Opinions

 

Fryed Dill Picklez

 

 

By  Erin M. Yarbery

 

Goodbye, Atkins, but don't cry yet

 

I am happy and sad to announce I will no longer be with The Atkins Chronicle. After only nine months being the News Editor it has become clear to me that Russellville is a better place for me right now.

I have taken a job at Arkansas Tech and will be carpooling with my husband most days. This saves us time and a great deal of gas money. Also, being a recent graduate of ATU, I feel right at home there. But don't cry yet. Ginnie and Van are allowing me to continue writing my weekly column for as long as I wish or until this space is needed for some other form of communication.

Although I'm not far away and I am still writing, I will admit I am going to miss the kind people of Atkins and the characters I worked with at the newspaper. During my short time in Atkins I can honestly say it is one of the friendliest places I have ever worked.

I rarely encountered a harsh word or an upside down smile. I felt as though people wanted to get to know me as much as I wanted to know them. Occasionally a friendly face would stop by the office just to ask how our day was going. That never happens in Russellville.

Several local businesses also showed their appreciation toward frequent customers. Many times I walked down the street to buy a can of Dr. Pepper from The Country Penny. It only took a couple times before they knew exactly what I wanted. "I know what she's here for," said the man behind the counter as I walked through the door. I'm sad to say I never got his name.

José's Café was also a frequent stop for me. At least once a week I would call during the lunch hour to order a tuna sandwich with coleslaw and a pickle. Sometimes I would even add a side of cheese dip and chips. I never tried it, but I bet I could have said, "This is Erin from The Chronicle," and they would have answered, "Do you want the usual?"

Traffic was always a breeze too. It was like taking a Sunday drive every day. I don't think I ever noticed anyone speeding; at least not by much. Furthermore, friendly passersby would never fail to wave as I was walking or driving down the street. Again, it's not like that in Russellville most of the time.

Just for kicks I experimented on the "friendly wave." One day as I was driving to work I waved at a random person walking down the street in Russellville. All I got in return was a dirty look. As I entered Atkins I noticed someone else walking down the street, so I waved. Not to my surprise, they waved back AND smiled.

Of course I love my hometown of Russellville. It's what I'm used to and everything and nearly everyone I know and love is here. Still it's nice to know that an old-fashioned, small, country town is not just something that Laura Ingalls wrote about in her books. It's comforting to know such a place still exists where time seems to slow down, people still wave at each other, and friendly gossip still fills the newspaper pages.

Thanks for being a friendly town, Atkins. You made me feel at home.