Detective Work

I often hear comments about how much I know of local happenings. I am not privy to secret information or on the other end of a leak, its actually the result of lots of hard sleuth work. We have always enjoyed being a part of and attending community events, exposing our family to different cultures, traditions, ways of life and thinking. These events gives us a chance to learn from local resources, meet our neighbours and discover the potential around us. Before moving to a smaller community, I was able to rely heavily on information posted on the web, through home school groups, information sharing, the city web site etc. Now that we are part of a smaller community, where a lot of people still have limited access to the Internet it has been more challenging to dig up the goods. There seems to be a little bit here in this paper, a little bit by word of mouth a little bit in the other paper, etc. As I said, sleuth work is required.
I have a plan of attack that involves a few steps. The first is a monthly visit to the local Chamber of Commerce, here I gather up the resent publications of magazines, tours, special events. I am amazed how many local places advertise to tourists, but very few locals are aware of what they offer. A chat with the employees helps fill in any of the blanks or points me in the direction of any pertinent information I might be interested in. This is also a good place to look out for coupons or discount books, their aim often being tourists there are sometimes packages to take advantage of.
When we are out and about I make it part of my routine to glance through the different bulletin boards at the library, the grocery store, community centre, jotting day anything that catches my eye. Many community places also put out a monthly news letter which highlights their special events, this also comes home with us. The newspaper also advertises a whole slew of different events, often some of the smaller venues such as Christmas singalongs or charity treasure sales.
I find that being kept up to date on what is happening means checking often. A few of our favorite places include local conservation areas, provincial parks, different guilds, nature clubs, the art society and the museums. Some of these groups have websites and through these they often have an email list you can join. These are great for reminders about the special events they hold or discounts. The larger museums, science centres, art galleries also have email lists, which are great for finding out when they have discount days or special exhibits worth trekking out for.
With all the information I have gathered I do two things with it. The first is write down any of the events and phone numbers of the ones we might like to attend down in my day planner. There are many events that conflict with our schedule but might be yearly events, or others that I didn't find out about until after it happened (drat!). With these dates I keep a calendar (I use an electronic google calendar) and keep a note of when it might be happening next year. I set it up to send me a reminder two weeks before hand allowing me to prepare for it if I need too. I can also pull the calendar up and have a look at what might be happening that month.
It would be great if there was one place to find all the events out, but it has become a bit like a treasure hunt, seeking out great events. It is most often worth the effort. We have met some amazing people, been exposed to fabulous experiences and created some very cool memories. An added bonus of many community events has been they are more often then not very small fees, if any at all. An important component if you want to get out and do lots.