Thankful Thursday ~ Gotta Love Small Towns!

OK. I'll admit it. I watch The Bachelor. I do! I'm not ashamed. Yes, I know it's canned and corny, sensationalized and silly. But you know what? I find that when I'm watching this show, I am smiling. How many TV shows make us smile these days? The Bachelor/Bachelorette makes me smile, and that is the main reason why I like it and keep coming back to it.

This season I have been particularly interested in The Bachelor because he is a farmer AND he's from my home state of Iowa! I really wanted to tune in and see both how Iowa was represented and how the small town, rural, agricultural lifestyle was portrayed on TV. Obviously, they don't go in depth about farming and agriculture on the show, but I do think, so far, Chris (The Bachelor) has shown that he is proud of being a farmer and is standing behind his lifestyle admirably. As he should! As should any farmer!

The show has been a little less forgiving on the small town he is from: Arlington, IA. In a recent episode, the remaining ladies had a chance to see exactly what Arlington, population 400 or so, is like. As I watched, I had two viewpoints swimming through my mind. One was as someone who did not grow up in a teeny tiny town and knows what it is like to live in a big city. The other was knowing now what it is that really makes small towns special.

Image source: www.tmz.com.
Some of the ladies shown walking around Arlington, and reacting to what they see.

In the show, the ladies have mixed reactions (or at least, that's what they show on TV. Who knows what was done or said that didn't make the final cut to be aired...) to Arlington. Some of them can see the appeal of small town life and others are shocked at the lack of big city amenities. (What did you expect, ladies?!) I think what struck home the most for me was how Chris talked about his town and showed it off. He seemed like he had some trepidation and nervousness over their reactions. On one date, he talked about feeling a little sad about his town losing businesses and feeling sort of run down. I can relate to that feeling here in our small Hi-Line towns. At least Rudyard (similar or maybe slightly larger population as Arlington) still has a cafe and a seasonally-operated movie theater!

When the Bachelor toured his date around his town, they pointed out that it was completely dead. No traffic. No people outside. And with all the defunct businesses boarded up and empty, it really looked and felt like a ghost town. Where was everybody? At the local Friday night football game!

Now, this is where the actual meat of my Thankful Thursday post comes in. If there's one thing I have learned about small towns it is that the whole community really gets behind the local school's sports teams! Here, right now, it's basketball season.  The population of our towns may not be big, but you can bet that the gym will be PACKED for a home basketball game! Even our movie theater acknowledges that small town sports are king and closes during basketball season. They know they won't get any business because folks are over at the school watching the game!  Sporting events, especially in small towns, are what really brings people together. Everyone loves to cheer on the local kids and feel pride in our community and schools!

This week at school, our basketball teams are headed to their District Tournament. Both Boys and Girls have a chance to knock of some rival teams and cause a few upsets, making it deep into the tourney, and hopefully on to Divisionals next week. At school, we had a big pep rally and assembly to send them off, planned by the parents of the Senior basketball players. I was really surprised at the turnout. Many of the players' families were present, but there was a decent number of community members there, too, just to cheer on the teams.

As the assembly went on, I really felt a great sense of pride and appreciation for this small town, this school, and this community. So, this week, I am officially stating how grateful I am to be living in a small town that takes its youth and its sports so seriously, and also makes it fun to cheer on the local team. Small towns like Rudyard (North Star Schools and community) and Arlington, IA are really where it's at when it comes to local sports. The businesses on Main Street may be closed or only open part-time, but that doesn't mean the soul of the place is dead. After having lived here and worked in the school, truly experienced what this time of year is like and the support that comes from everyone in the community, I know I am thankful and proud to call this place home! Small town that it is. :)