There’s something about small towns. They all seem to have a rhythm of their own, and it’s often hard to tell whether they are dying or reviving. And I’m not sure it matters where they are located, but these days at least, they all seem to share certain similarities.
Small towns have the same dollar stores, a chain grocery and a local grocery (if they are lucky). They have fast-food joints and maybe a decent restaurant. But even if they have none of those, there is usually a spot where people congregate for a meal and some gossip.
My county-seat has such a place. The Copiah County ‘spot’ is Starks. I get there a couple of times a year, usually because I’m in town to get a car tag or conduct some other county business. Starks is housed in what was at one time, a Dairy Queen; and it seems to be the place people gather to eat and gossip. Nearly every time I have stopped in, usually for breakfast, there are tables clustered with old men sitting around carrying on lively conversations. On my most recent stop there were a couple of live-wires in residence. One gentleman declared, quite vociferously, that ‘this town is going to hell in a hand-basket, and the town is supplying the basket’! He seemed to think that was quite clever.
Most small towns still have these meeting places. They reflect the heartbeat and the character of the town. As populations shift back from urban sprawl to rural settings, I hope we don’t lose these enclaves of small-town America. I hope there will always be small towns with those places where good food is served with a side order of politics and gossip served up by old men sipping coffee.
kathryndstokes 