Downtown Nampa: the Waving Guy

Downtown NampaWhile not exactly downtown, located where 7th Street S. turns into Yale, the waving guy embodies the ethos of the downtown revival movement nationwide. I want to infuse his neighborly vigor into Downtown Nampa (DNT until better name is created) as well.

Who is the waving guy?

I don’t even know who he is, but I waive to him whenever I drive by. On comfortable days the gentleman of note sits in his driveway in a plastic, white lawn chair waving to everyone who passes. Some days he waves to me multiple times as I scuttle back and forth from Home Depot.

Why is he so important?

It’s hard to pinpoint the waving guy’s importance. But if he’s absent for more than a few days in a row I start to worry something bad has happened. I start to miss the friendly gesture from a man whom I share only a general neighborly orientation with. Somehow the simple gesture of waving transforms our overlookable connection into something redeeming.

I suspect this feeling to be true for others who benefit from his waving as well. I suspect there to be a collusion brewing beneath the surface–a sort of shared wink as all us regulars drive past. The feeling is infectious, and I want to thank the waving guy for spreading the love.

With each wave I feel the urge to connect to my neighbors, my community and my town rising. Downtown is about connection. Downtown should be a place where brusque consumption is frowned upon, and instead relationship remains an integral part of commerce. I want Downtown Nampa to be a place where people wave and share a knowing wink while going about their business.

So let’s all of us, go DNT. On your way keep an eye out for the waving guy.

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