`It's a Wonderful Community'.

Byline: Jan Gottesman 

It makes most critics' lists of favorite Christmas movies.

And some in Clinton see parallels between their town and Bedford Falls, the locale in "It's a Wonderful Life," starring Jimmy Stewart. Anthony Bastarache even made the connection in his book, "An Extraordinary Town."

Make up your own mind this fall.

The Wachusett Chamber of Commerce is launching an "It's a Wonderful Community" program.

"We began thinking about it at the beginning of the year," said Maegen McCaffrey, director of the Chamber. "We thought about a campaign about `What if there was no Chamber?' It blossomed into another program to highlight people who do positive things in the community."

Tim Cross, chairman of the Chamber's Communication Committee, which is spearheading the effort, said the program does work off the comparisons of Clinton and the surrounding towns with Bedford Falls.

"It's a movie essentially about how one unsung hero can make a difference in a community, but it's also about a community coming together in support of that hero during a time of crisis," Cross said. "The film takes place in fictional, small town Bedford Falls - a fictional town that to many people epitomizes all that is good and right about living in real small-town America. The Chamber's Communication Committee felt that the small towns that make up the Wachusett Chamber of Commerce foundation - Berlin, Bolton, Boylston, Clinton, Lancaster, Harvard, Sterling, West Boylston and others - share many of those essential values.

"These are great places to live, work, and raise a family. They are places where people come together in tough times, pitch in and help one another out. They are towns with thriving businesses, outstanding restaurants, engaging museums, and an array of attractions for young and old, individuals and families alike. They're each a wonderful community and we wanted to do something to promote that," Cross said.

The goal is to have people submit their positive stories, McCaffrey said, highlighting unsung heroes in the community, and businesses that are seeing an upswing. The promotion will continue through the fall and into the winter.

During the first week of December, the Strand Theatre will be showing "It's a Wonderful Life." On Thursday, Dec. 10, the Chamber will hold a Business After Hours at the theater. In addition to screening the movie, the Chamber will give out a George Bailey Award to an "individual who lives or works in the Wachusett area and makes a positive contribution ... an unsung hero who does things in the community without fanfare."

"Each town has its own unsung heroes, people who make a difference in our lives each and every day, but in a quiet, selfless way, without fanfare or publicity," Cross said. "We wanted to give some of those folks the recognition they deserve while also encouraging people looking for something to do to consider some of the great local events taking place in our area, the unique shops on our main streets, and the great food and fun activities that this area has to offer when (people are) deciding where to go and what to do.

"I should note that the movie takes place primarily during the Depression, so people might think we chose to make this connection because of the current economic situation," Cross said. "Actually, the Communication Committee initially discussed the concept over a year ago, before we really entered the current economic cycle. So that was a bit of a coincidence more than anything. But with so much focus on negative business and economic news, it did seem to make sense to focus on something positive and uplifting. We felt the It's a Wonderful Community campaign would help promote all of the positive aspects of our local communities, emphasizing all that is right with the Wachusett region, and remind people of how a few individuals can do extraordinary things."

Cross said he hopes the campaign will "spark recognition as to what makes the Wachusett region such a great place to do business, have fun, settle down and build a life."

Nominations for the George Bailey award will be available in the coming weeks and the winner will be announced in late October or early November, with a recognition ceremony and business after hours event held at the Strand Theatre on Thursday, Dec. 10, followed by a showing of "It's a Wonderful Life."

For more information, contact McCaffrey at [phone], x12, or visit the promotion's new site, www.itsawonderfulcommunity.com.