Like The Song Says, the Livin’ is Easy

Summertime, and the living is easy, according to Porgy and Bess and Mr. Gershwin.

For the regular 20 to 30 (my numbers are skyrocketing!) who read these scribbles, you may recall that I hate cold and love summer. So the other day, while happily sweating under a hot July sun, I was daydreaming about how good life can be . . . and truth to tell, it’s not bad. Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s not popular to think that way. We’re supposed to be all up in arms with the latest drama and mean-spirited vitriol.

Sorry. I’m switching gears. In no particular order, here are some of my favorite things about right here in good, ol’ Montgomery County US of A.

Downtown. Every county seat has a courthouse square. I kind of like the fact that beautiful downtown Crawfordsville starts with a courthouse that is different. It sits at the intersection of every major state highway and with the clock tower back in place, rises majestically about the skyline. You can then talk about the Marie Canine Plaza, the Gen. Lew Wallace Study and Museum, Lane Place, the historic city building, Pike Place, Fusion 54 and the restored Ben-Hur Building. Sure, there are some empty spots, but that’s true of small towns and cities everywhere. The bright spots far outshine the rest.

Small towns. From Waynetown to Darlington, from Linden to Waveland . . . and all spots in between, the small towns that help make up Montgomery County’s 38,000 people are a gem. Yes, I will join Butch Dale and others bemoaning the school consolidations that took much luster away from those great communities. But they are still great places to visit, or if you’re really lucky, to live in. Wouldn’t a lot of us say the world is moving too fast, and perhaps not always headed to the best place? That never seems true in New Richmond or New Ross.

Music. We’ve listened to some great music here, haven’t we? Of course we have the Lew Wallace Study’s Taste of Montgomery County and some great shows. There’s the Strawberry Festival as well. But how about some of our homegrown talent. Back in the day, remember John VanMatre and the Vipers? How about Steve Trent & Smalltown? And how about North Montgomery grad Mitch Barker? Check out this new awesome song at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2m-YDophPo

Strawberry Festival. Aw, c’mon. How can I not love this? Way back in 1983 the organizers (which included Jane Kessler, Gail Hamilton, Pat Cline and others) told my bride-to-be and I that they wanted to have a wedding at the Strawberry Festival and since we were engaged . . . So we had the great fortune of saying our vows on the veranda at the courthouse with a few thousand of our friends watching. We got a carriage ride to city hall where Mayor Glenn Knecht and a string quarter from Wabash College kicked off our reception. It was a wonderful and magical day and we’ll forever be grateful.

I will say I miss the old festival which wasn’t at Lane Place but all over downtown. Just a worn-out reporter’s opinion but wouldn’t it be neat to expand it beyond Lane Place?

Writers. Writers? Hey,, consider the source. And after all, this is my two cents. How many places have a library with local writers literally chiseled in stone. Thompson, Wallace, Mills, Nicholson, Gronert, Lambert, Hays, Banta, Cline, Elmore, Watkins, De Regniers, Tuttle, Krout, Brigance . . . what a list! I was lucky enough to have worked with Pat Cline, and Will and Ginny Hays could not have been kinder to a young, still-wet-behind-the-ears sports writer. But we go beyond them. Butch Dale is one of my very favorite reads each week. I’m lucky, I get to see his great works – from his column to his Back in the Day feature to his Flashback quiz. I enjoy each and every one! And even though she’s retired, we’re still honored to publish Karen Zach’s murder mysteries. And as a sports fan – who got his professional start at the Lafayette Journal & Courier – it’s a treat to read Ken Thompson’s insights and observations each week.

Summetime, and the living is easy . . . especially in God’s country

Two cents, which is about how much Timmons said his columns are worth, appears periodically on Wednesdays in The Paper. Timmons is the publisher of The Paper and can be contacted at ttimmons@thepaper24-7.com.