Sweet Summertime

I remember well the summer of 1988. I was 8. It was hot, dry and brown. I would ride my bike through the orchard over cracks in the parched earth that were several inches wide.  Severe drought conditions caused our well too much stress to do laundry at home. A once a week trip to the laundry mat meant a morning at the library for my sister and I. While aware of the conditions around me, what I remember most about that summer are the long, hot afternoons curled up in our bedroom lost in the pages of the latest Newbery Award Winner.

It’s another hot, dry summer. Although we have all tried to stay positive, it is hard to be upbeat in these conditions. Even our blog has suffered. I just can’t get excited about anything when its 102 degrees, the crops are dying and my electricity bill is nearing a record high.

Thankfully, I live with an 8 year old. And this boy knows how to do summer living: Baseball games (they didn’t win one, but you wouldn’t know that by talking to Aaron), 4 different Bible Schools,4-H camp, 2 weeks of swimming lessons, 5 4-H pigs and a debut as Louis at the Liberty Theater’s King and I.

Even in these conditions, I do find something of which to be grateful. Being part of a farm community where so many livelihoods are dependent on the whims of the weather makes for a well rounded childhood. At 8 years old in 1988 I was keenly aware of the ever present worry and whispered prayers for rain just as Aaron is. I can remember dancing in the rain when it finally came late in August. Here, among the acres of corn and beans, it is impossible to protect our children from the reality that times do get tough, tightening your belt is prudent and wise and that we don’t always have control over the circumstances that impact our lives.

But the beauty of summer living in Atchison County, is that when you are 8 and life give you lemons….well you learn the finer points hog farming, get bragging rights for numbers of ticks at 4-H camp and spend the evenings practicing Rogers and Hammerstein.

Summer living is still good living here at my house even when its 102 degrees. 

It's Our Anniversary!

This month we celebrate a year of this blog, a year of recognizing everything good right outside our door.  If you’re a new reader, please take the time to look back through older posts – I promise it will bring a smile to your soul.

Ann and I have been kicking around the idea of a ‘Best of’ Blog as we acknowledge our anniversary.  The trouble is, we know and love every one of these contributors, and we love their stories.  How do you choose the top 10 from such a fantastic list?  In the end, we couldn’t.  We did decide to highlight a few, just in case you missed them…

• A Top 10 list of AC awesomeness… http://anewconversationinruralamerica.blogspot.com/2011/06/top-10-reasons-i-love-atchison-county.html
• A sparkling review of Fourth of July in Rock Port, but more importantly, a review of life lived in this place where people have your back… http://anewconversationinruralamerica.blogspot.com/2011/07/lil-firecrackers-and-lil-blue-jays.html
• A dad’s story of coaching his son’s baseball team… http://anewconversationinruralamerica.blogspot.com/2011/07/baseball-and-bathroom-breaks.html
• The Fairfax Fair, and a ‘mixed’ marriage… http://anewconversationinruralamerica.blogspot.com/2011/08/east-coast-boy-fairfax-fair.html 
• Friday Night Lights, Atchison County style… http://anewconversationinruralamerica.blogspot.com/2011/09/friday-night-lights.html
• The women before us, what an excellent heritage we have… http://anewconversationinruralamerica.blogspot.com/2011/09/woman-before-me.html 
• A tale of customer service: the story of one of the many ‘good eggs’ we are blessed and honored to call our own... http://anewconversationinruralamerica.blogspot.com/2011/10/customer-service-summa-pharmacy-style.html  
• A history of our wonderful county hospital... http://anewconversationinruralamerica.blogspot.com/2011/12/part-2-of-2-band-aids-babies-and.html
• Who needs Taco Bell when you have friendliness, families and farms? http://anewconversationinruralamerica.blogspot.com/2012/03/no-taco-bell-or-target-but.html 
• There’s no logic or bias behind this inclusion…this story is just about my incredible Mom... http://anewconversationinruralamerica.blogspot.com/2012/04/kind-of-gal-you-want-to-thank.html

There are many, many more excellent posts and stories on our blog, and we hope you’ll take the time to check them out, if you haven’t yet.  We know we’ve only scratched the surface so far and we can’t wait to hear what others have to say about why they love Atchison County so much.  It is truly a wonderful place to live, and if you aren’t lucky enough to call this your home, at least you get to live here vicariously through this little, joy-filled blog.

A Year Later

A year ago Memorial Day weekend I stood outside my parents’ house and listened to Dad tell us a flood was coming, and it was going to be huge, bigger than anything in our recent history.  I was here for the Flood of ’93, but other than knowing that my new-Sheriff-Dad was dealing with crazy hours and stress, my 15-year-old self wasn’t tremendously affected.  Last year, I heard Dad’s words but didn’t fully comprehend what it would mean to our county and our region.

I-29, Shelton Fireworks - Looking West from Bluffs - June 27, 2011

Looking West on Hwy 136 - June 27, 2011

It was indeed huge.  We were flooded in some instances for 4 months.  To the North, the Interstate was closed. Traffic was re-routed through secondary highways, through towns that weren’t remotely prepared for that kind of volume.  To the West lies the Missouri river, and obviously, there was no way to cross.  Hosts of families living on this side of the river had someone in their household who worked on the other side.  Most stayed apart from their families through the week and came home on weekends.  Others made the multiple-hour commute every day so that they could see their kids.  Families who lived on the bottoms were displaced for months.

Last summer and early fall, all I felt was gloom and doom and hopelessness.  I sat in shocked sadness, watching all that cropland sit underwater.  I saw businesses lay off employees and leave.  I would look through my office’s ‘all about Atchison County’ website, and I kept landing on the page where we brag about everything we have access to (barge, interstate, rail, nearby airports) that were essentially eliminated during the flood.  I was worried about what we would look like on the other side of this thing…whenever that happened.

Then, little by little, week by week, things started to change.  The importance of our existing local businesses became even more important.  My office did a little “Shop Local, we’re all in this together!” campaign, something that we created because we were desperate to do something, anything, to help.  I don’t know if it made a huge difference in sales taxes or not, but it was a reminder sign in the newspapers and in stores all over the county we are responsible for our communities and for supporting each other. 

I-29, Shelton Fireworks - Looking West from Bluffs - June 14, 2012

Roads opened up and repairs began.  Construction on our levees and roads brought newcomers to our county who are still shopping, eating, and staying here.  Since early this year, a massive wholesale water construction project has been underway, bringing even more visitors and workers here.

Looking West on Hwy 136 - June 14, 2012

Businesses that had temporarily closed have reopened and others have been able to bring their regular numbers of employees back on board.  Most all of our businesses were able to persevere, and while last year will not go down in the books as an easy or profitable one, they made it.  A few, like the campground, have not reopened yet due to the severity of the damage, but they are now starting their long road of recovery.

A year later, there’s good news to be found if you look around.  The vast majority of families who were displaced during the flood chose to relocate elsewhere in the county.  The mild winter we experienced allowed road and levee repairs to start much sooner than anticipated.  While some farmers continue to deal with significant sand issues on their land, many have planted and are back in their fields.  The tax base has held, far better than I anticipated.  And regardless of how people feel about the Corps, they have done a tremendous job restoring our levees.

The bottom line in all this is, we ‘made it’ this far largely because of the kind of people we are here.  We pull together in catastrophe.  We help our neighbors.  We work together to get things done.  I’ve said it before and I’ll surely say it again, but in good times and in bad, I am so proud to be a part of this county and these people.  

~MMB

Shall we Dance?

This week's post comes from Debbie Johnson, Lynn Hunter and Donovan Jones....3 of Atchison County's very talented musicians/actors/directors. I have had the pleasure of being a part of two productions at the Liberty Theater in the pit orchestra and I've missed very few of the musical productions. Each time I set foot in the theater, it is a very rewarding experience. Thank you to the Liberty Theater Group for all you contribute to our community!

Though some may think life in a small community means seclusion from the finer things in life, life in Atchison County is not so. With the establishment of the Atchison County Memorial Building/Liberty Theatre, there has been an awareness brought back to life for the fine arts. 

Since 2004, with the opening production, "The Sound of Music", hundreds of thespians and lovers of the theatre have volunteered their time and talents in an effort to provide live entertainment for Northwest Missouri. Some of these wonderful shows include: "The Wizard of Oz", "The Odd Couple", "Little Shop of Horrors", "Forever Plaid", "Always, Patsy Cline", "Polterheist!", and "Thoroughly Modern Millie", just to name a few. Through the comedies, dramas, mystery dinner theatres, choral groups, and classic musicals, many a smile has left the theatre with a yearning to return at each upcoming event.

 

 This years Summer musical, "The King and I" by Rodgers and Hammerstein, will exemplify the talent within our portion of the state once again. With actors ranging in age from four to sixty-four, this show will be enjoyed by all ages. Some of the popular songs from this musical include: "Getting to Know You", "Whistle a Happy Tune", and the infamous "Shall We Dance?". While Anna and the King fall into a deep romance, the love between Lun Tha and Tuptim is intercepted by the powers that be. The play-within-the-play, "Uncle Tom's Cabin", brings new light to the Harriet Beecher Stow literary classic.

The theatre will be undergoing renovation beginning in the Fall of 2012. We, the Liberty Theatre Committee, hope that you will all join us the last weekend of July and first weekend in August for our final production this season.   

We hope you will decide to become an associate of the Liberty Theatre with one final sponsorship for this 2012 season. And for those who have already joined with a donation, A HUGE 'THANK YOU' TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU! You may contact any of us if you have questions.

THE LIBERTY THEATRE COMMITTEE:Scott Deatz, Steve Hoffrogge, Lynn Hunter, Malisa Linthicum, Debra Wyatt, Deb Johnson, Jan Carpenter, Donovan Jones, Annie Schmerber, Debbie Martin

On Citizenship...

I stole this from Lori Seymour's Facebook. Ain't it great!

On Citizenship

Sorry blog readers for being a sporadic poster. I told Monica that I have to wait for inspiration. Well, I finally found some here:  http://www.moberlymonitor.com/news/x639954360/Supreme-Court-Judge-addresses-Pachyderms 

This article started me thinking about what these men, and the many others who call our community home, had in common. A great upbringing, a solid education, work ethic and a belief in something greater than themselves was what I surmised. Mostly, though I think they are great citizens. They keenly feel the burden to GIVE of their talents, time and energy back in the same measure that they have received. What they have achieved is impressive, what they will give is more important.

Fitting to ponder on Memorial Day, I began to examine what it means to be a citizen in Atchison County. I became very thankful that opportunities for citizenship abound in my community.   No doubt your own schedules are full of volunteering at the library, teaching Bible School, driving your elderly neighbor to the doctor or attending the Kiwanis club meetings. I challenge you to continue these activities and not shy away from the next signup sheet. As this community and great country has afforded you the opportunity to have a healthy childhood, receive a great education, worship freely, raise your family as you wish and live well….give back, give back, give back. 

When my children run wild during the next Tarkio Renewal meeting or get “bored” as we organize the next church or baseball activity, I will remember that my purpose is two-fold…I will BE a good citizen and RAISE good citizens too.

Matthew 10:8 Freely you have received, freely give.

What a Great Mother's Day Gift-Graduation!

Graduation falls on Mother’s day more often than not here in Atchison County! For all the mothers (and fathers) who have a high school graduate….it’s bittersweet.

I am Marisa (Smith) Hedlund and this is my seventh year as the Fairfax K-12 counselor. I was born at the Community Hospital, grew up in Atchison County, graduated from Fairfax High School and from Missouri State, and then moved with my husband Chris to Charlotte, North Carolina. After 10 years in North Carolina, my husband and I decided that Fairfax was the place to be. Chris grew up in California, graduating with 300 compared to me graduating with 20! We wanted to get out of the city and raise our growing family in a rural area close to my parents and grandparents. Luckily, there was a position for a guidance counselor open at FHS, and a family farmhouse available. Sadly, I needed to go back to graduate school and the house needed a major renovation! Thank goodness for my family that could help us out!

That was eight years ago and we are now more settled in compared to our first year here in Atchison County! We have three children that never cease to amaze us and never give us a break in all their activities! Ian (9), Natalie (7) and Collin (5) have all the opportunities to be involved in basketball, baseball, soccer, dance and gymnastics, but get to grow up in a place where everyone knows their name and looks out for them! Am I worried about them having these opportunities when they get in high school? Nope! I know that they will be able to participate in almost everything our friends in Kansas City or Charlotte are doing. And, our kids in Atchison County will be able to be in multiple organizations, activities and sports. This helps to create well-rounded individuals that will be more likely to be successful. I know, because I consider myself one of those people who benefited from being in EVERY sport and EVERY organization I could in school.

 

Our students who are graduating this week have, just like me, been involved in everything. We have students who are in every sport, both FCCLA and FHA (wow, I didn’t even do that) and every other organization we offer. They also perform in band, swing choir and the school play, which they had to spend countless after school hours practicing!  Some even take several college dual credit classes online to get a head start on their college career. These kids are involved! Who says living in the country is boring?

My fellow counselors, Shauna and Tracy, and I are sending the graduates off to NWMSU, MU, MWSU, Peru, SECC and countless other colleges to continue to be involved and make their place in the world! We also have former students graduating from those colleges who will be our future radiologists, physical therapists, electricians and teachers. I am so proud of them and I wish them luck wherever they land. I know some of them never want to get too far away from home and some of them need a chance to see the world, leaving their friends and family in Atchison county behind. Someday, I hope they will come back to our county, like me!

Baby Cows, Prayer & Family

I’ve been trying to narrow this post down to one thing that makes me happy about living in Atchison County this week, but a) my focus is not so…focused this week, and b) why should I have to limit myself to one thing, I ask you!?  So, in no particular order, today’s list of great things…

•    Getting to live amongst the action of springtime in a farming area.  I’m sure I romanticize farming because I’ve never been the person who has to pull a calf in brutal weather or spray fields for endless hours at a time, but I love being around it. Frisky baby cows, monster machines sharing the road on my drive to work, perfect rows of gorgeous green all around…I love it all.
 

•    National Day of Prayer.  This year I was able to participate in the service at the AC Memorial Building.  It is truly humbling to gather together for the dual purpose of acknowledging our immense blessings in this country and lifting up our nation, schools, churches, families, government and media.  It was overwhelming to consider that similar services were happening all over the country today.  At the same time, the service felt very personal and community-focused, particularly when Paul Tiemeyer shared how the power of prayer has worked in his life since he was severely burned in a combine fire last fall.  It was obvious from his story that this community and county supported him and his wife in an incredible way.  (Have I mentioned lately that this place is awesome?)
 

•    Impromptu family time.  The other day, Grammy showed up at my back door to take me to lunch.  I regularly get to go on drive-around lunches with Dad.  When I have time to kill before a meeting, I can stop by and see Mom and an endless variety of short people.  I never take these little blessings for granted.
 

•    I’m having a baby! Ok, so the significance of this isn’t wholly attributed to the fact that I live where I live, BUT let me just tell you how fantastic it is to be in a place where soooo many people are genuinely ecstatic over this news.  Fabulous Facebook feedback is overwhelming in its own right, but it’s the real life random bear hugs of joy thing that gets me: in the aisles and check-out line at Hy-Vee, at the Flower Mill, in the parking lot of Food Country, everywhere.  On the one hand, living here while trying to keep a pregnancy quiet means you have to do sneaky-feeling things like tell your Board and random community members that you have the flu 3 weeks in a row (yeah-they really bought that!).  But on the other hand, the bear hugs!  I am thankful every day to be able to live in this place that raised me while experiencing this particular wonder.
 

Enough of my rambling – tell me, fellow Atchison Countians, why are YOU happy to live here today?

~MMB