Lois Kirkpatrick of Fairfax, Va., writes:   

“I work for a large county government that has a variety of groundbreaking/grand opening events.   

“The facilities range from libraries, parks and public safety buildings to homeless shelters and mental health centers.  

“What are some things we can do instead of the dreaded VIPs-holding-shovels groundbreakings and VIPs-holding-scissors ribbon-cuttings?  I’m looking for general ideas that can be applied to most types of facilities.”