Every so often, I do a general accounting of where I am, what I¹m doing,
the meaning of life and the price of tea in China. In doing that, I make
mental lists of what I like and don't like about various things in my life.
Two of the lists have to do with what I like and don't like about St.
James. I won't go into the list of "don't likes," other than to say that
tornadoes, wind, hail, blizzards, thunderstorms and shoveling snow figure
prominently on it.
On the other side of the ledger are the things I really like about St.
James. It's not a complete list, but it's based on my experiences the past
six or seven years.
So, without further ado, and with apologies to David Letterman, here is
my personal, annotated list of the Top 10 Reasons to Like St. James.
10. Bacon. If you love the smell of frying bacon, you've got to love St.
James when Tony Downs Foods is making bacon bits. In fact, I'd wager that
St. James is the Bacon Bit Capital of America, and probably the hemisphere
or even the world. Every time I get a whiff of that bacon frying, I start
hallucinating about BLTs, bacon cheeseburgers, ... I'd better stop before my
cholesterol level goes ballistic.
9. Deep Roots. I can't remember the number of times I have talked to
folks whose grandparents or great-grandparents or great-great-grandparents
settled in this area. Just the other day, I was talking to a gentleman and
asked him where he was from. "Right over there," he said, pointing to the
house where his son and his family now lived. "I was born in that house. My
Dad built it in 1922." I like that a lot.
8. The Wave. Folks in St. James love to wave. They wave at friends. They
wave at enemies. They wave at complete strangers. This may be the waving-est
place in America.
7. The Volunteers. If you need a hand doing something anything folks
come from every direction to pitch in. And they come running. No
complaining, no excuses, just a friendly hand.
6. Civic Clubs. St. James is lucky to have a healthy collection of
civic clubs, people who band together for one overarching purpose: to do
good. A town can never have too many of them.
5. Understatement. The folks of St. James are masters of understatement.
It could have rained 4 inches in torrents like it did on Saturday and
the typical comment would be, "Got a little wet the other day."
4. First Avenue and Memorial Drive. With help from local civic groups
(see No. 6), the city has transformed downtown and Memorial Park into a
strikingly handsome area. Gazebos, old-fashion street lights, hanging flower
baskets and banners combine to create a focal point of pride for our
community.
3. Fourth of July Fireworks. It combines equal parts of patriotism and
pyrotechnics for the perfect ending to an Independence Day. Thanks to the
VFW and the St. James Fire Department for putting it on.
2. Railroad Days. This is the something-for-everyone kind of event. From
the parade to the athletic tournaments to activities for the kids, a family
can spend the better part of three days enjoying the sights and sounds.
And now, a drum roll please, as we reveal the highly sought after top
billing.
1. Friendly People. If you can make it through a grocery
store or any place in town, for that matter without stopping and visiting
with someone, then you've been living in a cave. A smile and a kind word go
a long way in St. James.
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