I grew up in small-town Ohio. Washington Court House is located halfway between Columbus and Cincinnati and is surrounded by cornfields. If you also grew up in WCH, here are some things we can all relate to.
1. There's nothing to do.
And when I say there's nothing to do, I mean there is NOTHING to do. Of course, there's the bowling alley, but you can only go bowling so many times before it gets boring. The skating rink has been taken over by middle schoolers trying to find their new boyfriend/girlfriend. Your best options on a Saturday night include a) going to Wal-Mart or b) playing cards at Tim Hortons.
2. We love rivalry.
For how small Fayette County is, it's amazing that we have two school big school districts. Miami Trace (country kids) and Washington Court House (city kids) have had an ongoing rivalry since the beginning of time. No one is quite sure why we "hate" the other so much, but it's fun to look forward to the sporting events between the two.
3. We travel.
I say this because we live so close to so many places. We're an hour from Columbus, an hour from Cincinnati, 45 minutes from Dayton. And back to #1, there's nothing to do here. It is nice to have options with not too much driving time.
4. It's hard to explain where we are.
When you're trying to explain where good ole WCH is, it's a battle. The best way to explain it is right in between Columbus and Cincinnati, but if they're still persistent in trying to figure out exactly where we are, it's amazing how many people know where the Jeffersonville outlet mall is (we're about 15 minutes from there).
5. We know about drugs.
As bad as it sounds... Most (close minded) people think that drugs are only huge problems in big cities. Wrong. WCH has been struggling with this problem for a long time, and hearing about overdoses (or meth labs in cars in Wal-Mart parking lot) has become an everyday thing. Thankfully there are plenty of healthy, sober people to realize this is a problem.
6. We have more fast food than you... I promise.
Two McDonald's, Wendy's, three Subways, Burger King, Tim Hortons, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Arby's, and Rancher's. Not to mention all of the regular restaurants.
7. People love their tractors.
When I say I love them, I mean that they love to drive them every where. We even had a Drive Your Tractor to School Day.
8. Everybody knows everybody.
Literally. It seems that everyone either knows everyone else or is related to them. Everyone knows about everyone else probably because they know someone in their family and grew up with them.
9. We don't know why we're named after a building.
It doesn't make sense, we know. Most towns have courthouses, but why ours is so significant that our town is named after it, we don't know. I'm sure there is a story behind it, but I don't know anyone who knows it.
Washington Court House is a small town, but it sure has an interesting way of sculpting you as a person. As boring as it was sometimes, growing up here made me the person I am today. Thanks, WCH.