Becky Beissel

A couple weeks ago, my husband and I traveled to Canton, Ohio for the Stagg Bowl (the Division III college football national championship) to cheer on the UW–River Falls Falcons. Our daughter manages the team, so we were excited to be there, but we didn’t travel with a large group of friends or know many other parents well. I expected a fun trip. I didn’t expect the powerful sense of connection we’d feel with complete strangers.

From the moment we arrived, we were surrounded by football fans. The Falcons’ colors are red and white (but so were the opposing team’s, so you had to be a little careful with that!) Once you spotted a Falcon logo, there was an instant bond. Conversations started easily. High-fives were constant. At one point, I crossed the street and ran into a player’s mom I’d never met before. She gave me a big hug like we were old friends. And at the game itself, when a touchdown was scored (or an interception was made – if you know, you know), you’d find yourself cheering, hugging, and celebrating with people whose names you didn’t even know.

It was joyful. It was welcoming. And it reminded me how powerful it is when a group of people is focused on the same positive thing.

On the trip home, I couldn’t stop thinking about that feeling - and how interesting it is that sometimes we are kinder, warmer, and more open with strangers than we are with the people we see every day.

Here in Ellsworth, we run into familiar faces constantly. Neighbors, classmates, coworkers, long-time acquaintances. Yet too often, instead of sharing that same easy sense of togetherness, we carry old assumptions, old stories, or quiet divisions. We remember who sat with whom in high school. We’ve heard things secondhand. We form opinions without really knowing the whole person in front of us. And somewhere along the way, we miss the opportunity to simply connect.

There’s a powerful feeling that happens when people are united by a common purpose, a shared emotional moment, a sense of collective energy. Small communities like ours have the greatest opportunity to create that feeling, not just at football games or festivals, but in everyday life. But it requires something simple and meaningful: choosing to see each other first as fellow community members, not categories or assumptions.

Imagine if we greeted each other in the grocery store the way we greeted fellow Falcon fans in Ohio. Imagine if we celebrated each other’s wins, offered grace in moments of disagreement, and assumed good intent more often than bad. A small town isn’t just defined by its borders. It’s defined by how we show up for one another.

My hope for this new year is that we find more moments to cheer together - literally and figuratively. Because when we do, Ellsworth becomes not just a place we live, but a community we truly belong to.