{"id":4298,"date":"2016-10-14T13:50:08","date_gmt":"2016-10-14T17:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/?p=4298"},"modified":"2016-10-14T13:50:08","modified_gmt":"2016-10-14T17:50:08","slug":"every-drop-in-the-bucket-counts-how-does-richmond-define-itself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/2016\/10\/14\/every-drop-in-the-bucket-counts-how-does-richmond-define-itself\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Drop in the Bucket Counts: How Does Richmond Define Itself?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With our traffic-cone-colored t-shirts adorned and Home Depot buckets in hand, we were released from the cramped volunteer\u2019s tent, free to roam Brown\u2019s Island at last. \u00a0The group of Bucket Brigadiers fanned out across the festival grounds in pairs, collecting donations from festival-goers. \u00a0Initially, I was concerned: how could just a handful of volunteers collect enough money to fund this huge festival?\u00a0 At that point, the field was practically empty save a few small groups of confused guests looking for a schedule of the music for that night.\u00a0 Admission was free and this was turning out to be a perfect tragedy of the commons.\u00a0 Disappointment was imminent.<\/p>\n

The sun began to dip lower and lower behind the skyline and bands finally started playing.\u00a0 As the music filled the air, people appeared out of nowhere to enjoy the performances.\u00a0 All of a sudden, guests were pouring in from every bridge and were flocking around stages and food stands.\u00a0 My anxieties cleared and collecting donations became easier and easier as more and more guests flooded Brown\u2019s Island.\u00a0 People were surprisingly happy to contribute whatever they could in order to fund the festival. \u00a0I was overcome by some patron\u2019s generosity and willingness to support the event.\u00a0 Everyone was contributing together and every drop in the bucket counted.\u00a0 Attendants, whether old or young, believed in the Folk Festival.\u00a0 They understood its vital role in maintaining the heartbeat of Richmond.\u00a0 Over the years, the festival has become part of Richmond\u2019s identity and, without it, residents would feel lost.\u00a0 It is simply part of who they are.<\/p>\n

Why can\u2019t this passion be cultivated elsewhere?\u00a0 Strong community efforts are necessary to support any societal cause.\u00a0 Residents will explain how the James River is part of the city\u2019s identity, too; however, they have trouble with proper stewardship of the water.\u00a0 If it was truly a central facet of Richmond\u2019s identity, then raising money for managing the James would be as easy as wearing an orange shirt. \u00a0Perhaps, appraising the state of the James is more difficult for the untrained eye whereas appraising the need for culture is easy.\u00a0 Anyone can see the benefits of a vibrant festival, but seeing the benefits of a heathy river takes more than a mere glance.\u00a0 In any case, environmental stewardship demands the support of a community.\u00a0 Without a collective, distinct and conscious passion for the James, there is no hope for its proper management. \u00a0The city of Richmond needs to fully identity with the James and understand the river as a vein of its being. \u00a0Although the James disregards synthetic and arbitrary city boarders, someone must take responsibility for it, so why not Richmond?\u00a0 One river hero alone is limited in his or her actions, but the collective combination of all Richmond residents together can lead to a new set of cultural values that treasures the James in every way.\u00a0 United, there is hope in the future: every drop in the bucket counts.<\/p>\n

\"14680617_10154311145314300_4749663927471523658_n\"<\/a>

More than 125,000 guests attended the Richmond Folk Festival this year. \u00a0(Richmond Folk Festival Facebook Page)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Between<\/a>

Between 1,200 and 1,500 volunteers helped to raise about $75,000 at this year\u2019s festival.\u00a0 (Richmond Folk Festival Facebook Page)<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With our traffic-cone-colored t-shirts adorned and Home Depot buckets in hand, we were released from the cramped volunteer\u2019s tent, free to roam Brown\u2019s Island at last. \u00a0The group of Bucket Brigadiers fanned out across the festival grounds in pairs, collecting … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2956,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6247,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cbl","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2956"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4298\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/james\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}