October 16, 2007
Rick Halberg
There have been many responses to Eric Olson's email and his thoughts on growing up in a small town, more specifically growing up in Minonk. Rather than write a lengthy email response, I thought I would just put some thoughts into an editorial.Since we are all individuals with different desires, goals and needs, this is a debate that doesn't have a defined winner or loser. One of the great things about living in America is having the right to choose where we live. Most people who choose to live in a larger area usually do so because of the opportunities and the convenience that those areas offer. Folks who choose smaller communities do so because of their desire to get away from the noise, traffic, crime and economics of a large area. It's entirely up to the individual. When my sister graduated from high school, she never looked back. She went on to ISU, then to Kankakee, Minneapolis, Naperville and Philadelphia before returning to Central Illinois before her death. My brother was much the same way, moving to Minnesota then Wisconsin after graduation. Neither one ever attended a class reunion (my brother finally did a couple of years ago and had a blast) nor kept close ties with friends from high school, even though neither one ever had a complaint about growing up in Minonk. I chose to stay close to home simply because I loved this area while growing up. Even though I do not live in Minonk, I did settle in Heyworth, south of Bloomington, which is about as similar to Minonk as you can get. I witnessed one of the reasons I chose to stay in this area and enjoy small-town living on Saturday night. My cousin, Tim Hovey, was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year and has had other medical problems throughout the year. As you can guess, these medical problems have created a mountain of medical bills that the average person could never pay. So Tim's friends and neighbors organized two benefits to help with those medical costs. The first was a poker run that I did not attend, but I understand it was extremely successful. The second event was Saturday night at LaVon's in Minonk...a massive benefit that included great food, prizes and live music. I couldn't believe how many people were there when I arrived about 8 pm, and there were still a good crowd when I left at 1:30 am. Most of the prizes were donated, the entertainment donated their time, and dozens of people worked tirelessly in the organization of the benefit, not to mention the hard work they put in on Saturday. A good deal of money was raised, and whether each individual there had a connection to Tim or not, they were there for one purpose..to help someone who needed it.
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My hats off to all of the folks involved with the benefit. They are a prime example of the benefits of living in a small town where folks truly care about one another. While something like this may happen in a larger community, I doubt you would have the involvement and support that the Minonk community displayed on Saturday. I feel very fortunate to have grown up in Minonk, where store owners seemed to treat me with the same respect that they would give to adults, parents watched our for EVERYONE'S kids, and I could spend the whole day running around town on my bike without causing my own mother too much worry. My message to Mr. Olson is that while you cannot choose where you came from, you can choose where you want to spend the rest of your life, whether it be a house in the country, a home in a smaller community or the excitement and opportunity of a large metropolitan area. Some of the concerns you expressed in your email are not exclusive to Minonk, and many communities have much larger problems to deal with. It's up to you to choose a location that will not only be a good, safe home for you but for your children as well. And as my sister used to say, "Bloom wherever you're planted." Get involved with your community and school system to help make them better.
I'm sure you must have a few good memories of Minonk...if not, why would you even visit this website? I'm not saying you're right or wrong, just expressing my own opinion. One thing that I'm sure we can all agree on is that we are very fortunate to have this kind of forum where we can offer our thoughts and concerns. As always, thanks Dave!
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