Since leaving Maynard for college in Worcester this past fall, I’ve met a few friends from surrounding towns whose reaction when I told them where I was from was, “Oh! 'The Nard'!”. But when I asked them what they knew about my little town, they were at a loss, which just goes to show that even if people happen to have heard of Maynard, there are so many parts of our town culture that only Maynardians know. And since I occasionally miss my hometown, here’s 15 things that are true for anyone who grew up in Maynard.

1. You actually live in Sudbury, Acton, or Concord.

“So, where are you from?"

“Maynard, Mass.”

“Never heard of it.”

“You know, Lexington and Concord? Right near there.”

“Ohhh.”

Eventually, you don’t even wait for someone to tell you they don’t have the faintest idea where you live and instead provide them with Acton and Sudbury as reference points immediately. And god forbid you’re talking to someone from outside of Massachusetts because then we’re all just from Boston anyway.

2. Having the Clock Tower and the Mill at the center of our town.

We like people to know that we have the oldest, still-working, hand-wound clock in the United States.

3. Downtown consists of the Fine Arts Theater, the Outdoor Store, and pizza places.

And, of course, we have “The Dip”, “The Bean”, BA-bicos or Bab-I-cos, whichever you prefer. Townies (so literally everyone) remember the Sittin’ Bull and Morey’s Tavern and Neighborhood Pizza Place.

4. April to October, Erickson’s is your life.

Literally the best ice cream ever. That’s all I have to say about it.

5. Speaking of Fine Arts and Erickson’s, once you hit 15 everyone you know gets a job at one of the two.

You end up working with all of your friends so the fun never ends. You know, unless you’re like me and you’re the one nerd who works at the library instead. Which brings me to…

6. Mr. Mark knows every kid who has ever stepped foot into the Maynard Public Library.

Seriously. I don’t think I have ever seen an interaction in which Mark Malcolm has not known a child’s name. That man’s mind is a steel trap.

7. The first friends you made were in Tiger Soccer.

We all have the team pictures and action shots our moms got on the side lines. And we’ve all rifled through them later in life and had a “Wait, I knew so-and-so back then?!” moment.

8. And then you probably continued to have those same friends from kindergarten to senior year.

You only have about 80-something kids to choose from, so friend groups were pretty consistent.

9. You could write the biography of anyone in your grade.

Scratch that, anyone in your school. No, forget that too: anyone in the town. Everyone know WAY TOO MUCH about everyone.

10. Even if you weren’t a part of it, you at least heard about WAVM.

The Beacon Santa Telethon, Maynard in the Morning, Dining Divas, Manly Cooking, even the fleeting appearance of Eating with Emmet.

11. Every four years, the high school chorus would mysteriously gain more members.

A trip to Disney is pretty good incentive.

12. THAT house with the Christmas lights.

You know the one. If you don’t, I’m pretty sure a simple Google search of “Maynard MA Christmas lights” will enlighten you. It’s the sixth picture, after all the graphs on Google Images, if you want to check out the magic.

13. If you don’t live in the Maze, you pretty much just have one or two routes memorized and hope you don’t get lost.

I know about 8 friends who live in the Maze and I actually only know one route that I can confidently navigate without using my phone.

14. By sophomore year, everyone “can’t wait to get out of Maynard”.

Someone should tally how many times the senior class says it.

15. Maynard? More like “The Nard”.

The name that everyone lovingly calls our home.