An idea from Down Under has been imported to Hay River to make the community more sociable.
During a trip in December, Nancy Makepeace saw cards marked “please join me.”
"We were travelling in Australia with Friendship Force and one of our hosts had one of the cards at her home, and she explained it to us," said Makepeace, referring to the international travel club which has a chapter in Hay River.
"And I thought this is something that we could do in Hay River," she said. "So I brought the card home."
In essence, the please-join-me cards can be placed on a table, such as at a restaurant, to invite people to sit down for a chat.
Makepeace said she talked to some people in Hay River about the idea and the response has been overwhelmingly favourable.
So she got some cards printed – free of charge by Quick Print – and distributed them to She Takes the Cake Cafe, Woodland Wok & Grill, The Keys at the Ptarmigan Inn and NWT Centennial Library.
"I just thought it would be a great icebreaker," said Makepeace, noting that many newcomers, travellers and seniors would welcome someone for a chat.
She noted sometimes it might be the only conversations they will have all day.
"I think it's a great way to meet new people and have interesting conversations," she said.
Makepeace noted the cards would even help people who know each other, because sometimes people don't know if they should sit with a friend who might be waiting for someone else.
Melissa Beck, the owner of She Takes the Cake Cafe, thinks the please-join-me cards are a great idea.
"A lot of people see them and say that's a really good idea, but I honestly haven't seen anybody use them yet," she said. "I don't know if they're hesitant or too shy to put it on the table. Quite a lot of time people come in here with somebody else in tow."
However, Beck believes the cards will be used, especially during tourism season.
"Summers are a whole different atmosphere," she said. "We find that we see a lot less of our regulars and we get a lot of people in that are eager to talk and learn about our town and learn about our backgrounds."
Last summer, Makepeace and her husband also brought an idea back from New Zealand.
That was for a button proclaiming “Ask me a Question; I'm a Local” to help visitors to a community.
The Town of Hay River liked the idea and printed hundreds of the buttons.
"When we travel, we always have our eye open for things that will work in Hay River," said Makepeace.
The latest idea from Down Under came from the small city of Mount Gambier in the state of South Australia.