A Minute With The Mayor

Mayor Andy Fuston

I’ve been thinking recently about first impressions. It is said that first impressions are lasting impressions. I believe that. I think you really only get one chance to make that first impression. Whether positive or negative, it will always be there. Now, can someone’s impression be changed over time – sure it can. But isn’t it easier to start out with a positive first impression than a negative one? A positive first impression starts you out on the right foot. You can quickly build on that impression with more positive experiences. It can also provide you with more time to correct negative perceptions that might follow the initial impression. On the other hand, a negative first impression starts you off in a hole. It can take even longer to positively change a negative impression into a positive one. That is why first impressions are lasting impressions. Because they set the expectation for everything at comes next.

As a community we’ve been working on our first impressions. The new pool, some relative new buildings and homes dot our landscape as a community. However, I will be the first to admit that Lyons’ first impression is hampered by age. The entrance into Lyons from the highway is non-descript. Main Street is a bumpy ride. We have some houses, buildings and lots that need some TLC. We are not unlike most small rural communities when it comes to issues like this and that’s ok. We are making progress which is different from some of those same communities. We are a work in progress and I’m proud to be able to say that. Because progress is the key.

I bring this up because Lyons has a great opportunity in showcase that progress on June 13th. BRAN (Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska) will be spending the last night of their journey in our little community. Folks, we are talking over seven hundred people plus coming to spend the day and night in Lyons.   That’s like three quarters of the total population of our community!   They will be walking around town, eating in our restaurants and at our food vendor locations. They will be at the school, down at the park, walking and riding up and down Main Street and everywhere in-between. Think about the first impression we are going to be making on all these people as a community.

The town infrastructure will help us some but not enough to “wow” anybody. It is a reality that we must live with. But there is something that can be done to really make a great and lasting first impression: WE show those seven hundred plus people just how friendly, kind and helpful Lyons really is. WE can go out of our way to be hospitable and friendly. WE can open our hearts and treat them like family. WE can mingle and ask what we can do to make their brief stay with us the best it possibly can be. WE can join them for lunch and supper, eating with them at all the great locations around town that will be set up for meals. PLEASE feel free to join in the fun and partake in what is going on that day and next morning. Lots of people have been organizing for months to pull this off. The Lyons Community Club has taken this challenge and run with it. Different organizations around town have stepped up to the plate to offer meals (yes they are all fundraisers for those organizations but they didn’t have to do it). Vendors are coming in to sell their wares. What we need now is community participation. So consider yourselves all invited to this giant outdoor celebration of a 470 mile journey. I hope you decide to participate.

We have a great opportunity to make a great first impression here. Lyons will be on display to people who might have never even heard of Lyons before. Let’s do the very best we can to make a positive first impression. Make sure yards are mowed and weeds are pulled. Be nice to strangers. Better yet turn those strangers into friends! Be an active participant in the day’s festivities. This this a great chance for us to make a positive and lasting first impression.   I know we can do it. We’ve had lots of practice and have succeeded many times at it in the past. Let’s just not let our guard down with this one. Let’s hit this one out of the ballpark! Thanks in advance for all your efforts. Talk to you soon.