Small Town America: Making Room
Five community efforts widen the invitation, from a costume swap to an affordable home.
A Halloween costume can outlive the child who fits into it. Whether it gets another evening of adventure may depend on somebody making room for it. In Rowley, Massachusetts, the public library and Striving for Sustainability are doing just that: collecting costumes for a free October 17 shopping event. Melanie Simard’s [October 1 report in The Local News](https://thelocalnews.news/2026/10/01/rowley-library-launches-halloween-costume-drive/) says families need not donate anything to participate. The shopping day is still ahead. But that simple rule already offers a generous invitation: come even if you have nothing to bring.
Head southwest to Granby, Connecticut, where fifteen-year-old Evie Bunz has made an invitation out of lumber. Her completed Scout service project replaced a bridge at the Granby Land Trust’s Godard Preserve. In an [August 29 Granby Drummer contribution](https://granbydrummer.com/2026/08/eagle-scout-candidate-evie-bunz-gives-back-to-granby/), land trust contributor Trish Percival describes Bunz’s planning and leadership, with donated decking from Sanford and Hawley and guidance from experienced builder Lowell Kahn. Bunz was an Eagle Scout candidate at publication; the finished bridge does not itself establish that she received the rank. It does show how a young person’s project can become a useful part of a public walk.
Northwest in Saratoga Springs, New York, another business contribution has turned into a completed gift. Aidan Cahill’s [October 1 reporting in Saratoga TODAY](https://saratogatodaynewspaper.com/pennies-from-heaven-slicfiber-gives-kellys-angels-largest-single-donation-in-their-history/) records internet provider SLICFiber’s $16,850 donation to Kelly’s Angels in late September, following a pledge to set aside $25 per new customer. The charity’s [own description of its work](https://www.kellysangelsinc.org/) includes grants for children who have lost a parent or sibling to illness. That support cannot undo a death. It can make room for something a child chooses to enjoy, without asking that enjoyment to stand in for recovery.
Farther west, Decatur, Indiana, is asking who gets to play together. Bob Shraluka’s [October 1 WZBD account](https://wzbd.com/index.php/2026/10/01/south-ward-donation-drive-at-one-third-mark/), drawing on Parks Superintendent Cara Gerber and a project news release, reports $16,500 raised as of September 29 toward an accessible South Ward Park. A $50,000 matching grant depends on the community raising $50,000 by November 3. The new playground remains a plan, not a finished achievement. Accessibility belongs in the design from the beginning; whether this campaign can secure the money remains an open question.
Across the country in Sisters, Oregon, there is a completed home to celebrate. Susan Cobb’s [September 22 report in The Nugget](https://www.nuggetnews.com/story/2026/09/23/news/sisters-habitat-celebrates-35-years/39543.html) describes the September 18 dedication for first-time buyer Deedre Halterman, who lives and works locally. It was Sisters Habitat for Humanity’s hundredth home. A separate groundbreaking marked more housing still to be built. The distinction matters: a promise can gather people around a shovel, while a finished home gives one household a place to begin. From costumes to a bridge to a front door, these efforts ask a modest, consequential question: who else can we make room for?
Source note: Visit the linked articles for fuller accounts. The Local News, Saratoga TODAY and The Nugget provide local newspaper coverage. The Granby Drummer piece is a land trust contributor’s account. WZBD is a local radio news source using official information and a release; Kelly’s Angels supplies organizational context. Saratoga TODAY gives conflicting September 28 and 29 presentation dates, so this column uses late September.
Places and verified ZIP codes: Rowley, Massachusetts—01969; Granby, Connecticut—06035 (town office ZIP; other ZIP codes also serve the town); Saratoga Springs, New York—12866; Decatur, Indiana—46733; Sisters, Oregon—97759.