|
Trip to the Region
Date: 05-25-2009
By: duane
|
I'm sorry to start a new topic, but I wasn't sure where to put this update.
I passed through the Region twice during this last week. I am happy to report, as have others, that Blue Top is still in operation. There were quite a few cars there on Sunday (a week ago). No so many there this past Sunday.
I got my first actual look at what is left of the Woodmar shopping center...having seen the photos, I knew what to expect, but it still made me sad. No more Comay's jewelers where we bought records (anyone remember Tivoli buttons from Comays?). No more Woodmar Records (from the 1980's era, where I bought bootleg records.
I was on my way to Knoxville with my daughter, who was competing in Destination Imagination Global finals. Tom - we also stopped in at Purdue at Lafayette, IN, so I could show her where I went to classes (Forestry and Ag School) and where I lived (in a basement apt at St. Tom's church, where I worked as a custodian). While some things remained the same, there are many new buildings at Purdue, especially around the Purdue Mall...it is now completely enclosed by engineering buildings. We took the exit off I-65 that takes you to the US 52 bypass. There was NOTHING that I recognized for several miles. Everything is now strip malls and was completely unfamiliar to me. It was only when I saw the Maple Leaf sign for Maple Leaf trailer courts, that I actually saw something that was the same. I decided to take US 52 to US 41 back to the region. What a relief it was when I got past Purdue, and started seeing all the little towns east along US 52...they were still the same, some houses, a few businesses, the railroad track and a large grain elevator in each town. The one BIG difference was around Fowler...although the town was almost exactly as I remembered it, it was surrounded by a massive windfarm, there must have been 400 or more huge wind turbines in the farm fields surrounding the town....at least that is constructive change...not like those worthless strip malls that mostly sell things that no one really needs, but only wants, and at the same time their stores eat up rich farmland. On the positive side, the rest of the route along 52 and US 41 was just about as I had remembered it and the changes were minor. The long time restaurant and pit stop at Kentland was now closed and a McDonald's was now located about a block away. Things only really started changing when I got near Cedar Lake (remember, this is where Ralphie caught his mess of those "speckled beauties"...the wiley Crappies! From there north to Highland it was nearly a constant strip mall.
It could be anytown USA...they all look the same and there are very few independent businesses...most are all chain stores. Having just come from Knoxville (which I had never visited before) it looked very familiar..the same stores, the same logos. America has been overtaken by big corporations. Only in the rural parts of my trip did I experience true uniqueness.
Whomever said "You can't go back home again" really knew what they were talking about...especially if you've been gone for a long time.
Anyway, I just thought I'd let you all know about my travels through the region and through Purdue. |
4 |
