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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

My Hometown (tag swap)


I grew up in a town called Fairmount, Indiana--population 3000.  We lived at 710 South Main Street, just a few blocks from uptown (as we called it).  Fairmount is a very close-knit, clean and safe community.  When I read that Tammy of  Tammy's in Love was hosting a hometown tag swap, I jumped right on board.  I haven't lived in Fairmount for many years but it will always be my "hometown".

My tag inspiration came from my childhood (as does most of my inspiration).  Growing up in Fairmount was easy and fun. We had a Dairy Queen that was open only during the summer months.  Mr. Misty was one of my favorite DQ treats. The "dime store" was a Ben Franklin and I L-O-V-E-D going in there!  It had creaky, wooden floors and lots of penny candy and ten cent toys. In 1968, it burned to the ground which was quite a big deal for the citizens of Fairmount. It was rebuilt.  On the walk to the dime store, my sister and I would pass by The Palace Bar.  On the front of the building, was a small window and as we quickly passed by, both of us would hope for a glimpse inside.  Honest-to-goodness, the Palace image on my tag, is exactly how it looked in Fairmount--I nearly flipped when I found it. The Palace Bar at one time had been a movie theater, hence the marquee-type awning.


my childhood
my happiness


(I borrowed this photo from Tammy's blog)

On the flip-side of my tag, are a couple of Fairmount's famous citizens. James Dean grew up in Fairmount and graduated high school there in 1949. My dad was his friend and classmate. After Dean made his movies, he came back home for a visit, which included some bar-hopping with my Dad. After his return to California, he was killed. Dean's funeral was in Fairmount and my Dad was one of his pallbearers. Every September, Fairmount hosts a James Dean Festival which is attended by 1000's of people from all over the world. They even have a James Dean look-alike contest.

Garfield's creator, Jim Davis, is also a native of Fairmount.  When I was a college student, I did some baby-sitting for the Davis'. Garfield was still young and fairly unknown. Another Fairmount notable is Phil Jones who was a journalist with CBS, on 48 Hours.

In the lyrical words of Aunt Bee and Clara Edwards:

My home town is the greatest place I know,
Where the neighbors I find are gentle and kind,
And the living is easy and slow,
My hometown is the only place to be,
Here the worries are small, and 
And the kids grow tall and healthy & free,
It's my hometown, my hometown,
Fairmount, Indiana  


Thank you Tammy, for hosting this fun tag swap!!!

7 comments:

Shirley Hatfield said...

What a fascinating look at your hometown! You put so much heart into the description...it made me want to visit there. I can't wait to get your tag...it's wonderful! =D

Leasa said...

The tags are amazing. I can't believe you found the palace image. And I love the Dairy Queen image too. Funny you quoted the My Hometown Song because I was singing it while reading this post. This post is wonderful. It brought tears to my eyes and really told the story perfectly of us growing up on Main Street. Thank you!

Tresa said...

Thank you Leasa. The Palace image blew my mind! I'm not surprised that you were thinking about the Hometown song. It's been going through my head for days. We sure had a lot of fun, running around Fairmount.

Tresa said...

Thank you for the sweet comment, Shirley--very much appreciated! This was a fun swap for me. I love Fairmount and thankfully, only live a few miles away.

Tammy's in Love said...

That is the best story! No one else thought to include our famous citizens! Good luck with your surgery!

Tresa said...

Thank you and thank you!

vintage grey said...

Your tags are so beautiful and sweet!! xo Heather