Hello and welcome to another Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is October 8th. Did anyone else see the snowflakes this week? Brrrr....
This Wall Street Journal article At the Nation’s Center, a Small and Shrinking Missouri Town by Joe Barrett caught my eye this week. It's about Hartville, Missouri, a town of 600 people that recently garnered nationwide attention as "the U.S. population center based on the 2020 census."
'It is the city closest to the point at which “an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if all residents were of identical weight,” according to the bureau. “It’s a good thing, because it brings attention to small towns, and they usually don’t get much of it,” said Hartville Mayor Rob Tucker.'
The article goes on to describe Hartville's woes - losing 100 residents in the last 15 years, nearly a third of the population lives below the poverty line, a downtown lined with empty storefronts - as well as Hartville's hopes - the creation of a nonprofit called the Community Betterment Foundation with members working to transform a former Subway restaurant into a new cafe and another nearby building to eventually become a new office for the group. About a half block away, a couple works on turning an empty storefront into an alcohol-free gathering place for young people, with a cafe, dartboard, videogames and space for live music.
Of course, this made me think of Wannaskaland.
We are a collective of small towns, and if anyone is an expert of the struggles and successes of Small Town America, it is us. And as experts with lived experience, we understand the critical connectivity our small towns need to build success for the survival of our communities. We lay the groundwork for future generations we hope will inherit and enjoy the spaces we've worked to cultivate and celebrate.
Last weekend, I hosted a small writing retreat in Warroad at Doc's Harbor Inn. On Saturday night, I took my writing guests to Warroad Summer Theatre's dinner theater at Seven Clans Casino to see The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged. (Note: You can catch the second running of the show next weekend at Rocky Point Resort by calling (218) 469-1152 for reservations.)
It goes without saying that we had a grand time. My guests were charmed by our perfect Wannaska fall weather. They enjoyed massages, pedicures, the shopping, our little cafes and coffeeshops, and, of course, the nature. They enjoyed our people. "Same time next year?" they asked me Saturday afternoon before the dinner theater outing. Yes, these ladies loved it in Warroad SO MUCH, they reserved Doc's for 2023.
Over dinner, our group sat and chatted with Warroad residents about travels and interests. One of the locals remarked, "There's nothing to do in Warroad!"
Usually I hear this lament from teenagers. Which makes sense as hormones pump through those young bodies, spurring them to yearn for adventure. Us older folks know that, in time and after the adventures, young people may return to Wannaskaland as parents wanting to pass along the gift of small-town living to their progeny. But this wasn't a teenager; this was a full-grown adult winding down to retirement.
"It's interesting you say that," I remarked, "Because my guests here made a list this very afternoon of all the things they wished they could have had time for while on their retreat."
As the course of conversation took a new direction, I mentally ticked through the list the writers had compiled:
- A factory tour of Marvin Windows & Doors (my mind also went to Polaris)
- A visit to the Marvin Visitor Center
- A boat ride
- A trip over to Roseau
- A visit to the Kakaygeesick family spirit houses
- A look-see of our Warroad Public Library and Heritage Center
- A walk or bike ride along the bike paths
While I can't speak for all of Wannaskaland, I can tell you what I see in Warroad. I see new businesses. l see a main street renovation project that is creating new spaces out of our empty storefronts. Just yesterday, I enjoyed the grand opening of the Advanced Resource Center (ARC) a "first-of-its-kind Mechatronics program, designed for every kind of learner."
Last week I listened to our local high school principal tell community members that a successful school is the heartbeat of a thriving community. We can draw people to our streets with tourism, sports, and even job opportunities, but for families to stay - we need a great school.
Specifically in my community, Warroad, there is an opportunity to support our schools right now with our votes on November 8th. With the shuttering of our local newspaper - a painful amputation of a small town's traditional form of communication - our school administration is asking to be invited to any and all community groups and coffee klatsches to share the nuts and bolts of the Operating Referendum on the upcoming ballot and the brass tacks of what it means if you choose to vote "yes" or choose to vote "no." (Note: If you would like them to visit you or your group, let me know and I can arrange it!)
Back in Hartville, Lauren Hughes, the 36-year-old founder of the Community Betterment nonprofit says 'that despite the challenges, there are advantages to living in a place where everyone knows everyone. She said she and some girlfriends were painting the new cafe recently when they had trouble getting one of the paint cans open. “One of my friends said, ‘I’m just going to go yell for somebody to help us,’” she said. Sure enough, the friend quickly recruited someone off the street who came in and opened the can. “That’s just a small town.”'
I agree with her.
I myself have asked teens I know by face but not name to hold a door open for me as I lugged two toddlers and a baby in a carseat into the school building for ECFE. Now that I work in the school itself, I see the connectedness of our community like a circuit board - how children are connected to teachers, connected to parents, connected to employers, and churches and athletics, and nature. I see it all. And I love it.
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| The Census Bureau held a ceremony to install a monument for Hartville, Mo., which is the closest city to the country’s exact population center. PHOTO: JOE BARRETT/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
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Kim
What an awesome blog posting. Your heart was centered in this one.
ReplyDeleteAs we drive around the country we'll see a small town that's thriving and later there'll be a town that's shutting down and we wonder about the difference. It probably has to do with the leadership in the town, but there also have to be decent jobs available. Wannaskaland is fortunate in both areas.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post Kim.