Column: Something About Nothing

Someone on Facebook created a Facebook page titled “You might be from Wells if you remember …”

I am from Wells. Wells is my hometown and I have lived in Wells most of my life except for 10 years when I lived in the community of New Richland. Wells holds my heart because of the memories and this Facebook page brings back memories of times forgotten.

One of the memory questions asked was “Remember the Grandstand that used to be out at Thompson Park by the baseball field?” That is a memory that I thought of this past weekend because it was Kernel Days in Wells. That is our yearly celebration.

That question brought to mind how much community celebrations have changed over the years. Kernel Days always takes place in August. The reason was that sweet corn from our canning factory was served free after the parade for Kernel Days.

Kernel Days wasn’t just about the corn. It was about the community getting together and enjoying all the festivities of the weekend. The grandstand was a big part of those festivities. As a kid, my family and friends and I would head to the grandstand to watch the festivities. Professional show people from throughout the country would put on performances. It was somewhat like the Grandstand at the Freeborn County Fair and State Fair that still carry on the tradition.

There were beautiful women in gorgeous gowns, singers, bands, magicians and of course fireworks. Kernel Days 2011 still has entertainment but we are missing the grandstand. There was something magical about the grandstand.

Of course we also had the carnival. It was exciting to be able to ride the tilt-a-whirl and walk the carnival with your friends and hope your boyfriend had a good enough aim that he could win that big teddy bear.

The parade had floats that were big and beautiful and made of colorful materials with beautiful girls riding on them. The bands came from miles around. The parade mainly consisted of floats and bands, and, of course, the girls threw candy.

Our community still comes together to celebrate. Many things have changed. We no longer have sweet corn since we lost our canning factory. The parade consists mostly of cars and tractors and fire trucks and homemade floats and very few bands. It had been hard to get a carnival so other activities for the kids have taken its place. The grandstand has been replaced by an open air stage.

In 2011 many changes have been made to our celebration because of necessity and changing times. There is one thing that has not changed and that is our sense of community, our sense of celebrating in the midst of change and our sense of pride in a community that we love.

If you read the entries on “You might be from Wells if you remember …” you will find people of all ages sharing memories over a span of many, many years. The young don’t remember the memories of the old and the old don’t remember the memories of the young. This page brings us together with a common goal to remember our roots in a community.

We may complain about our community. We may not always like the decisions of community leaders. We may not always see what a small community offers. If we look back we can look at our memories with a richness that we didn’t see before and go forward with hope knowing we live in a caring community with roots that stand strong.

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send email to her at thecolumn@bevcomm.net.