My Friends on Facebook are now picking their favorite cities, places they've lived, vacations spots, etc, and I want to get in on the action.
Celoron, New York (pop 1197) is a sleepy little village on Chautauqua Lake, just outside Jamestown, New York. At one time it was home to the famous Celoron Amusement park and I remember vividly the roller coaster, penny arcade, monkey island, and giant Ferris wheel (it was acquired from Atlanta when the 1895 Cotton Exposition ended). The park and village was less than a mile walk from my home so we visited often. When my father was a teenager he went to Celoron High School with its most famous resident, Lucille Ball. My grandfather once watched Babe Ruth play in an off-season travel league and swat a home run into Chautauqua Lake.
Muleshoe, Texas (pop 4530). We were driving from Lubbock, Texas (where I just had to see the Buddy Holly Statue) to Clovis, New Mexico (where I just had to see the Norman Petty studio where Buddy first recorded) when a cloud of dust appeared on the flat horizon. It was coming from the fair grounds in Muleshoe that was comprised of a small group of buildings and a rickety set of bleachers next to the outdoor arena. A rodeo practice was going on so we stopped to watch and the nice residents of Muleshoe took the time to explain the finer points of barrel-bending, lead-saddle-and-ride, calf-roping, clover-leaf riding, and bronc-riding.
Baroda, Michigan (pop 858). There's not much in Baroda, then or now, but back in 1959 I could get a decent haircut for only 50-cents. My sister's old boyfriend, Ronny, lives there now so I guess he is the town's most famous person (that I know of).
Roca, Nebraska (pop 220). In the mid-1960's I was in the Air Force and stationed nearby in Lincoln. Roca was the only place where we could get a beer on Sunday. There was only one bar in the village and the town "Marshall" was the door greeter. When we left he would tell us if any "smokies" had speed traps set up on the way back to Base. The bar was always filled with farmers standing at the bar, talking about crops, while their wives socialized around a pitcher of golden beverage in the booths. The kids just ran around. Back then you knew when you got to the Roca village limits because the paved road ended and turned into gravel.
Tybee Island (pop 3713). The best for last - my #1 small town. If you take US-80 eastward until it ends you have reached Tybee Island and to visit there is to step back in time a few decades. While most Atlantic Ocean beach cities have gone the way of huge condos and glitzy bars hoarding the coastline, this eastern most spit of Georgia real estate remains a hodgepodge of private homes, quiet streets, 2-3 store rental condos, and a few good restaurants, especially the Crab Shack (where the elite eat in their bare feet) and the "world famous" Breakfast Club. It also has a campground and a wide-open, easily accessible, beach. This is the place to go for a relatively quiet stay if you are on a budget. Things to do other than lay in the sun: climb to the top of the lighthouse, rent a bike and pedal to Pulaski National Monument, go ocean kayaking or paddling in the backwaters, watch freighters navigate up the Savannah River. Tired of the hot rays on your body? Drive back to Savannah (you had to pass through there on the way), park the car, and walk the beautiful tree-lined (with Spanish moss) streets and enjoy the many quaint squares and elegant homes.
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