It all starts there. In the mind. Sometimes the mind of the creative, sometimes the mind of the inspired, sometimes it’s simply someone that sees a need and seeks to make it happen.

It was the Ford Motor Company that came out with the slogan a few years ago that said, “Ford has a better idea,” and then turned on a lightbulb emphasizing the lights going on and the invention that gave us a better look at life.

According to Nicholas Graham Platt, founder of hellonavigo, “In the late 19th century, before the development of practical techniques to reproduce photographs on the printed page, illustrations and cartoons were a mainstay of newspapers worldwide. Editors would commission illustrations to depict events described in the articles. Early reports of Edison’s success with the electric light bulb were often illustrated with drawings of a dark room illuminated by a single lamp.

As the bulb’s success became more and more apparent, iconic photographs of Edison next to his invention stood out in the public’s mind. The bulb came to stand for all of Edison’s inventive prowess.

But it was the early 20th-century cartoon, Felix the Cat that cemented the idea of a light bulb as a new idea. Created more than a decade before Mickey Mouse, Felix was the most popular cartoon character of the silent-film era. When Felix was thinking, symbols and letters would sometimes appear over his head, and he would often use them as props: question marks became ladders, and musical notes became vehicles. It was in these symbolic images that we first see the light bulb used to represent a new idea.

There have been a lot of light bulbs going on in Platte County as many people agree that it is the busiest place most have ever lived. There is always something going on.

From memorial golf tournaments, rubber ducks and innertubes floating down the Platte River, communitywide block parties and farmer’s markets to salsa contests, Oktoberfest in September, a Wild Goose Chase 5K, a Blue Mountain car show with celebrity guests or a chili cook-off, there has been someone who said, “hey, I have an idea.”

Is it the creative nature of the people in Platte County that keeps us busy every weekend? And mind you, these activities are above and beyond the sports schedules, the competitive schedules, the theater, rodeos and dance performances.

It is a wonderous and busy place to live with some of the most creative events on the planet. Right here in Platte County. The next time you have an idea, or someone says, “HEY…” listen carefully, because the beautifully creative events of tomorrow come from the inspirations of today and people who have learned to take life out of the box.