We need to wake up Claremore.

I realize that some of Claremore’s city council may take offense to the term or idea of awakening, a suggestion that the city leaders have been sleeping on the job. The inclination of those city leaders would be to note the city’s efforts to makeover Claremore by listing the progress made including rezoning to allow lofts in downtown Claremore, the resurfacing and redesign of Main street and the much awaited (and appreciated) Oklahoma Plaza.

You’ll get no argument from me. Claremore has made substantial advancement towards the goal of becoming a much more livable and self-sustaining community. There has been a concerted effort to nudge Claremore into the 21st century and beyond during the last two or three years.

The awakening I am referring to is more in the vein of raising an awareness of and becoming conscious of Claremore’s often overlooked amenities including its rich history, the multitude of historical buildings, founding families and most importantly, the community itself.

It’s my belief that by creating places within the city that promote social interaction and connection for its citizens, the community will awaken to Claremore’s livability.

While the book, “The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Placemaking,” provides many methods and ideas already proven to work in other communities worldwide, the items below represent what I believe to be suited to Claremore’s population:

1) Move the summer’s Farmer’s Market to Gazebo Park. There is ample parking, it’s near downtown, and the gazebo itself could serve as a stage for local musicians. Offer the opportunity to local private vendors to set up a table at the market and sell food items made from local ingredients. Walke Brothers, Swans Dairy and Oak Hill Wineries come to mind as locally owned and operated businesses who would both benefit from and appreciate the opportunity to sell their Rogers County products at a Farmer’s Market venue. There is no better place to showcase this weekly event.

2) Encourage foot traffic to Claremore Lake by allowing licensed vending carts to sell hot dogs, coffee, ice cream, frozen custard, snow cones, soft drinks, bottled water, etc. It would provide opportunities for the citizens to connect with their neighbors.

3) Install wireless internet at the Market strip mall and in the downtown area. This encourages people to sit outside of the establishments and, again, connect with one another.

4) Join a number of communities and encourage annual neighborhood block parties. Tulsa and a number of the outlying communities designate one Saturday a year and encourage neighborhood interaction through the use of a neighborhood block party.

5) Advertise and encourage Claremore to participate in the National Night Out scheduled for August 5, 2008. It’s an event designed to increase community awareness about crime and drug prevention and strengthen the relationship between the police and the citizens. See www.nationalnightout.org for more information.

6) Subsidize the purchase of bicycles for the local bike shop to rent out to citizens and tourists. Provide a map of a route that takes the riders by Claremore’s historical buildings and neighborhoods; be sure to include information about early Claremore families and events.

7) Create a brochure to provide to the Chamber of Commerce and local realtors that serves to educate new comers and potential new neighbors about Claremore’s rich history. The brochure could include historical information about the different neighborhoods (ie, radium town, etc).

8) Provide a venue in downtown Claremore for a 1st Saturday art show. Local artists can set up booths and sell locally created art once a month to encourage foot traffic to downtown.

9) Start up a midnight basketball league at the Recreational Center. Young adults do not have enough social activities in Claremore. Oftentimes, they drive to Tulsa or Owasso looking for a social activity after midnight. This would serve to keep our young people closer to home and provide some with an opportunity to stay out of trouble.