Freedom Fest (Red, White, & Blue); Civiltiy Speak Your Peace

We share a lesson on civility from the National Civics Bee and why focusing on problems instead of personal attacks helps our whole community get more done. We also run through what’s happening around Waynesville this week, from Freedom Fest to committee meetings and a local business spotlight.
• judging the National Civics Bee and what impressed us about the students’ ideas and presentations 
• the Civics Bee rule that requires issue focused problem solving without naming and shaming 
• why “bring the issue, not the attack” improves public debate and real results 
• the Civility Speak Your Peace approach: speak freely while choosing respectful words 
• Freedom Fest details for May 9 in the Waynesville City Square and support for Fort Leonard Wood families 
• committee week meetings and why we want citizens to attend and ask questions 
• park board vacancy and a quick parks trivia prompt with the answer on WaynesvilleMo.org 
• May business spotlight: Lone Oak Printing on Route 66 and how small businesses strengthen downtown 
If you have an opportunity to attend next year and we do have the privilege to host it next year, I encourage you to get out and I encourage you to encourage your children to go and compete for this.

Transcript

Weekly Update Kickoff;

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Good morning, this is Sean Wilson, the mayor of Waynesville, with your weekly update for May 2nd, 2026. I want to lead off with this. The National Civics B. I had the honor and the privilege of serving as a judge at the last week's regional Civics B competition. It was hosted by the Waynesville St. Robert Chamber of Commerce right here in Waynesville. There were 16 contested that comprised of six, seventh, and eighth graders who came as far as St. Louis to compete. And let me tell you something. These young people had some great ideas, they had some sharp minds, big ideas, and you certainly see their personalities and um present themselves through their presentation. And there was the parents that were there that were supporting, it really filled the room with pride. Here's what stuck with me. The Civics B has rules built right into its contest guidelines. Students must focus on the nature and the impact of the problems that they identify, and they must avoid blaming and disparaging any specific individual, company, organization, or government official by name or in any identifiable manner. In other words, they need to bring the issue, not the attack. Years ago, the Chamber of Commerce championed a program called Civility Speak Your Peace. And that was built on the same idea. Speak your mind, don't be censored, but manage how you say it. Because respect is how things actually get done. If sixth graders can hold that line, every one of us can. If you have an opportunity to attend next year and we do have the privilege to host it next year, I encourage you to get out and I encourage you to encourage your children to go and compete for this. It's a great learning opportunity. Um, certainly would like to participate in it myself next year to help continue to um foster the environment of civility within our community. Now let's talk about this week. Freedom Fest is this Saturday, May 9th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Waynesville City Square. Bring your family, bring your neighbors, and come spend the day with us. This is a community that honors service and stands shoulder to shoulder with soldiers and their families at Fort Leonard Wood. You can wear your favorite red, white, and blue attire, and we encourage it. Come on out, out on the square on Saturday morning. Remember, the first week of every month is our committee week. And of course, on Thursday, we have two meetings that'll take place. That'll be our emergency services committee meeting that will begin at 4 p.m. And then we will have our human resource and finance committee come out and see how government works. And we always encourage our citizens to come to participate, ask questions, and learn of what we what actually goes on behind the scenes. Also, want to remind everyone that we have a park board vacancy that is available for those that are looking to get involved in the community and work and help to improve our quality of life as it pertains to our city parks. Um, just a trivial question, I'm not gonna give the answer. How many parks does the city of Waynesville have? How many parks are located within the City of Waynesville city boundaries? You can find that answer on the WaynesvilleMo.org website. And finally, this month's business spotlight is Lone Oak Printing on Historic Route 66 East. Tim Barrier and his daughter Audra run this shop that ships work to 28 states and it prints DMV paperwork for neighbors and at no charge. That's not marketing, that's the policy. Stop in and tell them thank you for continuing to provide service here for our community. But also, I will just I will tell you this that um lone note printing and Tim Barrier hey, they are always looking for ways to make downtown look good and improve our area and their aesthetics. They have donated in many different capacities. I will tell you um that it is small businesses that help to take care of our community, and we certainly appreciate him and congratulate them for um being selected as the business spotlight for the month of May. Thank you for your continued service, and I encourage everyone to stop by there and tell them that thank you and and also conduct some of your business there. With that being said, I hope to see you around the town.