Being neighborly

There are lots of reasons many of us don't know our neighbors.

For one thing, we've become such a mobile society that we don't often have the same neighbors very long. By the time we get around to introducing ourselves, our neighbors have moved on.

Two technological culprits also get blamed for the social breakdown: air conditioning and television. With the advent of air conditioning came the necessity to keep our houses sealed up tight during the long summer evenings of daylight. And, once inside, we spend most of our evenings watching TV shows instead of doing outdoor chores and chatting with our neighbors.

In years gone by, if anyone knew all about our neighbors it was our mothers, who knew everything there was to know -- and then some -- thanks to the gossip of coffee klatches where stay-at-home moms established the time-tested framework now making Barbara Walters and her TV cohorts even richer.

Whatever the reasons, Cape Girardeau is trying to reconnect neighbors. Four years ago it started the Neighborhood Nights program, a semi-organized effort to foster gatherings and service projects that would bring neighbors together. The entire month of October is designated as Neighborhood Nights month, and kits to help organizers are available at city hall.

If you'd like to participate in Neighborhood Nights, start by contacting a few of your neighbors. Get the kit from city hall. Learn more about the Neighborhood Watch program.

Who knows? Your neighborhood is probably full of interesting folks. Neighborhood Nights is a good way to find out.