Community. The word is defined in the dictionary as, " a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage". In Kernersville, it is obvious that it is the common cultural and historical heritage that has woven this group of people so tightly together. This dancing on the square picture below is one of my favorites from our collection. It is such a wonderful snapshot of history. The ladies in their dresses, the gentlemen in their slacks and button down shirts. The band sitting in the back of the pick-up truck. It all tells the story of Kernersville at that moment in time. From the looks of it, the entire community came out that night to enjoy dancing. No phones in hand, as folks distractedly try and pass the time. Just people, enjoying the entertainment of a good band, good dancers, and good neighbors. Earlier this week I was talking with Joe Pinnix, who has lived in Kernersville his whole life. As he looked around the Museum he commented that Kernersville in the 40's & 50's was almost like Camelot. Everyone had the same goals in life and everyone worked together to make the community better. We enjoy the fruits of their labors today. Folks still work together to make the community a better place. A network of non-profits and volunteers, working together to make our community stronger. Small businesses dot our downtown landscape and give us that "local" feel to the items we buy. And here at the Kernersville Museum, we are working hard to preserve the history of unique community. Almost everyday someone stops by to drop off a picture for us to scan into our digital archives, or an artifact that they would like for us to see. And each time they do, we get another piece of the story. It's been a great story so far, so keep 'em coming!
