New residents have a lot to offer

As I was skimming the crowd at the Rex Theater fundraiser on Saturday, I saw several new faces. There were people I didn't know, and people who I had never seen at the Rex fundraiser before.

The same was true of the organizers. "Head Wrangler" Rob Viens, who coordinated the event, moved to Thompson Falls in 2022. The primary forces behind the Save the Rex effort who got the community going were the Mundays and the Wilsons, two families who also moved to the area in the last decade.

Before you get too excited, let me say that there were plenty of lifetime county residents at the Rex fundraiser, and one of their biggest supporters, as you read on page 1, is Ruth Cheney, who grew up here and has always called Thompson Falls home.

Earlier this year, I attended several meetings where residents expressed that they didn't want more people moving to Sanders County. Ironically, many of the people complaining were what I would call new residents themselves.

New energy is always needed. It seems like every year there's a nonprofit or group in which the organizers and board members suffer burnout and there's a threat of not having local groups. Most often, though, new people will step up and make things happen. They may not have the same vision as the previous leaders, but just like the Rex Theater, people see the importance of community traditions.

Change is hard to digest, but many times something good comes from it. We all came from somewhere, and hopefully we all have something positive to offer our communities. — Annie Wooden