Bouncing off Rich Wandschneider’s column elsewhere on this page, I was reminded of that phrase last week attending the fundraiser concert at OK Theatre.

The event featured performances of the music from the movie, “O Brother Where Art Thou,” and included 40 volunteers from the community.

It’s fairly rare for that many folks to come together and perform, and it was top-notch. If you missed it, you missed one of the best events of the year.

Kudos to everyone who had a hand in the event.

I’m not sure how many other communities could pull off an event like this, what with people being pulled in 100 different directions and commitment becoming a thing of the past.

Not to mention the quality of the performers, many of whom have sung or played professionally over the years.

Leaving the theatre Thursday night, everyone was asking when this event could be reprised for those who missed it (it was a packed house) or whether another such event were in the works.

Inquiring minds would like to know.

BEFORE CHRISTMAS last December, a number of businesses in Joseph threw open their doors and invited the community in for food, drinks and a preview of what they were offering for gifts.

Saturday, the merchants repeated the event, and a great number of folks turned out. Downtown Joseph was bustling much of the morning and well into the afternoon.

The food was great, and there were drinks of all kinds. Lots of smiling faces.

I found it a great opportunity to see what Joseph retailers had in store so that when we have visitors this summer, we know where to take them shopping.

The the Chocolate Lover’s Walk in Enterprise Saturday also brought considerable foot traffic to the downtown area.

It’s encouraging to see shop owners being proactive and building interest in shopping in both communities.

LAST FRIDAY, I drove to Baker to catch what I could of the early going of the 1A-4 District Championship Track Meet where Joseph was competing. Then whizzed back up the freeway to Union to capture some of the events in the 2A-6 Wapiti League District Championships where Enterprise was competing.

I believe Mother Nature hates track meets. The weather for both was less than ideal, but both teams soldiered on and will have good representation at the State Track meet later this week.

Stories and photos can be found on our sports pages this edition.

Both schools have some amazingly talented athletes.

A while back, I had my first opportunity to watch the Joseph-Wallowa baseball team in action while Steve took a day off. It’s another group of athletes who play with heart, skill and enthusiasm.

High school sports is supposed to be fun, and over the years, I’ve often seen it degenerate into teeth-gnashing and hand-wringing with large amounts of performance anxiety.

Wallowa County athletes and their coaches continue to make it fun –– and post wins along the way. These students will remember their sports days forever and how terrific the memories will be good ones.