All along the streets of the Harford County subdivision that Olympic figure skater Kimmie Meissner calls home, neighbors have red, white and blue ribbons affixed to their mailboxes. Handmade posters that were blown down recently by high winds quickly reappeared in living room windows.
A few houses down from the Meissners, Michael Watts has handmade signs as well, tucked away in his garage. They were made by many of the same neighbors a few years ago to wish Watts' stepson well as he left for duty in Iraq. In 2004, they placed tiny flags near their mailboxes when they found out that Lance Cpl. Patrick Ryan Adle had been killed by a roadside bomb.
Residents on this short stretch of street have been galvanized by world events that affected one neighbor's son and another's daughter.
"They've been on both ends of the spectrum, but they both represent their country in unique and different ways," said Watts, 53.
"You've got a better chance of winning the lottery than to have that happen on the same block."
When news broke that Meissner would be headed to Turin, Italy, where she will compete for a medal tonight, the community rallied around her. Her school, Fallston High, held a pep rally, where six boys each painted a letter of her first name across their chests. The school board and County Council presented her with certificates of congratulations. And a local restaurant held a fundraiser for her family that included an autograph session.
Outdoor signs throughout the county have temporarily taken a break from advertising deals and events to cheer Harford's first daughter.
"Everyone has been so supportive, our little town of Bel Air and her high school," said Meissner's mother, Judy. "I think that's the thing I've been the most surprised at. I'm just so grateful. They've really adopted her and made her feel really special."
In her immediate community, neighbors had more to consider. They wanted to support Meissner and her family, but they didn't want to make them feel as if they were under a magnifying glass when they retreated to their home.
Perhaps more important, they were cognizant of how the patriotic fervor associated with Olympic sports might contrast with the sacrifice made by Adle, a Fallston High star football and lacrosse player who joined the Marine Corps when he turned 18 because he wanted to protect his family and his country.
