Survival of the Hometown Festival

Another hometown festival survived, 12 short months until the next one….I will need the rest.

Hometown festivals are interesting phenomenons in small towns, a strange mix of visitors, returning alumni, recent adopters, and those who haven’t left. I participate virtually every year in my hometown festival as well as my adopted town festival, and sometimes a few others along the way and I love to chat with members of each group during the festivities to get a 360º perspective on the events. Here is what I have learned.

Visitors to a small town festival can generally give you the most unbiased description of the events and help you see it, obviously, through an outsiders’ perspective. I recently walked in a parade in a small town that I have never visited before and was struck by the general ugliness of both the town and its residents. I realize that is a very harsh thing to say but if you had been there you probably would have agreed with me. But I’m just as sure that the residents of that town think they have a wonderful festival and love their neighbors. I’m not judging, just observing.  I do, however, get defensive if someone says something like that about my hometown festival!

Returning alumni, or those that moved away after high school and only come back to visit, are the most interesting people to watch. Typically, they are very proud of themselves for having moved away, even if it is only to another small town 20 miles away, and act a bit superior. A lot of over-excitement at seeing old classmates or pretentious “awws” at the charming town they escaped from are common. I especially love listening to people who have moved to a big city explain their hometown to a new boyfriend or girlfriend.  Some are obviously embarrassed and try to make fun of everything, laugh about how “townie” everyone is. Others are proud and want to prove that they know everyone and everything in the entire town. And the last group, my personal favorite, is out to prove that they own the town.

And speaking of owning a town, no one is more protective or superior during a hometown festival than a resident who has never lived anywhere else. Give them ownership of a business in a town on top of it and look out, that cat is in charge. I find that people who choose to live in the small town they grew up in fall into 2 categories: embarrassed or content. Anyone who is embarrassed probably isn’t going to participate in many of the hometown festivities unless beer is involved and will then try to deflect any questions from old friends about what they are doing now. Those content lifelong residents, however, are happy with their choices and not afraid to tell anyone. Again, there are 2 categories of the “content” group because some get overly excited and want to be in charge while others just bring their kids and have a good time.

Adopters are also fun at a hometown festival, especially once they have lived in town for about 2 years. Before that, they don’t really know anyone and sort of stick to themselves. Around the 2 year mark, however, you know a few people and start to try and make connections. This is the point at which you need to find a lifelong resident to help you navigate the waters because there are definitely sharks out there. You could never figure out for yourself who is related to who or which woman hates that guy because of that other woman on your own. You need a guide and I am lucky to have a few, including my husband, in my adopted hometown. Now that I have been here for about 9 years, I try to help other adopters make the connections before inserting a foot into a mouth….something I have done too many times to count.

I love small town festivals for the people watching, the cheap entertainment for both kids and adults, and the chance to catch up with old friends…but mostly the people watching…my favorite form of cheap entertainment.