Lawrence, Kansas is a very special place. Home of the Jayhawks, students from all across the country and far beyond move away from home to spend the four greatest years of their life in this very town. It’s known for its beautiful campus in the fall, and especially for its incredible basketball program that attracts the nation’s top recruits every year.

Downtown Lawrence is always bustling during the school year and students frequent the nightlife that Ohio Street provides on the weekends, but what about the mysterious part of town west of Iowa Street? I mean, is it even real? While most students pack up their bags come May and head back to their designated places of origin, a small group of “townies” stay behind and call Lawrence their hometown year-round.

These townies know a different side of Lawrence. They grew up here, went to school here, and know the ins and outs of Lawrence, especially in the summer months that most out-of-state or even out-of-city students have no clue exist. So here it is… 5 signs that you grew up in Lawrence and are oh so proud of it.

1. Red Dog Dog Days

Did you know that Lawrence holds the title for the “Worlds Largest Community Work Out”? Well, now you do. Since 1989, Don "Red Dog" Gardner has been whooping Lawrencians in to shape. For years and years, community workouts have been held in Memorial Stadium twice a day, every day during the hot summer months. Its no joke—you spend the entire summer working toward a free t-shirt that you can sport around town. If you’ve been a townie in the last two decades, you know Dog Days is the real deal.

2. Clinton Lake

Did you know Lawrence has a lake? Most students are unaware of the beautiful man-made lake right outside of town. Residents spend their summers boating and going to the beach. One of the prettiest sunset views in all of the land is at the Clinton Lake Dam. If you’re a townie, you’ve spent many a summer night at that dam, and it’s a great location for a first date!

3. The Douglas County Fair

Yes, you heard right. Live music, funnel cakes, petting zoos, incredibly unsafe carnival rides, and even more incredibly questionable “Carnies”(Carnival workers). When August rolls around, so do the livestock and the derby car races to the 4H Fairgrounds in East Lawrence. The Douglas County Fair definitely attracts all types of Lawrence residents, but it is a tradition that marks the end of summer each year.

4. The Sidewalk Sale

One day a year in the middle of July, nearly every store on Massachusetts Street opens their doors at 6 AM for the most epic sale of the year. Rain or shine, Lawrence residents head downtown to shop and take advantage of the sales. Picture Black Friday on steroids. This day is looked forward to all year and attracts people from neighboring towns and cities.

5. Quantrill’s Raid (Lawrence Massacre)

If you grew up in Lawrence, the history, the pain, and the suffering of this event in the Civil War is drilled into your head. “The attack on August 21, 1863, targeted Lawrence due to the town's long support of abolition and its reputation as a center for Jayhawkers and Redlegs, which were free-state militia and vigilante groups known for attacking and destroying farms and plantations in Missouri's pro-slavery western counties,” I stole this from Wikipedia. In simpler terms, the reason we hate Mizzou dates all the way back to the 1800s. It’s not because tigers are smelly, but because they attacked us and burned us to the ground. NOT COOL, MISSOURI. Lawrence is full of landmarks from this epic day in history, and there is even a house tour you can take that gives you more information about the attack.

So there you have it. You may assume that because you are enrolled at the University of Kansas, you know everything there is to know about the city of Lawrence. I hope to have proved you wrong. Lawrence is much more than it’s university, and most townies do not associate with the university while they are growing up. We own the name and we love it with all of our hearts. Lawrence is truly a place to express yourself and all of your uniqueness, and it is definitely a home away from home.