Driving thru downtown, the signs are clear: Closed. This is a quiet time of year, anyway, with many places closed or quiet because of Spring Break, but this is different. There’s silence. And there’s hope.
Petoskey is a resilient community. We’ve weathered social and economic storms in the past, and we will push through this one. Depressions, recessions, wars, and climate calamity have all struck, leaving us breathless. Through everything thrown at us, we have a returning community each and every year. Resorts, camps, and summer homes refill, and Downtown Petoskey repopulates.
Until that time, we pause. We watch and wonder, as does the world around us, awaiting a change. Pending notice, stay safe and stay at home. Lives are important. Commerce is important, but you can’t have the latter without the former.
From physical distancing (not social since we need to be social), through herd immunity theories, future treatments, and vaccinations, eventually, stores and restaurants will reopen. Events will fill, and sidewalks will teem with people.
But be patient; have faith in each other. We’ll be fine up here, so be healthy where you are, and we’ll call when the doors open.
