Joe goes to Comic Con
For our loyal readers, I know many have been following the story of 15-year-old Joe Cane, who sells lemonade at a dusty and fairly-remote crossroads in Oktibbeha County across from Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church.
His story, which first appeared in the Starkville Daily News a couple weeks ago, received widespread attention and was even picked up by the Associated Press, all because this young man decided to work for what he wanted - a trip to Mississippi Comic Con in Jackson.
With his white Beats headphones around his neck and and his go-getter attitude braving the elements during the summer months, this entrepreneur embodies the American dream from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on every day but Sunday. And all this at such a young age.
On Tuesday, I paid Joe a visit at his makeshift lemonade stand, which is two wooden TV trays, a red Igloo cooler full of ice and a poster-board sign advertising his lemonade for 50 cents a cup. Even as I write this column I have a Red solo cup sweating without a coaster on my office desk.
Taking a break from holding his sign and waving at motorists, Joe expressed his gratitude to Mississippi Comic Con for giving him VIP access and told about his trip over the past weekend.
Joe and his friends made the two-hour drive to Jackson on Friday and stayed through the weekend, with Joe using the money he saved from the lemonade stand to help pay for a hotel room.
During the convention, Joe sent photos of his cosplay outfit - a black-cloaked reaper with a sword and scythe.
“It wasn't anything special,” Joe laughed about his attire at the event.
He didn't come home empty-handed, either. While he did treat himself to a new wallet and some other small trinkets, he said he also purchased gifts for friends and family.
“I was thankful for everybody's support and I just like getting gifts for people if it makes them happy,” he commented.
His favorite part of the tournament came in the form of gaming tournaments, namely “Tekken 7.”
“I entered all of them and lost all of them,” Joe said of the video game tournaments, shaking his head. “Whether I win or lose I always have fun.”
Joe's comic book convention schedule is booked up through August, too, due to event organizers who reached out with passes after reading his story. He said he plans to attend two events in August - the Golden Triangle Comic Con in Columbus and NerdVana in Oxford.
If you ask any of the organizers, they will tell you it didn't take much for them to realize the potential in someone like Joe, whose unwavering spirit and tireless devotion to his craft, make him a valuable member of any community.
For this newspaper editor, if I had a team of Joe Canes, we would win Pulitzer Prizes regularly and business leaders think so, too.
On Monday I had the opportunity to hear Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann present data reflecting the wants and needs of businesses in Mississippi using consumer and census data. Of the 5,300 businesses who responded, roughly 35 percent of small and large firms said work ethic was the most important factor for an educated workforce.
People like Joe Cane reflect true work ethic and just what the people are made of around here, so for anyone knocking the younger generation, there is certainly hope.
I think it is crucial that we as a community take note of industrious youth like Joe Cane. Even Secretary Hosemann said we should recognize and reward hard work for young people and not reserve the praise for those who excel in sports.
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