Mark your calendars. Our moment to celebrate a rare community moment together is coming soon.

The event: Community watch party for Sam Kendrick’s pole vault finals in the Rio Olympics

The date: Aug. 15.

Time: 6 p.m.

Place: Rafters on the Oxford Square.

Sam’s mother, Marni Kendricks, will be there, as will many family and friends. The entire community is invited as the place we can watch together and cheer for Sam Kendricks, Oxford High School’s first-ever Olympian who will be going for gold.

Food and bar will be open and special videos from Sam and the U.S. Army for the Oxford community will be shown before the Olympics finals begin at 6:30 p.m,. so don’t be later than 6 p.m. or you may miss the action.

You have seen the signs popping up around town – Jump Sam Jump. You have seen the stories in the EAGLE, including today’s feature on Sam Kendricks and his coach/father Scott Kendricks. We should also mention the excellent photography of Sam Kendricks by our own Bruce Newman, who captured the local Olympian in a style that makes us all want to gather and cheer.

Now, it’s just about time for the action.

The venue on the Square holds 500, so let’s fill it up. Let’s gather on the evening of August 15 with Marni Kendricks and Sam’s family and friends and make so much noise in Oxford during the finals that he can hear it all the way in Rio.