Slow Death of Small Town Life

My husband and I attended the Bolivar Country Days Rodeo a few weeks ago. It was a warm, humid Missouri night, just right for a rodeo! I always look forward to the event each year. It is a chance to run into old friends, spend some time with the family, and enjoy a little piece of my childhood. As a child I went to rodeos often and I still enjoy watching the cowboys and cowgirls compete for the winning time. The grand entrance commenced and as we watched the parade of horses and riders carrying their banners high as the strains of "America The Beautiful" played over the loud speakers. I settled in to enjoy the show. Things didn't follow the usual schedule of events when the announcer informed the crowd that we would be taking a few moments for an announcement from the arena owner. We were all there together celebrating the 20th anniversary of Bolivar's Rodeo at the Diamond 'S' Arena. Kind of a big deal if you ask me. For 20 years the Stutenkemper family has organized and hosted a family friendly event with the town of Bolivar. Some of the people attending the event that night had been attending since they were younger and now were bringing their children. So you can imagine the surprise when the announcement came that this would be the last time that we would come to this particular place for this event. I felt a moment of sadness when I thought about how an era had ended. I will never get to bring my children again. Someday when I tell a story to my kids or grand kids I will be talking about the "good ol' days" and it will truly be a time and place that no longer exist. I thought for a moment that this happens alot, the death of small town America. The small simple things melt away and all we are left with is bright lights, big sights and sounds, and lots of glitz. This isn't your grandmother's childhood anymore. I guess that is way of things. I really hope that someday the trend turns back the other way. Bigger isn't always better. I'm just sayin.