Changing Names but not the Families

Growing up in a small town where the majority of people are farmers and kids follow in the family footsteps, I knew I would not want to stick around. Now, I am out in the “wild” living in the city and have traveled the world with the Marine Corps.
I go back to what I call home but only out of necessity. I realize as I drive through the towns that made up the school district a lot has changed. However, it seems as though everything has stayed completely the same.
I drive past the old gas station and the name on the sign has changed, but when I go inside the same owner is there. He told me it was simply time for a change.
According to Shawn Hubler in his essay “Will the Last Gay Bar in Laguna Beach Please Turn Out the Lights?”, “The scene, like the town’s art galleries and surf shops, was part of the area’s character and history.”
This is how the small grocery stores, long since run out of business by a neighboring city’s Cub Foods or Rainbow grocery store, made the town what it was. The townspeople did not mind the groceries were a little higher priced. They enjoyed the convenience of driving down Main Street for that gallon of milk, instead of driving 20 minutes.
Now what is left of the town’s stores? The American Legion, the local bar, a chiropractor, newspaper and the bank are what comprise the town’s businesses.
Of course the gas stations stick around, but their name changes as frequently as the owner of the newspaper in town.
Some of this could be explained by the economy, but of course other things have to change as well.
Hubler cites other reasons for change in Laguna Beach in his essay. “On the other hand, much of the change is being driven by the inexorable forces.”
As far as the people go, they are still the same. The same teachers, same coaches and the same drama that comes with family names is still an everyday part of life.
I get to keep up on the gossip from one person I still talk to, and she has been my best friend since fifth grade. We even had an apartment together.
She informs me of the marriages and who’s cheating whom, the most important of things.
What she is especially fond of is how families are combining, almost incestuously, to form a better “name for them.”
The star running back I graduated from high school with took over the family farm implement shop and married the star basketball player. Now their family is nearly unstoppable when it comes to sports in that town. The only thing left for them to do is make sure the coaches are part of their circle of friends.
I have to say, I am glad I was able to get out while I could. I could not imagine what life would be like if I had stayed in that town. Since I was not the star player in any sport I would have had to marry a mediocre female athlete and hope our children had a chance of being on the team. Not to mention, since I was an outsider who moved in at 5th grade, could you imagine what life would have been like for a Yard child? I shudder at the thought.