Sweet Summer Livin'

With warm weather vastly approaching, i can't help but reminisce on the Summers I had in Chester. 2 1/2 months of pure freedom in the 16 square mile promise land; every 8 year olds dream. You wake up with the roosters at sunrise, ready for the day of impromptu adventures. It would be a perfectly dewy, golden morning calling out to every child in town. The day would typically start by the creation of the worlds best pancakes, complimented by whichever fruit we had successfully grown that year (a wild blueberry bush or occasional raspberry would make us proud). The outfit of choice would be a fashion foward one piece bathing suit, the most versitle piece of clothing in the summer wardrobe. It's appropriate whether the first big plans were washing my Fathers car and playing with the hose, or going to Cedar Lake, Chester's public "beach". It was really the most unsanitary body of water you could think of, with the constant fear of leeches running through your mind and your feet trudging through a goop-like substance we considered sand. Regardless us as kids didn't care, hundreds of us ran in and out all day carefree.  

My Sister Jordyn, my Mom, and I in front of the snack shack

A trip to Cedar Lake was another one of those small town moments. You could show up with your family, and know every other family there. Kids went off and did their thing, moms lounged on the limited sized beach and gossiped, and crabby teens went to the snack shack in attempt to disaffiliate from those they came with. This was a summer hotspot and allowed us to escape with out leaving our town. Summer was all about not keeping time, leaving when the sun came up and returning when the sun was setting. What happened in between was sort of like a fairy tale. We'd get on our bikes, ride downtown and wherever else the wind would blow us. In small town America there is a built in trust. As long as the helmets were on that's all parents needed to know. Me and my friends loved downtown. We'd go into Basic Goods (which has since been bought out and renamed) to get our ice cream, and continue on to the creek that ran through town. We'd sneak down into an area surrounded by concrete walls, and based on the newest

Previously known as Basic Goods, where we'd buy
all of our ice cream and sodas

vandalism get the latest gossip. After being updated we'd hop back on our bikes and continue up to the town green in front of the meeting house. It was the most serene part of Chester in our opinion. We'd lay in the grass, make shapes of the clouds, and by that point be so covered in melted ice cream and dirt that we were lost causes. After enough relaxation and digestion, if it we were feeling really good that day we'd do our best to conjure up the most unforgettable lemonade Chester has seen, and sell it at our makeshift lemonade stand. Our day would have been made if we made even $3 (which would be in tips...the lemonade wasn't worth the money).

The final stop to a typical small town day would be home. Everyone knew when it was dinner time, even when my Mom didn't ring the dinner bell. We'd come home only to be put to work shucking corn on the porch, and the aroma of BBQ chicken outside on the grill could be smelt from a mile away. After a family dinner outside on the deck and making many attempts to capture a firefly, the day would come to a close.

No matter what small town you're from, your summer days are presented to you. A kid living in small town America has all they need right next to them, and they don't need much to make an entire day out of one adventure. I'd give anything to be able to go back and enjoy the summer days of Chester like i used to, and to appreciate the magic it offered. If you're a city folk reading this, i strongly encourage you to turn of your computer, put away your phone, and escape to a town like Chester for a few days and i guarantee you'll be very pleasantly surprised.

Small Town Stereotypes...Potentially Proven True

Small town America certainly does have stereotypes attached to it, such as neighbors walking across the street to give a cup of sugar, people not locking doors, slight hickville undertones, poor education, and more. I'm here to set the record straight, and prove that some of these are in fact....true. For example, It was recently brought to my attention that my parents and neighbors have a new system: my Mom decorated an egg carton to drop off at my neighbors house. When the neighbors eggs were ready from their chickens, they put a dozen in the glittered carton and walk it back over. When i heard the news, it wasn't a big surprise. Neighbors trade all time, pay it forward, and don't expect a reimbursement. So yes, small town neighbors do walk to each others houses to borrow a cup of sugar, or in my case, a carton of eggs. As far as hickville-ness goes, that's up for personal judgement. Yes, in Chester there is the occasional tractor driving by or alpaca sighting, but as far as toothless hillbillies in overalls they are far and few in between. We have tractor parades and Sunday farmer's markets, but we don't sit around with shot guns on our porches spitting sun flower seeds. We have a spare key under our front mat, but don't lock our doors. We shovel each others driveways, rake each others leaves, and get each others forgotten newspaper. We don't run around barefoot with dirt streaks all over us, and only learn up to a 4th grade reading level. We are quaint, but not uncivilized. Granted there are those kinds of towns in existence, but the majority of small town america is not the hick central most people picture.

It does however, take about 30 seconds to walk through downtown. Although the amount of people you'll stop and talk to on the way through will add about 20 extra minutes to your trip. Every one knows everyone and their mothers cousin, which can be a pro as well as a con. You can walk into any of the family owned businesses along the way and order your usual, no questions asked. Most places are able to be biked to, if not walked. Everyone knows where everyone lives, and you can hit up everyones house in one bike ride. Chester, like every small town in America, is quaint but not filled with hill billies like so many of you may wish.

So before you go and make your next "hick" joke, stop and remember that more than likely you are describing nothing more than a Hollywood depicted lifestyle! (at least in New England...)

It Happened To Jane

In order to fully appreciate Chester and all it has to offer, it's important to get a little taste of it's history. Chester's biggest claim to fame to date is the filming of the major motion picture "It Happened To Jane", staring Doris Day and Jack Lemmon in 1959. With the majority of this romantic comedy filmed in Chester, it was the biggest thing to ever step foot in the minuscule town, and probably will never be topped. There are clear landmarks visible in the film, including downtown (which hasn't changed a bit), the town meeting house, the train station, and Jennings Pond, where locals skate in the winter but with a few wave machines was turned into an ocean. The filming of this movie completely took the town by storm. Everyone participated, with locals lending out props like wheelbarrows and household objects. Every one could say they took part in it, whether it was being an extra in the background, or that they were able to watch Day acting from their bedroom window.

Downtown Chester in 1959

Downtown Chester in 2012

While some locals were ecstatic, others weren't so enthused. With the big-time names imposing on the town, the movie came first. Traffic became an issue, usual town events had to be postponed, and the serenity and pureness of Chester was disrupted. Chester and it's residents pride themselves on being untouched, traditional, and peaceful. When "It Happened To Jane" came to town though Chester became the center of attention and a new point of interest for tourists. With Chester being so small to begin with, the landmarks featured in the movie were populated at all times before they were transformed into sets. This created an inconvenience for locals who could not go about their business like normal.

With all that being said, Doris Day coming to Chester and having all of the hotspots featured on the big screen for America to see is something Chester will always be proud of. Even people who weren't even born yet, like myself, has heard a story or two describing the summer Chester was turned into Hollywood.  Every small town of America has their own claim to fame, and something that will put a stamp on it forever. They're all filled with their own unique treasures, and things they'll hold onto no matter how many decades (in this case 5...) have gone by.

Chester in a Nutshell

Living in a town where everyone knows your name proves to be quite the adventure. When the most entertaining thing to do in town is skip rocks on the Connecticut River, creativity is a must. It would be a shame for such innovative adventures to go undocumented, hence the creation of this blog. Even though I enjoy the fast past life of being a New Yorker during the school year, I savor the summer months when  I retreat back to the 16.0 square mile oasis. The blue berry picking, duck feeding, ice cream eating days are the ones that depict my childhood. From alpaca farms to apple farms, Chester is the epitome of a country town paradise. Almost an untouched time capsule, not changing in the past decade. Neighbors have been neighbors for 25 years, 3 generations have had the same biology teacher, and the price of milk has pretty much been at a stand still. However the memories Chester creates are worth jotting down.