I was going through the stack of back issues of the Tri County the other day, and I noticed a pattern. Almost every issue had a front page story on Honey Brook. Whether it was the borough or the township, for the past three months there has always been something going on in Honey Brook.

Now, I guess this really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Honey Brook is in our coverage area, and it makes sense that there would be a lot of stories coming out of that area. However, I would’ve never suspected the frequency with which these stories appear.

We at the paper try to cover as much of the region as we can. We try to hit Elverson and New Holland as often as possible, and I have been out to Warwick several times to cover the fire department’s battle with the Township for funding. What I am getting at is that the extensive coverage of Honey Brook is not intentional. I did not come into this job aiming to cater exclusively to the ins and outs of Honey Brook. It just happened. So the obvious question is why?

There are two simple answers: first, they seem to have the most stuff going on, and second, they call me. This is not meant as an insult to the other townships and boroughs, but just a simple fact. The majority of the people who call me and let me know there is something I should cover are from Honey Brook. Again, it’s no agenda on my part, these are just the people filling my mailbox with things they want covered.

However, I think there is a more complex reason why so much happens in Honey Brook, and it stems from involvement. The people there really seem to be involved. For example, the past borough council meeting had to be moved to a bigger building because there were too many citizens in attendance. Also there are several community action committees in the township. These are average citizens who have banded together to affect change. So, the members of the community are more involved, but it still begs the question why.

I think the reason has to do with the simple fact of where Honey Brook is located. For all intensive purposes, it is isolated from everywhere else. It’s an island unto itself. Up in Morgantown and Elverson they are close enough to the Turnpike that they can consider themselves connected to the surrounding municipalities. Likewise, New Holland is close enough to Lancaster that they can feel like a part of the city and county. However, Honey Brook isn’t really close to anything.

It’s at least a 15 minute drive in all directions to get someplace new, and another 20 minutes if you want to go anywhere more than a “small town.” Because of this isolation I believe the people of Honey Brook have started to band together to make the community entirely their own. That is why there have been so many news stories coming out of the town. These people have taken stock in what they have, and realized that no one will make it better but them.