I grew up in a small town. I swear the only reason anyone knows that my lovely little town exists is because we are one of the train stops north of Philadelphia. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that my town is inferior; there are so many things that make my town worth recognizing. But in such a fast paced world the little things are often over looked. Which brings us to a list, that not only am I passionate about, but a list of small town details that helped shape who I am. I bring you, the importance of small towns. This one is for you, Ambler.
1. The Small Shops.
There are small shops in small towns?! No kidding! But really, the shops in a small town are so important. These are not the boardwalk shops that you walk in once a year and forget the name of; these are the shops that mean something. These are the shops that you walk into and know where to find just what you like, you know the owner by name, they know you too. These are people that work at their shop for more that just an extra dollar, they love what they are doing and you can tell.
2. The History.
There is something wonderful about learning history when you don’t have to remember it for lass. Do you remember when I told you about the train station, the one we are known for? Well, the reason we are called Ambler is due to that station. In 1856 two trains crashed near the town of Wissahickon, a woman called Mary Johnson Ambler walked two miles to the site of the crash with medical supplies and guided rescue efforts to her home, which she opened as a makeshift hospital for the survivors of the crash. 13 years later the railway company renamed the station Ambler, the post office soon followed suit and when the borough became official it also took the name Ambler. I’m pretty okay living in a town named after such an amazing selfless woman.
3. The Beauty.
I don’t know why but small towns seem to always have the most amazing and beautiful architecture.
4. The Food.
Need I say more? Everyone has a favourite restaurant, ice cream parlor, pizza place, coffee shop, you get the idea, and if you have good taste (wink) it’s a restaurant that you can’t find everywhere. Some of the best food I can think of is ether from my parents’ kitchen, or from the amazing restaurants in my town.
5. The Events.
This might be the best thing about my town. We have so many awesome events that I look forward to every year; I’m so upset that I miss a lot of them due to being at college. We have First Fridays (pictured above); where every first Friday of the month from May-October we gather in the sidewalks, blast music and go shopping. It’s wonderful. We also have massive block parties; Oktoberfest, arts and music festivals, parades, the Budweiser Clydesdales even visited us last winter.
6. Small towns are so Similar and so Different.
When I left my Ambler for college my mom and I found ourselves walking down the streets of another small town; Waynesburg (I can’t seem to leave small towns) and pointing out similarities. There’s the El Limon of Waynesburg, and the Addicted to Dance, I wonder if they have a Toto’s… There were so many places that reminded me of home and so many more places to explore.
7. Chasing Dreams.
Every town has a welcome sign, this is just a given, but the goodbye is just as important as a hello. For a long time my town had an important message on the back of the welcome sign. “Stay Inspired.” Every single time I walk onto Butler Avenue I see a town full of people doing what they love. Every new small town I enter I see the same thing.
There is something special about a small town; life slows down, people are friendlier, smiles are brighter, the small things matter. There is something magical about a small town, something that you simply can’t find anywhere else. Something that, in many ways, made me who I am today. And I cannot thank my beautiful Ambler enough for everything it has done for me, and everything it will continue to do for me.
Thank you Ambler.
Stay Inspired!
Love,
a proud small town girl
