Quincy, IL is a little town that most people would consider in the middle of nowhere. But no two towns are alike. Following are unique characteristic of Quincy, that you know to be more than true if you lived in Quincy.

1. Rival sports teams.

Quincy is no stranger to debates over rival sports teams. QHS vs. QND football, baseball, and soccer games are hyped up for weeks in advance, and a good portion of the town attends or watches online to see who gets bragging rights until the next meet. The Twitter fights that follow the games are usually about as entertaining as the actual game itself. Most of the town can be found cheering for the St. Louis Cardinals, but the few that adore the Cubs make sure they don’t get lost in the crowd. As a Cardinals fan, I have to say that I will miss watching the years add up since the Cubs could claim a World Series. But…congrats Cubbies fans…I guess.

2. Driving to West Quincy for gas.

Unless you need gas in the next mile or you’ll be pushing your car, you make a trip across the bridge to West Quincy where the gas is cheaper and the people are creepier.

3. The KC BBQ and County Fair are the events of the year.

The Adams County Fair and the KC BBQ are the social events of the year for Quincy. The fair is fun for three kinds of people. Either you’re young enough to spend hours riding the carnival rides and petting sheep, cows, and bunnies, or you’re old enough that you like to slam 6 beers then watch the demolition derby, bull riding, and tractor pulls. The third is when you are 15 years old and use the fair as an excuse to go to the barn dance and show off those moves that would probably make your parents either furious or laugh at you from embarrassment. Anyone caught between 16-20 at the fair…you’re just there because that’s what someone who lives in Quincy is supposed to do. The KC BBQ is basically the same thing as the fair except replace the animals and 4H with a bunch of gambling games that you can play on your own the second you’re old enough to throw down a quarter on a Chuck-O-Luck number.

4. Gengenbacher’s Shaved Ice Shack is a food group.

Gengenbacher’s Shaved Ice Shack season means summer. Even on rainy, chilly days, nothing sounds better than shaved ice. If you didn’t practically live at the shack in high school and fill up at least 2 punch cards per summer, who were you? And if anyone ever finds out what that secret topping is…let me know.

5. The Mississippi River is overrated/scary/dirty.

There are some cool things about the Mississippi River…like pretty sunsets and…catfishing? But all the hype the rest of the country built up about it being one of the largest/widest rivers in the world makes the river seem awesome…until you’ve actually seen it. The river is beyond dirty, changes from green to brown to almost black, and if you decide to take a swim anywhere in the river outside a few select locations, you’ll probably drown in less than 60 seconds. There aren’t many beachy areas, mostly just mud.

6. You drive to Hannibal for a sonic slushy.

I’m not sure if Sonic’s slushies really are that good or if they just seem better because you have to make a road trip to get them. Bored and have 45+ minutes to kill? Sonic slushy.

7. Kelly’s salad bar, cheese soup, and cinnamon rolls.

Enough said.