Trying to understand

The most difficult job in Bangor at lunchtime yesterday belonged to Ric Tyler of the television station WLBZ 2. Mr. Tyler served as master of ceremonies for the Community Response Rally at Bass Park, an event United Way of Eastern Maine had scheduled instead of its annual fund-raising walk. The rally was to provide a chance for the community to see itself as united after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and to give it some way to respond.

To accomplish his job as MC, Mr. Tyler had to sound cheerful in welcoming the various groups of people representing their businesses, somber at the reason for the rally, grateful for the community support, patriotic in his comments about the nation’s response and hopeful about the future. That was the easy part. What must have been hard was to look at a crowd of perhaps 1,200 that knew and did not know fully why they were there and give them a sense of common purpose.

Mr. Tyler accomplished his job with aplomb, providing corny comments to the business groups (to the sign business “Nice sign!”) as they completed a walk around the Bass Park track and took their places in the grandstand. His opening words – “My fellow Americans” – got a flag-waving standing ovation. He took proper notice of Shop ‘n Save, which put together lunch (“We offer thanks to Frito Lay and Wise potato chips as well.”) And after a plane, no longer grounded, boomed overhead during the National Anthem, he observed, “For those of you who complain about the noise, that’s the sound of freedom.”

Jeff Wahlstrom, president of the regional United Way, gave people specific things they could do to help: Give blood (wait a week or two before going because of the crowd); give to the United Way’s national September 11th Fund, care of United Way of New York City, 2 Park Ave. New York, NY 10016; give time, to your family or by becoming a volunteer.

Jim Owen of Eastern Maine Healthcare, wearing an optimistic sky-blue T-shirt like the hundred or so of his colleagues from EMH, was supposed to describe how to talk to children about the attacks, but his comments seem as useful for adults as for their kids. He said not to try to tell them everything, to let them know that you’re OK and to give them a chance to express their feelings about the attacks, to be sure to take a break from the stress. And he pointed out that there are positive stories to tell, such as the New England truck drivers who are making sure New Yorkers have enough fresh water (that got applause), that we can care about people who we don’t know and live far away, that indiscriminately blaming Muslims is wrong (even more applause).

After the Breakfast Rotary Singers tried with limited success to get the audience to sing “God Bless America,” Mr. Tyler thanked everyone for coming and reminded them about the importance of community. Then everyone filed out of the grandstand as one and yet alone in their thoughts.