Greetings Modesto Friends:
This is my favorite time of the year in ModestoUSA! Just as some people like baseball season, I like Graffiti season. The music, the cars, the people, the stories, the history, the fun and the best part of all, is how it makes us all feel. The kids are out of school, graduations are over, and Graffiti Summer is here and it is like a warm breeze lifting us all up. We get so down when we deal with the statistics at the macroeconomic level, but we need to stand up and shout about the stuff that makes Modesto USA cool. Yes Modesto Friends, COOL. We are cool. We are the birthplace of American Graffiti. Think about this, without American Graffiti, there may have been no Happy Days. So by that rationale, there would be no Fonz, no Laverne and Shirley, Lenny or Squiggy. Really. So who are we? Modesto USA! Where are we from? Modesto USA.
But the most important things about our American Graffiti heritage are the people and places here in Modesto. Over the last few years, I have met so many interesting people and have heard so many stories, some true and some not so true, but all great stories about the place we call home. This is our community. These are the people that you will meet at MoBand, at the Cruise Parade, and even in and around the local stores and restaurants where we shop and eat. There is so much we can learn from our friends and neighbors. We can learn to be positive and shout out the good things. Last month we were treated to the Modesto Design exhibit at the McHenry Museum and did you know we even have our own Modesto Font? Crazy huh? Never knew and now I have downloaded it. There is always something interesting to learn and to see. If you haven’t walked the Historic Cruise Route tour, please do so and you will be really amazed at some of the fun history we have, and how many of these people are still here in town or have moved on and are really shaking things up around the world. The new Walk of Fame will celebrate our Legends of the Cruise. We need to love and protect our history and we need to nurture and grow our Graffiti Spirit. That is what we have, we have that Graffiti spirit that shines through and makes us different.
But we need to do more. We have to do business with our friends and families. ModestoView’s mission is to make sure we live and think local. This month we will lose the Camera Center in downtown Modesto. The ViewCrew shopped there a lot. This is an example of a something that shouldn’t happen. This is a business that saw Modesto change and tried to change with it, but all it needed was for us to shop local. You lose a lot of experience, advice and instruction when you try to save $20 and now it is gone. Don’t let this happen. Make sure that when you can, you shop at the locally owned store, eat at the locally owned restaurant and encourage your friends to do the same. Take a look at the businesses that advertise here in Modesto. These are the good businesses in town and we all need to work together. Like the ViewCrew always says, “Teamwork is the key”.
Enjoy your Graffiti Summer and remember, let us know what you like and don’t like about ModestoView. We produce this for you so keep us posted and please check us out 24/7 at www.modestoview.com
Chris Murphy Founder and Publisher chrism@modestoview.com
