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Small towns are a place where values are important, they are practiced, and the people are authentic.
One only has to look at the popularity of Hallmark movies, the Andy Griffith Show, Sweet Magnolias, Bedford Falls and the Gilmore Girls’ town of Stars Hollow with themes around small town living to see that people embrace small towns and all they symbolize.
People appreciate life’s small moments, such as last Friday evening, when a group of local musicians playing guitar, harmonica and a beat box gathered downtown in my hometown of Corning and embodied the best of what enjoying small-town life can be in America.
This group of fun-loving musicians were light-bringers, who in one evening brought simple pleasures to an audience eager for entertainment after a long work week.
All the while they were having as much, if not more, fun than those listening. Their performance was a whisper of hope that life can not only return to normal after a pandemic but perhaps be even better than before.
It’s been a long time since townspeople gathered downtown on a regular basis. This could inspire a summer series of performances if we could figure out a way to knock out the mosquitoes.
In May, the weather is near perfect, and the mosquitos haven’t geared up to harvest the community. This group has planned another musical performance to look forward to on June 3.
There’s something about the intimacy of living in a small city that is comforting, like curling up with a good book while wrapped up in a quilt on a rainy afternoon.
Small-town living provides a sense of belonging and people feel closer to the community they live in. One of the great things about it is that shared experiences create what they call “happiness residue” where memories of these experiences get better over time.
Small towns celebrate their own unique culture. Our city and county have an agricultural culture. Corning celebrates this culture with the Harvest Festival every fall.
The Clay County Courier honors it with special editions such as the yearly Clay County Farm Family in June and the Rice edition in September.
Small towns are known to honor our veterans, not just on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but every day.
Small towns have a culture of friends and neighbors helping one another, lending time and money to important causes and projects.
Our town also has an of appreciation of tradition by celebrating the 4th of July with a picnic and parade and looks toward the future while honoring its history with the Hop Alley Rally.
The familiarity of living in a small town should inspire community spirit. Small town residents working together bond over projects and experiences. It takes a lot of people to come together to host a festival or picnic.
All good and worthy activities and projects need people who will support them and work for them. We should all look around and see where we can be of help to promote our communities.
To modify the familiar words of President John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your community can do for you, ask what you can do for your community.”
It’s said that the best life is one that you don’t need to escape from. I contend that small towns are not a place, but a state of mind.
I think I just may have a T-shirt made saying just that.
Pam Lowe is editor of the Clay County Courier in Corning. Her email address is PLowe@cherryroad.com.
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