Tuesday, February 14, 2017

What we didn't have when I grew up here...

Every once in a while there are posts about how things were "when we grew up" with a sense that kids today are missing something.  Today, I was thinking about things we now have in this area, that we didn't have when I was a kid growing up here.
In the early 70's, we tried water skiing in the river until Uncle Bill raised his feet out of the water with toilet paper dangling between his toes. We stayed away from the river after that. Today, our river is very nice and comparatively clean.
Today we have outfitters with kayaks and very nice riverfront park in Franklin. That would not have been desirable or successful when I was growing up here.
In the 70's, I loved the plays at the Franklin High School performed by the Civic Operetta - Little Abner, 1776, Fiddler on the Roof and many more. It was wonderful. But today, the Civic Operetta has a home at the Barrow Civic Theatre. That Theatre is now host for many more types of performances adding a wonderful selection of cultural entertainment experiences weekly in both the main theatre and the Little Theatre. We did not have that jewell when I grew up here.
Today we have miles of paved biking trails running in several directions out of Franklin. The trail is easy to get to and has a nice parking area with places to have a picnic if you like. I would have loved riding those trails when I was a kid, but they weren't there back then.
We looked forward to the 4-H fair and I recall 4th of July parades but the only downtown festival I remember is some kind of Centennial celebration. Dad tried growing a beard to win a competition. As I try to name all the downtown festivities today, I'll likely miss one. There's Franklin on Ice, May Mart, Taste of Talent, Stone Skipping, and Applefest. And, there are also free Thursday night concerts all summer long.
Meanwhile, year round, pubs around town have live performances on weekends featuring local talent. Our area is filled with talent! Add to that, the Debence Museum, which wasn't downtown when I grew up, features music and historical talks in their great room.
I know I'm only hitting a few of the highlights of things happening in and around town that weren't happening when I grew up here.
Yes, we miss some old ways but there are some wonderful things that have grown in their place. Let's celebrate them and help them flourish for years to come.

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