December 13, 2012 – Lovely County Citizen – Page
What do
think Citizen Opinion by Don Lee
What do you think was the big story of the year?
Send your opinions to Citizen, P.O., Box 679, Eureka Springs, AR 72632, fax to (479) 253-0080 or e-mail to: citizen.editor@yahoo.com
Editorial Policy The opinions on the Editorial page are our opinions. The opinions on the Forum pages are your opinions. All forum entries must be signed and verifiable. We reserve the right to edit submissions.
Thanks from HI Fire Dept. Auxiliary
Margie McGehee
Housekeeper
“The economy, for sure.”
Phillip Asmus Earth Bum
“It had to be the election.”
Mary Tait
Her Daughter’s Music Secretary “I would think the Presidential election.”
Editor: A Great Big Thank You to everyone who helped to make our Holiday Island Fire Department Auxiliary White Elephant and Bake Sale a success. All of you the ladies auxiliary who sorted, priced, baked goodies, set up the sale and worked the sale - the fire department who hauled and lifted, hauled and lifted - and all the wonderful people who came and supported us by buying our treasures - made the day a great success. Thanks again and have a Very Merry Christmas. Mary Amundsen White Elephant Sale Coordinator
Passion Play re-run?
Jeramy Shaw To Exist
“Hurricane Sandy. It sure tore things up.”
Philip Field
Todd Peden
“The election.”
“I think the argument over the fiscal cliff is the big one.”
Construction
Construction
11
Editor: I think many people are viewing the demise of the Great Passion Play thru very rose colored glasses. While it is true that the GGP did initially put Eureka Springs on the tourist map, the secular Eureka Springs “scene” has eclipsed it in the last 10 years or so. The “crowds” many people speak of as still flocking here for the GGP are, in reality, the ghosts of the good times of the more distant past. One seldom sees a tour or church bus in town these days, when 20 years ago they were ubiquitous. As a tourist attraction, the GGP ceased to be relevant to Eureka Springs as much as 10 years ago. The problem with the GGP was that, once you’ve
seen it, you’ve seen it and don’t really need to see it again. Everybody within a 500 mile radius of E. S. who was interested in seeing it has seen it, many more than once. How many times are you going to drive 500 miles to see it again? The folks at the GGP tried to overcome this by retooling the script. But the ploy was obviously a failure. They were still selling the same old product. And it is obvious that not very many people wanted to buy more of the same. So in that sense, the GGP died a natural death as a business. But the really interesting question regarding the failure of the GGP has to do with the religious nature of the “product” they were selling. They were selling the “Christian Story”. So in that sense, it could be said that they were “working” for God & Jesus. So the question is: Where were God & Jesus when their story/play started bombing with the public? Why was it necessary for the folks at the GGP to beg for money in order to try and keep it going? If God was interested in the GGP, why did this situation arise in the first place? Of course, being an atheist, for me this is merely a rhetorical question. But for professed Christians this should, I think, be a serious question indeed. Llee Heflin
Tell us what you think! Send your opinions to Citizen, P.O., Box 679, Eureka Springs, AR 72632, fax to (479) 253-0080 or e-mail to: citizen.editor@yahoo.com
Citizen Survey
LAST WEEK’S QUESTION
What do you think was the big story of the year?
Do you think the closing of the Passion Play will have a dramatic impact on the local economy?
m The closing of the Passion Play m Obama winning a 2nd term m The economic recovery m Hurricane Sandy m The deer hunt m The new Batman movie Go to www.lovelycitizen.com and weigh in. Vote by Wednesday 9 a.m.
87 votes cast
m Yes. Even at the end they have been drawing thousands of people here a year.: 23.0% (20 votes) m No. It peaked years ago. The impact will be minimal.: 28.7% (25 votes) m Yes. A lot of locals worked up there. Losing the job will impact everybody involved.: 42.5% (37 votes) m No. I’m pretty sure they will find a buyer and reopen it as soon as possible.: 5.7% (5 votes)