This past weekend, Celebration: A Festival of the Arts returned to campus after a two-year hiatus. In case you missed it, this event was three days filled with live music, food, local art vendors, crafts and various registered student organizations from Eastern.

This weekend was more than just a place to browse. It was a weekend-long opportunity for the community, including students, faculty, staff and residents, to come together and share what they all have to offer to Charleston.

Because Charleston is a small town, the enormous affect that local businesses and the people often goes overlooked. As students at Eastern, we are included in the community. And as members of the community, we should do our part to support it.

That does not mean we are expecting you to show up to the next fair that is similar to Celebration or stop by every local business and empty out your pockets. We are all balling on a college student’s budget here. But we are all also running on a college student’s time, which can surprise us with some free time that we could spend on participating in these kinds of community events.

Simply striking up a conversation with one of the local artists or fellow community members and expressing interest in their contribution to Charleston makes an impact. It shows you care about what they care about, and that can go a long way.

Unfortunately, there is not a Celebration every weekend on campus. But there are student art shows, events in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union and many other opportunities going on around us that are waiting for us to participate in with open arms.