The following is written by Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow:

Last Saturday night, after the Community Dinner, the Rhubarb Alley downtown was filled with lights, music, people and hot cocoa.  It was beautiful.  With the support of the Sumner Arts Commission, a group known as Colossal Soul had organized this holiday sing along with Sumner performer James Coates. Dillanos Coffee Roasters offered the hot cocoa, and participants gathered food for the Sumner Food Bank.

One man listening to the music held up a cell phone.  It turns out that he’s a truck driver from Texas who had just delivered a load to Swift Trucking.  He saw the Sumner Sings poster and decided to check it out.  He thought that it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen and was face-timing his family in Texas to see it.  He fell in love with Sumner immediately.

That story is a perfect example of why we do what we do.  We spruced up the alley a few years ago, but the alley itself as a place is not the ultimate goal.  It’s experiences like that of people feeling contentment and joy, that sense of coming home, whether they’re just visiting for a few hours or living here for a lifetime.  You often hear the wish for peace at this time of year.  I recently heard someone point out that peace isn’t just the lack of war; it’s also the absence of anxiety.  As we rush around with the holidays approaching, I hope you experience that sense of contentment and peace in your homes, your businesses, and as you enjoy this hometown we call Sumner.

See a few more pictures of Sumner Sings online.