My phone has been ringing off the hook lately about the News Tribune column, The Nose, that came out Friday morning and I wanted to share just another aspect of my job and our community with you.

The column starts out “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise” and makes reference to Sumner being a “Mayberry.” The purpose of the column is to share a caustically and supposedly humorous editorial view of Sumner’s new lewd conduct ordinance that was passed at the last council meeting.

The column goes on to share a very slanted view of the writer’s opinion at the expense of many of Sumner’s quaint characteristics that provide the basis for a charming downtown where folks still say “hi” to each other when passing on the sidewalk, whether they know the other person or not.

Let me start by saying that not only did I laugh when I read the outrageous column, I know lots of folks at Berryland Café who did as well because Berryland was also mentioned in the column.

And while it is admittedly annoying that someone from the newspaper purposely endeavors to paint Sumner as a small-minded and backward-thinking town from a bygone era, here are a few things to consider in your outrage.

Not only does the writer know that Sumner is the rhubarb pie capital, he knows that you can get some pretty good rhubarb pie at Berryland Café.

And while the writer seems to be using Mayberry as a narrow parallel for Sumner by drawing attention to Otis and Aunt Bea, I’m chuckling that he even knows about Mayberry, let alone two of the TV show’s characters.

I’ve learned there are a lot of great downtowns across this country. And many of them are richly full of their own unique history and character.

What we’ve accomplished here in Sumner through partnerships and strategic planning is the beginning of a distinctive downtown brand that sets us apart from other quaint towns. There are lots of Main Streets with antiques, country décor, candle shops and downtown restaurants, but we’re the only one called the rhubarb pie capital located right in the middle of main thoroughfares with a transit stop.

Our city and business community keep downtown clean and vibrant and because we know people have choices about where they can spend their free time and extra money, Sumner has focused on making our downtown experience fun.

So while I agree it would be nice to have The Nose sincerely acknowledge what we have accomplished downtown through branding, hard work and great customer service, that’s really not his schtick.

I would expect The Nose to continue with his sarcastically-written observations and he can expect Sumner to continue promoting rhubarb pie and hometown values. It’s why many folks choose to live here and even more choose to spend their time shopping and eating in our downtown.

So thanks for mentioning us in your column Mr. Nose and “gesundheit.”