Are you ready for some fun?

If it weren’t for social media and national 24-hour cable news, we’re not too sure anyone in Converse County would have the time or inclination to care that anything else is happening in the world. That may not be such a bad thing.

The stress of the last month worldwide has taken its toll on society, so our intense focus on the Wyoming State Fair, this weekend’s Pioneer Days and upcoming mega-eclipse zaniness may actually be less stressful than paying attention to the latest tweet or Facebook post.

We actually had a Glenrock reader this week point out that he doesn’t have a Facebook account, doesn’t tweet and indicated he focuses his attention on important matters closer to home . . . as such he gets his news from real (i.e. professional) news sources, not fantasy ones created by some guy in a pink fluffy bathrobe and overstuffed purple Barney slippers slurping Listerine to keep awake. His point, we think, was that his stress level was attuned to local issues and pressing matters in Converse County, not some manufactured crises designed to keep you tuned to Fox News or CNN.

That reader’s comments struck a chord with us. If we hadn’t been so focused on fair activities and eclipse planning and local news, we may have had time to freak out about racism, nuclear hawk talk and the looming financial crash (if they guy in the bathrobe is to be believed). Thus, we are grateful for the distractions of this week and next, because even as stressful as they can be for those of us who don’t love crowds and loud noises, it’s far less emotionally draining than the barrage of bizarre blasts on social media.

So, enjoy the rest of the fair, the Pioneer Days celebration capping the summer break this weekend in Glenrock and even the onslaught of visitors for the eclipse.

One final note, though: Realize with all of that, we will have a slew of visitors in our neck of the woods, people who may not have ever been here before. It is our chance to shine, to show the world that Wyomingites and Glenrockers are hospitable and gracious hosts. Sure, it may be stressful this weekend, especially if the horror stories about traffic and cell service come true, but the reality is they probably won’t be as bad as the naysayers predict.