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One yellow Lab in particular
was quite insistent, howling in
shock and dismay at my passing
without the requisite attention.
I pivoted and quickly rectified
the situation with a pat and
apology and the Lab trotted back
contentedly to the driveway from
where it had been lying prior to
my arrival. That, my friends, is
Elmwood.
But beyond the emotional
pull, Elmwood is a
real
city.
It’s not a satellite community
or a drive-by town on some
lonesome highway. It’s a
complete community with a
police force, fire department and
medical facilities. The downtown
storefronts, many featuring 19th
century architectural styles and
designs, are home to banks,
restaurants, corner shops,
insurance agents, veterinarians,
dentists and a hardware store
to name a few. The charm even
extends to the Palace Theater,
which shows only one movie at
a time (“We Bought A Zoo” at
the time of writing, for $4 for any
show). And there is particular
pride in the high school, which
has won multiple Bright Star
awards and is ranked in the top
5 percent of schools in the state,
and its sports teams (go Trojans!).
While I’ve been to Elmwood
many times, especially after the
tornadoes on that fateful night,
and met many people, to find
out more about the city I went
where any self-respecting writer
would go – the local library
(you thought I was going to
write “bar”, didn’t you?). On a
bright, quiet Tuesday afternoon
I stepped into the freshly
renovated library and did what I
always do around aisles of books
– got lost in them.
Continued on page 36
The Future
35
thePeorian.com