A Note from Karen Keim
Could you use a break from your everyday routine? Some fun activities, good food, and maybe a chance to relax?
I don’t know about you, but at times, I can get caught up in all the things that need to be done at home and at work. I need to be reminded to take a break. Well, here’s a friendly reminder for you: Give yourself permission to step away from your responsibilities. Enjoy something that isn’t work, something different than your normal routine. Socialize, smile, laugh, have some fun. Take in something that is bigger than yourself. What might that look like for you?
I am the kind of person who loves a balance of people and action and peace and quiet. Living near Charm offers both. All week long and on Saturday mornings, the town hustles and bustles with businesses open and vehicles, buggies, bikes, tractors, and people constantly moving in and out of town. In contrast, the evenings and weekends become slow and quiet as the town rests. These two extremes are very evident on the second weekend of October, the weekend of Charm Days.
Charm Days is an annual community event that began in 1983 to thank customers and within a few years shifted to an event that more fully embodies the true heart of the Charm community—a heart of caring and sharing and helping one another. Together, the local businesses and residents voluntarily plan and prepare for Charm Days. During the event, young and old, locals and visitors have fun together playing, eating, and buying things. The event still includes sales and prizes, but, more than that, the weekend schedule is full of activities that generate funds for the town’s Charm Share and Care Fund and for local individuals or families in need. I love this heart of caring for and supporting people and the community.
Over the years, Charm Days has been an opportunity for me to take a break from the demands at home and work. When I was a mom of young children, my husband blessed me with a few moments to myself at home. He would take the kids with him to town to make fun memories by participating in the wooly worm race. During the workday, the benefit lunch stand provided the opportunity for a walk in the fresh air and a nice change from the normal lunch routine. Nowadays, my whole family usually enjoys Friday supper in town, and I get to have one of my favorite treats: a bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream. Sometimes I splurge and have a fresh piece of pie to go with it.
If you’re anything like me and love to enjoy some community fun, eat good food, and help people, join us in Charm this year on October 8th and 9th for the annual event. Perhaps you may even want to stay a day or two longer to enjoy when the little town of Charm becomes quiet again after the festivities so you can experience the balance of the action and the peace.
From my home to yours,