© jan albers | all rights reserved
Woodville, Ohio
Most of the drive-in theaters along Route 20 had fallen on hard times when we passed by.
Archive for May, 2011
Drive-In, Drive On
May 9, 2011Cemetery, Memorial Day
May 6, 2011
© karen e. titus | all rights reserved
Waterloo, New York
Waterloo, N.Y., takes Memorial Day seriously, staking its claim as this holiday’s birthplace. In the summer of 1865, local druggist Henry C. Welles suggested honoring the Civil War’s dead by placing flowers on their graves. The following May, the village held its first official celebration, draping evergreens with black, flying flags to half mast, and parading to the three village cemeteries to decorate the graves of the fallen soldiers.
One resident was moved by a more pragmatic patriotism. Speaking from the diner she owns on Main Street, which was filled with American flags, she watched through the window as other town residents worked in a frenzy to prepare for the parade. “They’re expecting 30,000 people. Where’re they gonna put them? 20,000 people. No room. 10,000 people. Where’re they gonna put 10,000 people? They’re making a big mistake.”
L-Bow Room Bar
May 4, 2011
© jan albers | all rights reserved
Johnstown, Nebraska
This small bar offers patrons unparalleled living on the edge: The sign in the window warned “Microwave in Use,” while the sign inside the bar read, “Smoking is NOT Prohibited.”
The L-Bow Room had no running water or plumbing, so Cleo Dodd, the 70-plus owner, carried in jugs of water every morning. The bar served the needs of local farmers and ranchers who wanted a cup of coffee, a cold beer or a round of pool.
Jammin’ on 20
May 2, 2011
© jan albers | all rights reserved
Burns, Oregon
Route 20 is closed to traffic during the Country Music Jamboree, allowing the music and dancing to continue late into the night in this high desert community.
Fire(works) and Ice
May 1, 2011
© karen e. titus | all rights reserved
Jackson, Nebraska
Despite the fire and ice signs book-ending these two girls, this was a peaceful little town. The world may not end here, but we did wonder how small towns like this would keep from perishing. What would suffice to keep these girls in town as they grew older?
In another, even smaller town further west, an historical marker notes, “The nearby village of Newport, established in 1883, became one of the major hay shipping centers in the nation, with thousands of tons being exported each year.” It’s hard to imagine anything major happening again on main streets like this.
The Accidental Highway 