People often take small towns for granted, or they don’t even realize what they have right in front of them.
By McKayla Holson, editorial editor
Too often, people take small towns for granted. Sometimes, they don’t even realize the magical potential that small town has.
We always talk about the lack of opportunities in small towns, but we never talk about what the town does have to offer. We never soak up the magic, we never stop to smell the roses. We focus on what we want, not what we have.
All too often I hear students, or even people in town, say “there’s nothing to do in this town, there’s nowhere to go.” But, there’s actually a lot of places to go and plenty to do. And to the people who say there’s never anything to eat, there’s plenty of options in that department as well.
The activities you do don’t have to be extravagant.
You can walk around town. Think that’s boring? Well, Alva is rich in history and you can visit the murals and look around at all the beautiful, old architecture. While you’re walking around, you could visit the Alva Public Library to borrow a book and then head down to Hatfield Park to sit and read or even just enjoy being outside.
Speaking of books, there’s one place I always love walking by and always have to stop for a moment. On The Square, there’s a little nook where you’ll find this little stand in the shape of a house. It’s full of books. There’s a sign that says you can take a book and you can add a book for others to read. I just love to see what books are in there and they’re always changing.
Alva also has tons of shops around The Square. You’re sure to find something that piques your interest.
If you’re a small town kid, you’ll know this next one pretty well. Just drive around. Kansas is a short drive away, and there are four state parks nearby. You could visit Great Salt Plains and fish, hike, swim or even dig for salt crystals. If you’re interested in seeing sand dunes, Little Sahara State Park is the place for you. You could hike the nature trail, walk up the observation tower or even rent a four-wheeler to take for a spin. Alabaster Caverns has a cave you can explore and you can see the bats. Finally, Boiling Springs has a pool, plenty of hiking trails and you can fish. If it’s the weekend, you could even camp at any of these spots to get away from town for a bit.
If you’re wanting to stay local, Bradt’s Menagerie is an absolute treasure. They have a petting zoo and you can even get a group of people together to play laser tag. If you watch their Facebook page, you can stay up-to-date with everything they do! They create a pretty awesome hay maze around Halloween time.
After all those activities, you must be hungry.
You can eat at The Bull, Chopsticks, 818 Diner, El Maya and several other places. You can even visit Alva’s Market, they run lunch specials most days and you can look at their Facebook page to see what they’re serving that day. The Bull and 818 Diner also post their lunch specials on their respective Facebook pages. Holder’s is also a great place to get lunch. While you’re there, definitely grab an ice cream. Holder’s has some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had in my life and they’re the home of the Jack and Jill.
Not in the mood for food? You’re looking more for a snack? Stop by Rialto. I always get a large, mixed Icee with a blue bag of popcorn. It only comes out to $5! Rialto also has other treats you can find at a movie theater. That’s something else you can add to your “to-do” list. Go watch a movie at Rialto! Comfy seats, great sound and a fantastic environment make it a great place to watch new movies when they come out.
I just got to thinking about all this one day after I saw a couple of guys playing the guitar and singing songs from the roof of their truck in the Walmart parking lot. I mean, you don’t really see that in bigger towns. I also had a friend tell me about how him and his friends brought some lawn chairs to the Walmart parking lot and just hung out one evening. I’m not sure you’re actually allowed to do that, but I believe it’s another small-town quirk.
I just wish people could see all that their town has to offer. It doesn’t have to be a huge, bustling city for people to have a good time and for the doors to be opened to opportunities.
You’ve probably seen the bumber stickers around town that say, lucky me, I live in Alva.” Well, lucky me, I live in a small town. I’m not saying big cities are bad, I’m just saying small towns are great.
Finally, I just want to say that I might not live in a small town forever, who knows where life will take me, but I’ll always remember the magic of it all.
So soak up that small town magic. You’ll miss it if it’s gone.