The days are short, but the Christmas shopping lists are long. The cost of just about everything is up, while the people at the top don’t seem to be doing much to protect those at the bottom. The world feels like it’s on fire, and sometimes it’s hard to find the joy. But if you look for it, it’s there. And that’s largely thanks to the people in our community who do everything they can to care for the marginalized, the food-insecure and all the others who haven’t gotten a fair shake.
In our cover package this week, our annual “Hey, Thanks” issue, you’ll find notes of appreciation from Scene staff and freelancers to community advocates, health care workers, waste management employees, librarians, school counselors and many others who share their light with the city. Read along with us — between screenings of The Last Waltz and bites of leftover-turkey sandwiches, of course — as we at the Scene look at Nashville and say, “Hey, thanks.” —D. PATRICK RODGERS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The Nashville Public Library’s Edmondson Pike branch is always teeming with neighbors and kids from area schools
These MNPS employees are on the front lines, supporting tens of thousands of students in Nashville
To the workers who help do the city’s dirty work with patience and expertise
The Nashville-based nonprofit advocates for the rights of LGBTQ Tennesseans
The grown-ups-only maker space lets you create like a kid
The group advocates for restorative justice programs and community center programming
Finding community through cult classics at the beloved theater’s late-night screening series
The Nashville food bank’s grocery-style experience offers aid — and agency
Your first-time homebuyer course helped me and my wife navigate the daunting prospect of purchasing a house
Their work can save our lives as individuals — and might even save our species
The city’s long-running art gallery is closing, and we’re already feeling its loss
To the team who guided my newly expanded family through critical early days
The 50-year-old organization sees immense change, and continues to produce success stories
And there aren’t many of you
To the people who shoulder the immense burden of keeping me safe in the sky
