Hometown Hoedown – Mary Connealy – And a Giveaway

by

The Something-est Something

Have you noticed that all towns have a claim to fame?

All towns are the something-est Something.

I realized this years ago when we drove past a billboard somewhere in … Texas maybe?

Directing us to leave the interstate at the next exit to visit Wherever -The Home of the World’s Largest Bumblebee.

And I thought, That town is looking for a claim to fame. It’s looking for the World’s Largest or the Second Oldest, or the first … popcorn grown in America….I don’t know. But SOMETHING

I live near the Second Oldest Settlement in Nebraska. Note the qualifiers…not oldest. Not town (settlement is different than TOWN).

ASIDE…Have you noticed that you don’t get much pushback when you claim to be second? Most beautiful site in the world? Grand Canyon? Old Faithful? Niagara Falls? Mt. Everest? Lots of arguments on that. but the SECOND? Nobody cares. Everyone who thinks They are the most beautiful just think Yeah, not better than us but still real nice.

Not older than us, but still real old.

So we picked second oldest and nobody’s called a cop to strip us of that title.

Then they use that claim to fame as an excuse to build a visitor’s center, have a summer town festival and/or build a big sign.

Next town over? Swedish Capitol of Nebraska (there are four who claim that)–Sweden has chosen not to get involved.

On down the road…the Home of (gosh, who was it? had to google it), John Neihardt…famous author (okay, famous-ish).

Towns work hard to figure out a reason you should come and visit. Some towns are easy…hey, you can see Niagara Falls from our town…some of us have it a little harder.

So my town is Nebraska’s Second Oldest Settlement and, something NOT boasted about. Stephen Decatur, who founded that town (seriously, his boat ran aground on a low spot in the river and started trading…or maybe he ran a ferry across the river…some dispute about that….that’s a settlement, I guess) He was a SCOUNDREL.

His name was NOT Stephen Decatur…lied about that. He was a married man who faked his own death by running off to war, then letting his wife believe he died. He moved to Decatur, started a trading post/ferry, married again…then when things got tough, he abandoned HER, went to Colorado, helped found the town of Georgetown, Colorado, married AGAIN…I based my series Brothers in Arms about him…trust me…when the truth got in the way of my story…I just started making things us. Plus all the names and locations are changed to protect me from having to write the strict truth…which is often short and boring,

The Beauty of Writing Fiction.

And no one knew because you couldn’t exactly run his ID through the computer when he applied for a marriage license.

It was a different time.

But anyway, the town survived his nonsense and Now, every summer, we have River Front Days to celebrate being Nebraska’s second oldest settlement.

Leave a comment to get your name in a drawing for a signed copy of Riches Beyond Measure...tell me what YOUR town’s claim to fame is. You know you have one…or think of one you’ve heard of. There are three towns that claim to be the Home of the World’s Largest Ball of Twine. I’ve personally seen the World’s Largest Popcorn Ball–trust me, it’s huge. And I’ve heard of The Home of the World’s Largest Cheeto,

AND does anyone know where to find the home of the World’s Largest Bumblebee? I promise I’ve googled it. There’s a statue in Canada called that but I know I wasn’t in Canada. It’s a mystery. And is the Alberta Statue life sized? Because even if it is the World’s Largest Bumblebee…it’s still really small.

https://www.maryconnealy.com/

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Author of Romantic Comedy...with Cowboys including the bestselling Kincaid Brides Series
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81 thoughts on “Hometown Hoedown – Mary Connealy – And a Giveaway”

  1. Are you talking literal–Patagonia? or Figurative–Mackinaw City, MI (transformer-style)? or Sculpture–Cornwall, England (seems to be one of many)?

  2. Thank you for running the giveaway (hurray for print books!).

    Parts of my hometown have been absorbed (another form of gerrymandering?) by the neighboring town (both are CDPs, Census Designated Places now). Suitland Senior High was called Forestville Senior High for a few years; it’s back to being named Suitland again and Forestville has its own separate high school. The government enclave there is still the Suitland Federal Center. It has a branch of the Smithsonian (storage of exhibits), National Archives records center, the Census Bureau, a branch of the Naval Oceanic Office, and more. It’s named for the farmer, Mr. George Suit, whose land was bought to start the original Suitland. The Suburban Trust Company Bank of Suitland used to have a mural of Suit’s farm but this building is no longer in operation. Suitland missed an opportunity to promote itself while that mural in the bank existed!

    • I went to Amarillo, Texas this year, traveling and we flew into Husband Airport.
      So, I wondered WHOSE HUSBAND IS IT NAMED AFTER. And when we got there (I admit I didn’t check online) there’s this huge picture of the astronaut Rick Husband.
      Strange name. How did that name ever happen? How did a farmer get the name Suit. Odd

  3. The town I grew up in is known for spiedies, which is a marinated meat you eat on Italian bread. They even have a festival every year.

    • Well, I had to look up Spiedies. I’d never heard of that before. But the internet has!!!
      A town near me has (every year) The Testicle Festival. Gotta admit that word combo had to be irresistable, though I have to wonder who made that decision.
      It’s about ‘grilled bull testicles’ which is supposedly a delicacy. I’ll bet the bull was delicate for a while!!!

  5. The town of Bath WV, also known as Berkeley Springs- has been a spa town, where George Washington would visit. Our town’s state park has mineral Springs and an actual bath, that George Washington used. Since we are close to the DC metro area, we are a quick weekend getaway for many visitors. We have the world’s largest international water tasting contest. It’s a beautiful area close to many national historical sites. We even have a castle.

  7. My hometown is the birth place of the first African American to publish a novel in North America and home of an intact, original Paul Revere Bell.

  8. There are two statues of bumblebees in the U.S. that I know of — in Terrell, Texas (at a gas station off Hwy. 80) and Cave Creek, Arizona (Earth Gallery intersection). Check those out.

  9. I don’t live in a town strickly speaking. We are more of a settlement spanning about 20 miles or so. There is only one business, which is only open for a few hours, 3-4 days a week. It has a name but is only referred to as the Blue Store. Any directions given always begin with, “Do you know where the Blue Store is?”

  10. Raymond, New Hampshire. Former home of baseball player Chris Carpenter. Hasn’t set foot in town in decades, so whatever. But nearby Derry is birthplace of Alan Shepard, the first man in space. He never came home much either. What is it about us.

    • Hi Kathy. I guess they dig pretty deep for some ‘hometown boy makes good’ bragging rights.
      A town near me has, every year, The Hoot Gibson Rodea…because Hoot Gibson, a famous rodeo rider and actor, was born there. Hoot never stopped by to my knowledge,

  11. I live near a village with the nickname Carptown, because during a 1930 flood people caught carp from the downtown businesses even though the closest waterway was a creek a mile down the road. There used to be a Carp Festival celebrated every summer.

  13. I’m not sure what my town is known for but I believe its where the brand Ro-Tel tomatoes and chilies was started

  14. I grew up outside of the small town of Hillsdale, WY. It was named after a man, Mr. Hill who was killed by the Indians when the railroad was being built.

  15. My hometown’s claim to fame is the Dalton Gang robberies and how it was the last town robbed by them. The town I currently live in is more of a community than a town

    • There is an old story that Jesse James mother worked in Decatur. No one really tracks it down though, cuz I suspect it’s not true!!! better to just allow the myth to go on.
      okay, I keep googling things…this is taking a long time to go through these comments,
      Did you know the Dalton Gang were three brothers from a family of FOURTEEN CHILDREN? And their mother was kin to Cole Younger from the Younger Brothers gang.
      Family business]
      And I’m spending too much time online!!! 🙂 Having fun though.
      by the way I have started using Grokopedia instead of wikipedia… https://grokipedia.com/page/Dalton_Gang

  16. Hidalgo, Texas, has a giant killer bee statue. Wonder if that might be your mystery town? My town, Alma, Arkansas, used to be the Spinach Capital of the World, until they shut down the canning plant. We had Popeye on our water tower, and we still have a Popeye fountain in one of our parks.

  18. Nebraska’s Top Town –
    Harrison is the highest elevation town in NE.

    We also hosted the first National High School Rodeo.

    • You do know Nebraska is really FLAT right? I honestly love this. Nebraska’s Top Town. Originally named Summit!
      from the Harrison website:
      This Sole to Soul Walking Tour will take you back in time to those early days as you explore the village’s beginning.

  19. My town is really small and not much in it, but there is a wood mill and apparently they have made wooden Easter eggs around four times for the Easter roll at the White House for I believe a few different presidents too. It was pretty big for them.

  20. Our town, Greene NY, is over 200 years old. It was incorporated in 1794 so we had our Bicentennial in 1994, 30 years ago. We are a small town on the Chenango River.

  21. I’ve lived live in Seaside, Oregon for 26 years, but I had to “cheat” and Google the history. It’s not the town or even state I grew up in 🙂

    Well, one very famous event in the history of Seaside is the Lewis and Clark expedition in November of 1805. Known at that time as the Corps of Discovery; they established a winter camp called Fort Clatsop. That’s about 15 miles North of Seaside…and yes, you can explore those grounds today. My family has enjoyed climbing all over the old barracks and bunkers. In January of 1806, they set up a salt making operation where they boiled down seawater to produce the salt essential for preserving their food for the return journey. Each summer here, they do a reenactment of this event on the beach. It’s a great family activity to do!

    As for the founding of Seaside, it was officially incorporated on February 17, 1899, during a period when coastal resort areas were becoming popular. The name “Seaside” was derived from the “Seaside House”, a summer resort built in the 1870’s by a railroad magnate Ben Holladay (we have a street called Holladay Drive). Over the years, it’s developed into a popular vacation destination, particularly for residents of Portland Oregon. Hence….we get a TON of tourists in the summer…..OY!! Talk about traffic jams.

    We also have a rich history of Native American culture here! Before Seaside was ever a city, it was inhabited by a Chinookan-speaking group called the Clatsop tribe…..this is now called Clatsop County. Unfortunately most of them were wiped out by smallpox, thanks to our European explorers.

    So there you go, Mary, your history lesson for the day! 🙂

  22. My hometown is famous for the iron industry Thank you for this amazing print book giveaway have a Blessed Day

  23. One of our town’s claims to fame is Ritz crackers. Ritzville’s flour mill produced the flour used to make the original Ritz crackers or so the story goes. Even in recent years the wheat from this area was tested for milling quality suitable for Ritz crackers and Oreo cookies. Now days the biggest concern is how well the wheat works for Asian noodles in Japan, Korea, or some other southeast Asian country. The flour mill is no longer here and the building is used for a seed plant because we do grow lots of wheat.

    Don’t enter me in the drawing. I already have the book. It’s been fun reading about everyone’s hometown claims to fame.

  24. I am so disappointed! You mentioned using Google, so before I wrote my answer, I Googled it. Now I feel like I’ve been living a lie! What a shame and disgrace! LOL! My town, Lexington, NC is supposedly the Bar-B-Q capital of the world…Not so. According to Google that honor goes to Kansas City, even though we celebrate it with a festival every October (and it’s HUGE)! There are cool pig statues in front of most businesses in town. All are painted and shaped differently according to the business itself, and it’s interesting and sometimes hilarious to see. The “Pig City” bookstore is covered with books, of course, and the one in front of the law office has a pig wearing a 1700’s judges wig and spectacles, holding a legal scroll. So, even though it’s not a true call to fame, it is a fun walk through town!

    • Lynne you go ahead and claim that title. I’ve absolutely heard of North Carolina BBQ. It’s unique…we have a neighboring town with pelican states all over. Very strange honestly. It seems to have nothing to do with the town except what? A pelican comes to the river I suppose. still, your whole TOWN.

  25. Good morning, I live in a small town in West Texas and it has a big statue of a Roadrunner so it is famous for the biggest Roadrunner, the Roadrunner has a name and his name is Paisano Pete, they dress him up for Christmas also. Your book sounds like a Great read and your book cover is Gorgeous, I love it. Thank you for the chance. Have a great day and a great rest of the week.

    • Joye, I think the Santa Fe Trail is so interesting…it hasn’t begun to gain the fame of the Oregon trail but it was older and more a trade route than a pioneer trail. I’ve thought of trying to set a book along that trail…or people following the trail…but not very many women running freight wagons.

  27. A famous person came from my hometown in southeast Colorado . His name was Ken Curtis. He went to Hollywood to sing with the Sons Of The Pioneers and ended up acting. His most famous role was playing Festus on Gunsmoke. He was also a high school classmate of my mom’s.

    • I REMEMBER FESTUS!!!!!!!!! I’ve got a neighbor, very talented pianist, guitarist and singer who was in high school with Bruce Springsteen. she was very involved in music. Him? Nope. Strange

  29. How interesting.
    My hometown’s school system named after General “Mad” Anthony Wayne, during the Revolutionary War. He lead The Battle of Fallen Timbers.
    We (my area) also have The War of 1812’s Fort Meigs. The we have the author of most of the Nancy Drew books. Oh, who could forget the states “heroes”, Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong and a few Presidents even. My Dad would be upset if I didn’t mention OSU!!!!!!!!! (Ohio State University). lol

  30. My town doesn’t have a claim to fame! However, my COUNTY is home to Kennedy Space Center, Cocoa Beach and Ron Jon’s Surf shop. I can go outside in my yard to watch launches go up!

  31. Enjoyed your post. So funny how everyone wants to be known for something, even if it’s only the largest chair, or boll weevil, lol. I guess our town is known as the gateway to the highest point in Alabama, Cheaha Mountain. Although the top of the mountain is actually in another county. Go figure. Can’t think of anything else it is known for though.

    • I was in a town once with The World’s Largest Porch Swing…………and……..I had some time to kill…….and I couldn’t find the swing. Weird. There were signs!!! Nope, no swing

  32. We live in Jonesborough, TN (actually 9 miles out of town but still in the town of Jonesborough). It is the oldest town in the state, established in 1779, 17 years before TN became a state.. It maintains its historic appearance with most of the buildings in downtown dating from the 1800’s. The downtown burned several times, so most of the original buildings are gone. The Chester Inn is the oldest building original to Jonesborough’s commercial district. In its time, it hosted Presidents Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and James K. Polk. It now is a museum and meeting space. The Emancipator was the first periodical dedicated exclusively to the cause of abolitionism and was printed here in 1820. Oddly, the publisher, Quaker Elihu Embree, held slaves for most of his life. The town is home to the National Storytelling Center and hosts the National Storytelling Festival the first full weekend of October. There are tellers and guests from around the world. The town actively promotes area history and has festivals many weekends throughout the year. Not all are historically themed. We have a Harry Potter Weekend, a Star Wars weekend, Pumpkin Festival, 4 weekends of Christmas celebrations with a different theme each weekend (Victorian, Grinch, etc), Victorian Festival, and a Civil War event. There are tours of the town by costumed hosts, an 1800 school house with period programs, two museums, a 1920’s theater (closed since the 1960’s) just reopened after renovations, and a very good repertory theater group that does plays year round. There is always something to do.

  33. We have JeepFest every summer. We are known as Jeep capital. We also have Fort Megis in a suburb. They provide reinactions throughout the year. God bless you.

  34. We have the Wilderness Trail Distillery so you go for a taste of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, also have Constitution Square Historic Site where you can learn about the history of Kentucky and a few other things.

  35. Where I live (San Diego, CA), we have pandas in the zoo. Currently, only two zoos in the US have pandas. We also have a kissing couple statue near the harbor. It’s a statue of a navy sailor and nurse and is based on an old famous photo taken at the end of WWII in Times Square.

  39. Indianapolis, IN., is the circle city…we have a war monument in the middle of the circle that you drive around, with 4 streets coming together there. Also, at Christmas time, the monument is decorated with strings of lights, Hot chocolate shed, People singing, large decor all around it. When, it’s lit up the day after Thanksgiving….we, have a stage with singers and of course, Santa comes.. It’s, a lot of fun for children & adults!!!!

  41. I live in Thomaston CT where Seth Thomas was the clockmaker who earned fame for his mass production techniques and also helped bring the Naugatuck Railroad to town.

  42. My hometown is famous for Carrie Nation, a radical temperance activist, coming into town and wielding her hatchet. Festival too, for several years, including a beer tent? Now we celebrate Charles Dickens, who was never here. There is also a lovely home built by James Bailey of Barnum and Bailey Circus, for his Brother, Edward McGinnis. It is rumored to have an elephant buried on the grounds.

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