What comes out of it?

For the past year, we have witnessed the effects of COVID-19 physically, economically and socially. The media has sufficiently emphasized the negative effects of each aspect, while hardly acknowledging the growth that has sprung from the past year to this current one. 

Acknowledging growth creates awareness to individuals that something is happening or changing. Take flowers for example, everyone loves when May comes around and all the flowers bloom. They are pretty to look at and enjoyable to smell. However, we assume the privilege to simply witness the results of their growth. 

We all know flowers do not plant themselves. We tend to forget about everything they go through to blossom into what they are. In other words, we fail to acknowledge their change. 

Soil and Toil

Let’s be honest, what’s pretty about a flower seed? It is bland and not really appealing to look at. The size of it may be cute, given that it is so small, but that’s not much of anything. 

Then the soil, what’s pretty about dirt? No one thinks dirt is a pleasurable sight, much less something good to smell. 

The point to be made is that some of the nicest things do not grow out of the most desirable circumstances. The circumstances were necessary for those things to obtain their beauty.

It is unknown when America will get out ‘the mud’ and be free from COVID-19.  The change that is occurring under the present circumstances is what is needed to obtain the sparkling future we all want. 

The Bud

We’ve all heard people say, “Celebrate the small wins”, in reference to significant progression towards a desired outcome . For gardeners, specifically people who plant flowers, the bud of a flower is the equivalent of a “small win”. 

While our Greensboro community has experienced the effects of COVID-19 just like every other city in the country, it has also had the opportunity to witness significant progression towards repairing the economy. 

In particular, the downtown community has reaped the benefits of the new Steven Tanger Center: For the Performing Arts. After rejected attempts to renovate the War Memorial Auditorium” in the past decade, the staff was granted the request to build a new performing arts center to replace the former auditorium.  

The Tanger Center has not only stimulated the entertainment presence in the Greensboro community, it has also stimulated attraction to local restaurants and other small businesses, thus boosting the local economy. 

President of Downtown Greensboro Incorporated, Zach Methaney, emphasized this point when detailing the significance of the attraction to small businesses.

“The shows, the restaurants that we have, they’re jamming, which just means significant dollars for our businesses that need it,” Methaney said.

Members of the community left the Tanger Center with a sense of joy and accomplishment after admiring the performance of the inaugural Broadway musical “Wicked”. 

Initially, the performance of the renowned musical was scheduled to be performed in March of 2020. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the inaugural Broadway musical was rescheduled to perform this month from October 6th-24th.

The rescheduling did not discourage the excitement of the Greensboro community. N.C. A&T students like Cierra Reynolds, a freshmen Kinesiology and Professional Theatre student from Charlotte, NC are excited for the performance of “Wicked”. 

“I think that it’s a great show to bring to the area and will attract a lot of people because of the newness, ” Reynolds said. Being new living in the area as a student, it would be a great opportunity to stay involved in the arts and enjoy it with affordable costs and little distance, definitely boosting the Greensboro economy for sure.” 

For more information about the Steven Tanger Center: For the Performing Arts and its events, please visit their website: https://www.tangercenter.com/.

Hope

 Our community fought to see the Tanger Center come to fruition. The effort it took to get it may not have been the prettiest but it is here and thriving. The effort and progress of this great landmark is worthy of celebration. Our community can rightfully claim it as a ‘budding’ contribution to our economic growth and continuation. 

Let us, as a community, cherish this bud and continue to pursue growth and truly appreciate the beautiful things Greensboro has to offer.