The Best Fireworks Around

As some you may have guessed, there are nights when there seems to be absolutely nothing going on, and it’s on these nights that we hop in the car and travel 10 minutes to another small town.  On this particular Saturday night, that small town would be Hanover, Kansas (Yes Kansas, Odell is about 3 miles from the state line).  Pulling up to town you see hundreds, no thousands, of cars lined up in an open lot.  So just what is going on here?  The biggest fireworks display around.  People travel from all over to see it, lucky for us it’s short drive.  We find our friends, get a spot in the bed of the truck and open up the coolers.  Everyone talks and drinks (drinking is inevitably a part of small-town life on the weekends) as the anticipation builds waiting for the show to start.  Finally it begins, of course with the National Anthem as the sky is lit up with red, white, and blue.  Sitting there, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.  This is one of those perfect summer nights that could be lyrics to a country song.  So if you're ever in the Nebraska/Kansas area and want to see a small town at its maximum capacity and some amazing fireworks come on down to Hanover, you won't be disappointed!

Our view

Lazy River vs. Actual River

Although we might not have a water park with a lazy river near us, we do have, well, actual rivers that are even better to float down than the simulated ones.  We pack up our coolers, grab all the tubes we can find, get our river shoes and we’re off.  Six girls, two coolers, and an entire afternoon ahead of us.  We head down through the weeds and get our tubes in the water, it’s a little chilly at first, but we quickly get used to it.  We float, we talk, we laugh. It’s a perfect summer day.  Suddenly my friend Jana screams, “SNAKE!!!”   We all scream and get our bodies out of the water and completely on top of our tubes.  Not only had she seen the snake, but it literally slithered onto her leg.  After the fear is gone, not a single one of us can stop laughing.  A half hour later we reach our final destination, grab our tubes, and crawl back up the bank.  We head into town for supper at the bar and reminisce on our day.  Going down the river is absolutely one of my favorite things to do and I would recommend it to anyone (hopefully I didn’t scare you away with talk of snakes!)

The whole crew, minus 1

What to do on a Tuesday night

I get home from work at 5.  What to do…What to do.  I could just sit on the couch and catch up on the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars, or I could go to town and find something to do.  Baseball it is!  Now I’m sure you’re imagining me going to watch the stereotypical, super attractive, baseball boys.  Although I would not pass that up, it is completely wrong.  Instead I’m going to watch one of my favorite players, my 11-year-old brother, Korey.  I head into town and pull into the baseball field.  Of course the parking lot is filled as enter the ball park, where corn grows right behind the field.  Even though it’s a humid night here in Nebraska, that doesn’t stop people from coming out to watch the Griffins.  The bleachers are full with team’s family members and also the locals looking for some entertainment.  All the faces are familiar, and although we’re here to watch baseball, there’s also another reason—to socialize.  Conversations flare up about the crops, weather, and the latest news—my sisters engagement.  It’s like everyone is actually one big family, sharing stories, laughing together, and all the while cheering for our favorite team.  Even after the Griffins pull out a win over our rival from the neighboring town, everyone lingers around the ball park just to catch up on some of the latest small-town gossip.  This is one scene that captures the very essence of small town living.

Just what is a small town?

According to Dictionary.com, small-town is defined as, “of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a town or village.”  Well turns out they’re spot on using the word ‘village,’ as my town is actually considered the ‘Village of Odell.’  That’s right, village.  We’re not even considered a ‘town’ since our population is a mere 300—which in my opinion, is the perfect size.  I honestly think to truly be considered small-town, the population can’t be too much more than this.  There are so many characteristics that towns of 10,000 people just don’t have—stay tuned to hear about these.  So my big city friends, you might be asking, “What on earth can there be to do in a town with only 300 people?”  My answer—enough to make for an amazing life.  So before I begin tracking my summer here, I better tell you what Odell has to offer: The Corner Bar, The Odell Market, two hair shops, The State Bank of Odell, the post office, our very own museum, an antique shop, The Kross Eyed Kricket, a bed and breakfast, a park, a mechanic shop, gas station, three churches and finally the high school—home to the Diller-Odell Griffins (we consolidated with Diller, a town of about 300, in 2000).  Besides these many attractions inside town, there’s a whole other list that one will find outside of the ‘village.’  These include our never ending gravel roads, rivers, and lakes.  All so well known by both adults and the kids living their lives here.  This may sound dull to you, but trust me—these places hold some of my best memories, and will be the main stage for many more to be made this summer. 

Main Street--my hometown