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After the Storm
A city on the grow
By Kevin Kizer
W
ho bridged the streams,
subdued the soil and
founded a state
-
plaque on the “The Pioneers”
in Elmwood Central Park
If you go to Central Park in
the center square of Elmwood
and stand before the statue
entitled “The Pioneers” you’re
immediately struck by two
things. First, the delicate fluidity
and exquisite rendering of
Western pioneers created by
native son and noted sculptor
Lorado Taft. The second striking
thing occurs when you look just
beyond the statue and realize
this side of the otherwise heavily
wooded park is relatively devoid
of trees. That’s because it’s here
where one of the two tornadoes
that scoured the city on the night
of Saturday, June 5, 2010, touched
down, devastating half of the city
park and uprooting century old
trees, along with buildings on an
adjacent street corner.
Amazingly, after the tornadoes
left that night, not one person
was killed and “The Pioneers”
were still standing strong – which
is something the city itself has
done since that destructive night.
For someone who grew up in
Indiana and has driven through
many a small town, Elmwood is
a wonderful example of what I
consider small town America at
its best.
Founded in 1854, the city to
this day retains much of the
architectural splendor and
quaintness of that era. There
are beautiful gabled houses on
sprawling green lawns. Take a
turn off the main streets through
town and you’ll find quiet
neighborhoods under canopies
of ancient trees (indeed, many of
them of the Elm variety) where
you will see children playing,
folks taking walks (and quick
to chat with a stranger with a
notepad), runners hitting the
pavement and quite a few docile
black and yellow Labrador
retrievers greeting you at the
edge of their yards (either by
training or electronic fence)
obviously used to neighbors
giving them a friendly pat.
The Future
34
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