Small Town WV

Last week, while I was having my usual breakfast at Bob’s Lunch, I happened to overhear a conversation between two young men who were seated at a nearby table. It seemed obvious to me that they were not from this area, pipeline workers would be my guess, and they were discussing life in Moundsville.  “I don’t know why anyone would want to live in this podunk little town,” said one of the men.  “I’d kill myself if I had to spend the rest of my life here.”  The conversation continued from there, with the men complaining about having nothing to do and nowhere to go in their free time.  It was a conversation I have heard many times before, and each time I do, I have to fight off the urge to respond.  Instead, I write off such comments as evidence of the foolishness of youth combined with the cynicism of those who have yet to learn of the things that are really important in life.

I have lived in Moundsville for all but a few of my 58 years, and I can say without hesitation that I can’t imagine anything better than life in what I have come to call “Small Town West Virginia”.  If a person thinks there is nothing to do in this area, he just isn’t looking.  Within an hour’s drive, a person can experience everything from old-time bluegrass music by the riverfront to a classic symphony orchestra.  We have beautiful parks, hunting, fishing, shooting sports, archery, water sports, golf, running/biking/hiking/ATV trails, zip lines, museums, a prison and a palace, NCAA sports, professional baseball and NFL football.  We have Undo’s, Bob’s Lunch, Coleman’s Fish Market, and dozens of other great places to eat, full of history and tradition.  We have Jamboree in the Hills, Slim Lehart and Brad Paisley.  But the one thing we have that makes life in Small Town West Virginia the best:  we have each other.  We are family.

The “every man for himself” attitude that saturates life in the big city just doesn’t exist here.  Sure, we have our differences, our political debates and our neighborhood rivalries.  But when tragedy strikes, we are family.  That fact was never more apparent than after the tragic fire that struck the St. John Church in Benwood earlier this year.  Communities saw family members in need, and they sprang into action.  People in McMechen and Glen Dale opened the doors of their churches to displaced parishioners.  Teachers and students in Cameron rallied to collect needed school books and supplies.  Administrators in Moundsville opened the doors of a closed school building so that children could finish their academic year in safety.  Entire communities prayed for their family members in another town.

I like to think that people who bash life in communities like ours have yet to understand the difference between “fun” and “happiness”.  Sure, big cities may provide more opportunities for a few hours of fun, but I’ll take the lifetime of happiness that comes from being part of a big family in a small community.  Give me Small Town West Virginia any time.

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