This is the Week that Was
I am sure anyone reading this is far too young to remember the show “That was the Week that Was.” It did have David Frost; there was a movie Frost and Nixon. Probably haven’t heard of Nixon, either. Whether you remember, or do not remember is of little importance; I do not intend to talk much about the past. Rather, Elmwood must talk about the future. It is a topic, too long put off, ignored, even pretended not to exist. Every little rural Midwestern town is dying, why should Elmwood be an exception. Now, one week ago today, one of our famous Midwestern storms dropped a tornado in downtown Elmwood. So really that ought to be the end, the nail in the coffin. Might as well tear it down, board it up, and move on. Many other Illinois towns that started about the same time as Elmwood have winked out, as Lincoln used to say. It happened to Lincoln’s New Salem, Ellison, Shanghai City, even our first state capital Kaskasia; nothing unusual, just move along. We all remember “The Last Picture Show,” oh I wasn't going to talk about the past. It isn’t easy to forget Cybill Shepherd, still moving right along.
A movie about high school students graduating from a small Texas town
released about the time I did the same, except for the Texas part.
Karl Taylor, a former resident, still strong supporter of Elmwood, and I had a conversation at the Outdoor Show in March. Karl has been doing research on former Elmwood people who grew up here and went on to be outstanding and accomplished adults. I do not know if he has a title for his potential book, but I would suggest “The Great Springboard.” Elmwood has always offered great schools and strong churches with caring people making it a character building community. People growing up here are the type of
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