small town drama

This week has been really busy. The town committee met Monday night. ‘Committee’ is used loosely as there are only three of us. Together we plan and orchestrate the various town events for the year including the big summer festival in June. The highlight of which is the truck pull. And since none of us know the first thing about weight classes and measuring hitch height we had a lot to discuss. Thankfully we decided to ask the Fire Department to help us pull it off. I volunteered to organize a classic car show this year. As such, I have be-friended one of Ryan’s co-workers as he serves on the Iowa car show association board. The committee provides great insight for an outsider looking to become part of a small town community full of politics, gossip, and hearsay. Let’s just say it’s interesting…

Tuesday night I went to the Fire Department meeting, which adds another dynamic to small town life. Apparently the town committee and the Fire Department don’t play well together. It all started years ago – about the fall truck pull – and seems to me like some people hang onto petty grudges for the sake of creating drama. Which makes Ryan and I a house divided. I’m on the committee. He’s on the Fire Department. It turned out to be a good thing. The Fire Department guys (and girls mind you) seem to trust me and we get along pretty well. Which nominated me to be the go-between for the two groups. In the end one of their guys offered to play – what I hope – will be a pretty big role in getting it organized, and the rest of the department agreed to help.

Now I have to go back and rally for the committee to split the profits with the department. We split the proceeds from the past fall truck pull in an effort to smooth over the rough edges of the relationship. I’m not sure the committee will be as giving with the summer pull. But with out their help we probably won’t have a pull at all…

Oh the blessings of small town life. As much as I jest about the craziness, I really do enjoy living where we live. I’d rather settle arguments over truck pulls than watch someone get stabbed on the neighbor’s lawn. The only thing better would be a place in the country where no one could find us.