Forward Janesville - TheReport - Second Quarter 2021

YMCA Janesville Performing Arts Center Outdoor Fitness Court Janesville Schools Outdoor Lab (Arboretum) Ice Age Trail Flannelfest Music at the Marv Wine Walks Nights on Festival Rock Aqua Jays Janesville Jets Blackhawk Curling Club Farmers Market Freedom Fest Outdoor Movies @ Optimist Park Rotary Gardens Bodacious Music on the Patio Bowling Snappers’ Baseball Beloit International Film Festival Gray Brewing Tours Lincoln-Tallman Tours Tallman Arts Festival Art Infusion RCHS Artrageous Wednesdays RCHS Holiday Tree Show Jolly Jingle Frisbee golf @ Lustig Park Rock County 4-H Fair 12 Golf Courses Splash Pads & Wading Pool Wineries Skateboard Park Dragons on the Rock Fishing Tour Of America’s Dairyland Bike Race Rockport Pool Lion’s Beach Milton House Museum Skelly’s Corn Maze Rotary Corn Roast Rotary Gardens Holiday Light Show Glass Garden Art Classes Hedberg Library Janesville Morning Rotary Pie Ride Janesville Marathon Rock County Dairy Breakfast Weekly Trivia at Local Bars 608 Week Activities 4 • W W W . F O R W A R D J A N E S V I L L E . C O M John Beckord • President, Forward Janesville • johnb@forwardjanesville.com So, you say there’s nothing to do in Janesville? In May we sat down with a young man who recently finished college and is new to the local business community. He was in our office to learn more about Forward Janesville and figure out how to grow his network. He impressed me as a very smart, confident person who was ready to build a career here. After learning about his goals and how Forward Janesville might help him accomplish those goals, I asked him if he might help us understand better his impression of the community after a few months living here. He was measured in his response. He began with some compliments about the friendliness of the people he has met. But he eventually shared his perception that “there’s really not much to do in Janesville for a 20- something like me.” There were four of us sitting around that table and we essentially tripped all over each other with various suggestions about what he might discover if he looked a little closer at the variety of events, clubs, and facilities in the area. We were able to help him understand that he had simply not been made aware of many options for people of all ages and he left with an impromptu list of things he said he would check out. After he left we started talking about how we should have a list of things to do precisely for situations like this, when someone is new to the community. A member of our team started writing on a white board and before long we had filled it with ideas. The list adjacent to this column is not comprehensive but it is a good start. If you are inclined to help us, please send along suggestions to add to this list. The truth is there is a lot to do in the Janesville area, and the list just keeps getting longer. Get Busy!