My old elementary school, Tipton Hill was closed a couple of years ago…dickless politicians, etc. The local volunteer fire department was able to purchase the building, and a Community Foundation was formed to help keep the old school building as a centerpiece of our small community.
The yearly Fall Festival always used to be a big thing when I was going to school there, and long after I graduated. As I was telling someone tonight, most times you people shoulder-to-shoulder in there. I remember one of the last ones before the school was closed, I guess everyone was going all-out as a last show of solidarity/last stand in hopes it could remain open. I went in costume, I have a few pics around somewhere…
Tonight, was a quite a bit different…
Pretty much no one was there.
The only child there was with one of the event volunteers.
The closest thing to a “costume” anyone else besides me was wearing was one woman with a pumpkin headband with flashing lights.
I haven’t been too closely involved with local politics since the school closed, but apparently the fire dept. and Community Foundation aren’t exactly living in harmony. From the latter’s side, they say the fire department wants to charge them exorbitant rates to use the school building for events, and if the Foundation quits paying/finds another building, the fire department is going to quit keeping the building up and abandon plans to move the department in there.
So apparently it’s not enough that the county government craps on us and screws us over every chance they get, we have to be fighting among ourselves too.
It sucks what a shambles a festival you used to love has turned into. I’m sorry dude. You did what you could…
Saving beloved old landmarks is so much easier in the movies, when one side is clearly selfish and devoid of love and sentiment and and the bright-eyed teens will make him see the light at the end.
It sounds to me like a tug of war between a volunteer fire department who feels unfairly burdened with most of the costs of maintaining an old building no one else wants, and a Community Foundation that’s being pressured to pay more to keep up a building someone else is supposed to be looking out for. Both sides have good points, which means there’s no winners.
And your poor Fall Festival got caught in the middle.
I hope things will get better. In the meantime, I hope have somewhere else to go to show off your costume on Halloween, somewhere where it will be appreciated.
Thanks, M. I have other plans for Halloween (and the day before too), no big events but I still think it’ll be pretty cool. The folks at the Foundation were kind of bummed, but nowhere near ready to throw in the towel. There’s an old church close by the school they have an eye on to lease or purchase.
And I’m not sure how I feel about the VFD turning the school into a firehouse. It’s not like there’s any chance the actual school could reopen, though. And it’d definitely be bigger than their old building. I was pretty happy with the old one - it’s less than a mile from where I live. But it’s at the end of the road, where the creek and a small river meet, and subject to flooding. No worries of that there, and it’s still pretty close to me.
I do love living out in the country, but it has it’s downsides. “Regular” EMS response time is terrible, and more so since the Peck-esque building inspector condemned the living quarters of the crew and they’ve had to move clear to the other end of the county by night. “Temporary,” they say. The local guys have been a great comfort to me more than once when my late grandmother would fall ill and I’d have to call an ambulance for her. Someone from the VFD would be there within minutes, while it would take the ambulance 30-40 minutes (especially that one time they made a wrong turn and ended up in the next county)!
Me too. If I won the lotta I would retire and become a full time volunteer fire fighter. Too old to get hired on as one anywhere, even though I am pretty sure I could do the job.
Sorry to hear that. I don’t suppose you live in Illinois do you? Cause I live there and stuff like that is happening all the time. I feel that if Pat Quinn wins the election We are all screwed.
Nah, I’m in western North Carolina. Like my old neighbor opined the other day, as far as the south end of the county is concerned, we on the north end don’t exist until it’s tax time.
But it’s at the end of the road, where the creek and a small river meet, and subject to flooding. No worries of that there, and it’s still pretty close to me.