Friday Night Lights

It was the first football game of the year last night in most places, large and small.  In our tiny little corner of the universe, the Northwest Indians faced Cloverleaf at 7:00 p.m. in Smilek Stadium, playing on the brand new artificial turf.

The field will be named James Schalmo Field, for Jim Schalmo, a fine young man who died way too young of a heart problem.  His dad was one of the spearheads for the project.  I knew him back in the day and he was a person of great character.

My son and his family will be there, and Greg talked about the wonderful chicken dinners that the Rotary Club prepares for each home game.  He saw them starting the BBQ coals when he passed by their building in town on his way to get Lauren here. 

For Lauren going to the games started really early.  She is eight now and has probably been going since she was three.  She loves the snacks, she said, and she actually seems to enjoy watching the games too.  She is going out for cheerleading this year at SS Philip & James School so she said she'd watch the Northwest cheerleaders and check out what they do.

We can hear the cannon go off when Northwest scores a touchdown.  It's always like a rite of passage from summer to fall when that sound filters through all of the woods and lots to our house.  And when we hear that sound, we know that the Indians might be winning which is always good.

Thursday, the new tornado warning sirens were tested and they seem to do the job.  It was plenty loud!!  There is one not that far from the house.  Then after I heard the siren, I went to get the mail and there was a postcard announcing the sirens and saying that they will be set off once a month on a Wednesday.  It was Thursday.  Another funny thing about life in a small town.  There are A LOT of funny things about life in a small town.

The recycle center that was previously located at the old state road building was moved.  There is no sign indicating where the dumpsters were taken, but I called and found out that they are near the township hall and garage.  Another thing about life in a small town -- communication is a bit lacking.  Are you getting the picture?  We have no community newspaper and the three dailies that surround us don't devote a lot of space to Canal Fulton.  We had a newsletter that went out monthly, but that came to an end due to budget cuts.

There is a street in Canal Fulton called Milan.  It is not pronounced ma-LAN as in Italy, but rather, it is pronounced MY-lan.  You can always tell the newbies right away because no one but the locals gets it right.  We also have a Walnut, Wooster, High, Market, Cherry, Locust, Colonial, and then the people-named streets -- Dan, Bob, Beverly and James.  Typical small town America.

And you know what?  I absolutely, positively love it.

Have a great Labor Day Weekend.  Talk to you on Tuesday then.

Karen