Time to act

Here's this week's editorial:

The arrival of a bronze statue commemorating the life of James Naismith will undoubtedly help Almonte cement its connection with the man.

The sculpture is expected to arrive this summer. It will likely rest in front of Baker Bob’s or near the cenotaph.

Allen Rae, president of the Naismith Basketball Foundation and Museum said the statue will recognize Naismith’s contribution to the world of sports.

A bronze sculpture of Naismith has already been crafted in Kansas and will be sent to Springfield College in Massachusetts where the game was invented in 1891.

“Basketball was James Naismith’s gift to humanity,” college president Richard Flynn recently told the Lawerence Journal-World newspaper. “The new statute will be an ongoing reminder of his legacy.”

The same artist, Elden Tefft, will cast a second sculpture for Almonte.

We hope the community seizes upon this momentum and does more.

Almonte is known the world over as the birthplace of the man who created basketball.

But the casual visitor could come and go without ever knowing this.

Yes, there is Naismith Memorial Public School, the Naismith Museum and a plaque in front of the homestead.

But we believe much more could be done to both celebrate the accomplishments of a native son and create tourism potential.

We need to thrust the connection into the public mind, not simply offer it up when asked.

Next year the world will celebrate the 150^th anniversary of Naismith’s birth. But now is the time to come together locally and plan the best way to both honour his memory and capitalize on what could be global media attention.

We hope the statue is only the first step toward this goal.