekend in the 98848 and the Bigger Picture Most of Us Didn’t See
One weekend, dozens of events, and a reminder of just how much life is happening across our community.
This last weekend in the 98848 felt different. Not because of one big event, but because there was something happening everywhere. Quincy, George, Sunland Estates, Crescent Bar all had things happening, at one point I counted at 12 events going on in a single day. That’s not typical for what people still think of as a “small town,” and it says more about where we are as a community than most people realize.
Instead of trying to cover one event all day, I made the rounds. I showed up, spent a little time at a couple different events, talked to people, and moved on. I could have stayed at all of them longer than I did, but I wanted to see a little bit of as many of them as I could. It was the only way to get a real sense of what was happening across the area.
TL;DR
At least 12 events were happening across the 98848 on Saturday
Strong turnout and real community at every stop
Most people only knew about the event they were attending
This is not a participation problem, it’s an awareness gap
As we grow, connecting people to what’s already happening matters
Three Events, Same Pattern
I started in Sunland Estates at the Women’s Day event with my wife. Since I started our local news, we have found out the Sundland Estates is a hidden little gem with a lot going on in our community. It had a strong local feel, people knew each other, vendors from around the region were set up, and it was clear this wasn’t new. It’s been happening for years, and yet a lot of people outside that immediate area didn’t even know it existed. It was a big surprise to find out just how isolated this annual event seems to be from the rest of the 98848.
From there, we swung by and picked up our kids from a totally different event they were involved in and went as a family to the Kids and Kites Festival at Lauzier Park. That was Quincy in action. Kids running, kites in the sky, families spending time together. Police and fire were there as part of the community, part of the event, not separate from it. I loved watching kids connect with Grant County Fire Protection District No. 3’s mascot.
There were beginner kites and custom kites filling the air. Vendors from our favorite popsicles straight from La Michoacana Market, to live music via La Para Radio TV and even Washington Trust Bank came out with their mascot.
The sun was bright and pleasantly warm, the wind was blowing just right to make it easy to get kites in the air
It was exactly what those spaces are meant for.
Later, I stopped by the boat show in Crescent Bar. Different setting, different crowd, but the same core idea; people out, engaged, enjoying where they live.
Three different places. Three different events. Same underlying pattern.
What You Didn’t See (And That’s Okay)
Here’s the part that stuck with me, and it’s not a negative. I stopped at White Trail Produce with my family for milk shakes, sat and thought about our adventures for the day. This is what occurred to me.
At every stop, people were having a great time. That part isn’t in question. What stood out was something else.
Most people only knew about the event they were at.
Not just attendees. Vendors didn’t know. People I talked to didn’t know. Even some of the folks from the fire department and local police that you would expect to have a broader view across the area weren’t aware of everything happening that day.
That’s not surprising when you think about it. You hear about something, you go, you enjoy it, and your day fills up. That’s normal.
But when you step back and look at the whole day, you realize how much was happening at the same time.
There was live music in Sunland Estates later that evening. The city had its spring cleanup going. The Lions Club was collecting electronics. QVAA was wrapping up performances. There were events happening in multiple directions all at once.
Most of us just experienced one piece of it.
That’s not because people don’t care. It’s because of how information moves here right now. It’s fragmented. It lives in Facebook posts, word of mouth, and whatever happens to show up in someone’s feed. And that system only shows people a fraction of what’s actually going on.
The Bigger Picture
When you string it all together, it changes how you see the weekend.
It wasn’t just a good event here or there. It was a full day across the entire 98848. Different groups, different locations, different reasons to show up—but all part of the same thing.
That’s easy to miss if you’re only in one place.
But when you zoom out, you start to see something bigger. You see how active this area really is. You see how many people are putting in time to create things for others to enjoy. You see how often people are choosing to show up, not just for themselves, but for each other.
That’s where the value is.
This Is an Amazing Problem
We don’t have a lack of activity in the 98848. We have the opposite. We have people organizing events, volunteers putting in the work, families showing up, and strong turnout across multiple locations on the same day.
That’s not something struggling communities deal with. That’s something growing communities deal with. We have such a rich culture and community here in the 98848 that we have so much going on that it is hard to keep up with.
The issue isn’t getting people to participate. The issue is making sure people can see the full picture of what’s already happening.
What This Means for the 98848
Even if you only made it to one event this weekend, you were part of something bigger than just that moment. Let’s zoom out for a moment, maybe you were not aware of just how much was happening around our community.
Events on Saturday
1st ever Kids and Kites Festival
Cresent Bar Annual Boat Show
Sunland Estates Annual Women’s Show
City Of Quincy Spring Clean Up
QVAA Joeseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat
Live Music at the Riverside Restaurant and Store
Live Music at the Andalusia
Cave Man Annual Roar and Pour
Murphy’s Corner Plant & Sip
Jack Baseball
Lady Jacks Softball
Jacks Track
That kite festival, the women’s day event, that boat show, they weren’t isolated. They were all happening alongside each other and a whole lot more, building the kind of weekend that gives people options.
And that matters.
Because the more you start to see what’s around you, the more choice you have in how you spend your time. You might not go to everything and you shouldn’t try to, but knowing what’s out there changes how connected you feel to where you live.
Seeing the Full Picture
There are worse problems to have than too many good things happening at once.
This weekend wasn’t a lack of activity. It was the opposite. It was a community that is active, engaged, and growing faster than its ability to share information.
We’re not trying to create something new in the 98848. We’re trying to catch up to what’s already here. When people can see the full picture, it changes everything about how this place feels. There builds a sense of pride when you look at all the things happening around our community.
Outsiders see a small community, but as a new resident pointed out to me this week, this is a community that is deeply connected and invested, people show up for each other here.
When you take it all in, it says something simple about the 98848, there’s a lot of life here.