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There used
to be busy little small towns or villages within just a few
miles of most residents who lived in rural areas.? The
people who lived in or near these communities got most of
their supplies from within these small towns.?
The few
other things that they needed were usually found in the next
largest town, normally the county seat, which was not too
far away.? Most of these towns were laid out with the
courthouse in the middle of the town square that was
surrounded by a park-like area with a few park benches here
and there.? At any rate, over the years, it became a
tradition to many folks to go downtown on a Saturday night.
Although
people came to town to? do? business, it was an enjoyable time
when folks looked forward to just seeing who was in town,
visiting, and hearing all the local news.
Farmers and
ranchers came to town on Saturdays to do business with the
feed stores and stockyards while others came because it was
a day off from work when they could pick up supplies.? It
was the only day that usually the whole family came along to
town.? ? Later in the afternoon or evening, even more folks
showed up in town after their chores were all through.
Our family
was no exception and we all looked forward to the trip to
Edina on many Saturdays.? My brother and I would often do
extra errands and chores to save up money for those trips to
town.?
We bought
most necessities from our local stores in Baring so the
things we purchased in Edina were usually items or services
that weren??™t available in Baring.? Young people today would
probably think it strange to keep their frozen foods away
from home but that is exactly what we did.? Like many folks,
we only had a tiny freezer in our refrigerator that held
very little so we paid locker rent to keep our frozen meat
there.? The locker plant was especially nice on a hot
summer??™s day because we would walk inside a large room that
was like a quick visit to the North Pole and pick up some
frozen foods before we left for home.
The trip to
town usually included something that was fun for us kids.?
We might get a new pair of shoes from Sandknops or P.N.
Hirsch or something new to wear.? We didn??™t always have
money to spend in town so sometimes we did what Momma
called, ???Window shopping???.? That simply meant that we were
looking through the store window at things and dreaming.?
Perhaps someday there would be money for that doll or
bicycle.
My brother
and I had our favorite places to visit.? He would sometimes
go to Gambles or Western Auto but my favorite place to go
was to the Ben Franklin Store or what we called, ???The Dime
Store???.? ? There were so many things to look at there but
before I left the store, I would usually go by the candy
counter where glass bins held all the different kinds of
candy.? You could buy candy there by weight that was scooped
into a brown bag and placed on a scale.? I would usually ask
for a dime??™s worth of M&Ms and my brother and I would split
them between us.? When I got older, it was the cosmetic
counter that drew my attention where there were perfumes for
sale.? I remember Blue Waltz and Ben Hur perfumes but my
very favorite fragrance was Evening In Paris in that
distinctive cobalt blue bottle.
Another fun
place to go was the drug store.? There was the choice of
either the Southside Drug or McKay??™s Pharmacy.? They each
had a soda fountain where you could get a lot of wonderful
treats.? My favorites were a cherry root beer or a Helen
Special.? There??™s a story behind the Helen??™s Special.? As I
recall, there was a lady named Helen who asked for certain
toppings on her sundae and everyone liked her concoction so
much that it became a regular item on the menu.? It
consisted of vanilla ice cream covered with marshmallow
cream, chocolate sauce, nuts, and topped off with whipped
cream and a cherry if you desired.?
Being
downtown on Saturday night was good anytime but I remember
summertime the most.? I think it was because people would
stand around and visit outside of the stores or sit on
benches and visit.? The town would be crowded with hardly a
place to park and there was usually a pickup or two that
would park sideways along the curb to sell vegetables or
fresh fish from the back of a truck.?
There were
also special things that went on during the summer months on
Saturday nights.? We might get to see a movie at Lindina
Theater where there was usually a double feature or
sometimes there was a live band and a street would be
blocked off for a dance.? Many times during the summer Toby
and Susie came to town and set up a big tent to perform
their theater show.? Daddy would usually buy us Cracker
Jacks from a vendor who passed through the aisles of the
tent.? We loved the Cracker Jacks but we had the added treat
of the toy that came inside the box.
At one time,
all the little towns around this part of the country were
busy, thriving communities.? It was rare to see any
storefront buildings vacant or abandoned like we see in our
small towns these days.? Many small towns, have few
businesses left that haven??™t been boarded up or torn down
and they struggle to keep what little is left.? Rural areas
that are primarily agricultural are working hard to survive
and yet it seems unfair and ironic that without agriculture
people could not survive.? ? Our area is often referred to as
???The Breadbasket???.? We should remember where our food comes
from, it??™s not from the grocery store, it comes from the
harvest of the fields across our great land.? As one bumper
sticker I saw says, ???Eat today?? Thank a farmer!???
Some small
towns, like mine, were once booming railroad towns where
many trains stopped to take on passengers, produce, and
stock from the farmers. Now there are fewer trains going
through and they don??™t stop anymore.? Yet, we still hear
that lonesome train whistle blow in the distance.? Perhaps
it reminds us not to forget of another place and time.
It was a
time when folks got together, pulled up a bench, and talked
about how their crops were doing and if they thought it
would rain or not.? People talked about births, community
events, weddings, and how sad it was about the newest grave
at the cemetery.?
That??™s how
it was in our small town.? That??™s how it was downtown on a
Saturday night.?
Pamela Perry
Blaine
?©April 2005
Pam
lives in Missouri with her husband, Michael.? She enjoys
composing music and writing stories.? She writes "Pam's
Corner" for her local newspaper, The Edina Sentinel.?
Pam and her husband are active in their church where she
plays piano and he is music leader.? They have a CD
available called, "I'll Walk You Home".? ? The title song is
about her lifelong friend who died of cancer.? You can hear
this song on her website:?
http://blaines.us/PamyPlace.htm
Several of her
stories have been published on the internet as well as in
books such as The Miracle Of Sons, 2The
Heart/People Who Make A Difference,? and A Tribute To
Moms.? Her goal is to write to encourage others and to
write stories for her children and grandchildren? so that
stories and family history will be preserved.?
My Website:?
http://blaines.us/PamyPlace.htm
e-mail:
pamyblaine@blaines.us
? ? ? )
?
??.?·?? ??.?·????)? ??.?·*??)
(
??.?·??? ? ? (??.?·?? ??.?·??
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? `?·-?»Pamy
?
"Security is not the absence of danger,
but
the presence of God"
?
My
Website:
http://blaines.us/PamyPlace.htm
e-mail:
pamyblaine@blaines.us
?
"NO ONE IS USELESS IN THIS WORLD
? WHO
LIGHTENS THE BURDEN OF ANYONE ELSE"
http://www.greatcom.org/laws/englishkgp/default.htm |
