Saturday
Sep112010
Small Town America
Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 4:48AM
Invoked with such wonderful nostalgia, true "small town" America- the real middle America- often seems like part of wishful imagination now, rather than a reality. Gone are the days when quaint towns away from interstates were where people wanted to live; where you could walk down the high street and find a variety of different shops, all locally owned; where everybody knew everybody and where doors were left unlocked. From the 1920s to 1950s, these towns must have been such an incredible place to grow up, places where you knew everyone at the local school, could hang out at the diner and go to the drive in movie theatre, or take a girl to the high school dance. This nostalgia is probably completely tainted however, as we tend to ignore all the negative aspects about these little villages. Inevitably, there was a reason for their decline.
Yet this does not stop me from wanting to visit these places, to hope that I could drift from the beaten track, down the same old highways, and instead travel along a historic route- Route 66 being a classic- to experience these small towns in the heart of America.
Well Thursday, right in the heart of rural Wisconsin, I found myself in such a place. Out on the campaign trail, canvassing for local votes, we ended up in Pardeevillee. Population 1,982. For a long time I thought we were going to some Party city, the way the locals were saying it. Even a guy from Wisconsin thought that too. But instead, we ended up in a town with just two main streets, where the highlight of the year is a watermelon festival. Alas, we missed this by a few days. Unfortunately, Pardeeville was a sad little town, with very little non-local traffic. It did however offer an insight into small town America, as we wandered up and down the streets. Many houses were run-down, with old broken porch doors, and dirty windows, however others still retained a cosy local feel. I regularly found doors unlocked and open too, and at one point was almost stumbling up the stairs in someone's house after knocking on doors that swung open!
Though Pardeeville might be lost to history, the next local town, Portage, still retained some of the good ol' ways. There was a much livelier high street here, with a variety of different shops, and not a single Subway or Starbucks to be found. Instead, you find yourself in the diner of Portage Cafe, or in Norm's Pit Stop. Or you could check out the local convenience store and get a hot dog, potato salad and soda fountain for $1.99. Yes that was the price in 2010, not 50 years ago!
Portage restored my faith in small town America, and made me want to see more places like it, where the twenty first century is kept just enough at bay, so that locality and uniqueness remain of the utmost importance. So here's to travelling.
Yet this does not stop me from wanting to visit these places, to hope that I could drift from the beaten track, down the same old highways, and instead travel along a historic route- Route 66 being a classic- to experience these small towns in the heart of America.
Well Thursday, right in the heart of rural Wisconsin, I found myself in such a place. Out on the campaign trail, canvassing for local votes, we ended up in Pardeevillee. Population 1,982. For a long time I thought we were going to some Party city, the way the locals were saying it. Even a guy from Wisconsin thought that too. But instead, we ended up in a town with just two main streets, where the highlight of the year is a watermelon festival. Alas, we missed this by a few days. Unfortunately, Pardeeville was a sad little town, with very little non-local traffic. It did however offer an insight into small town America, as we wandered up and down the streets. Many houses were run-down, with old broken porch doors, and dirty windows, however others still retained a cosy local feel. I regularly found doors unlocked and open too, and at one point was almost stumbling up the stairs in someone's house after knocking on doors that swung open!
Though Pardeeville might be lost to history, the next local town, Portage, still retained some of the good ol' ways. There was a much livelier high street here, with a variety of different shops, and not a single Subway or Starbucks to be found. Instead, you find yourself in the diner of Portage Cafe, or in Norm's Pit Stop. Or you could check out the local convenience store and get a hot dog, potato salad and soda fountain for $1.99. Yes that was the price in 2010, not 50 years ago!
Portage restored my faith in small town America, and made me want to see more places like it, where the twenty first century is kept just enough at bay, so that locality and uniqueness remain of the utmost importance. So here's to travelling.
Reader Comments (1)
Your writing shows promise, maybe a literary career beckons!