Earlier this month we asked readers in our online poll (www.fhtimes.com) to answer this question: Is the ‘Slide the City’ event a good thing for the town? The available answers were Yes, No and “Don’t know yet.”

If we would have answered our own opinion poll, we would have checked the “Yes” box.

Sure, we understand some neighbors had concerns about the crowds, the off-site parking, the ability to get around in the family car that day.

But the event organizer paid all the appropriate costs to stage the event, and the Town of Fountain Hills did not subsidize the Saturday activity.

In general it was a good thing for Fountain Hills because it brought people here. It brought families. It attracted possible new residents. It brought fresh customers who stopped in a store or two and maybe dined for the first time in one of our restaurants. It brought smiles to the participants who sailed down the slide. One family was overheard after they were done: “Hey, let’s go check out that Fountain!” How many more migrated downtown after Slide the City?

A temporary one-day event can bring some congestion and minor inconveniences, but Slide the City also brought creativity, something different, something fresh, something fun.

We as a community need to lighten up once in a while, embrace some new ideas, show the Valley we’re a welcoming community. Isn’t that a good thing?