Everybody comes from somewhere. Everybody has that one place that is their "home, "whether that be their hometown or their college town or the town that they've lived for the past 40 years. My somewhere is Wickliffe, Ohio: a small town outside of Cleveland. To quote Cheers, Wickliffe is truly a place "where everybody knows your name." Whether you've been living in Wickliffe your whole life or you're still fairly new to the city, here are 10 ways that you know you have lived in Wickliffe:
- You know everyone that you went to high school with
You know everyone that was in your grade, in the grades that graduated four years ahead of you, and everyone that graduates four years after you. And you basically know everyone else because they are someone’s sibling or cousin. Somehow, everyone in Wickliffe is related to each other.
- You never know where to eat
There’s not much to do around Wickliffe. We used to have a McDonald's, but that’s now gone. So now one of the only fast food chain restaurant we have is Pizza Hut (I don’t know why or how, but I know their number by heart (585-1414)). We also have about three Italian restaurants, a Mexican restaurant, a seafood restaurant, and about 802 bars. So if you want to eat, then you probably have to head to Willoughby or Mentor.
- You have probably walked from one end of Wickliffe to the other
Since Wickliffe is only 4 square miles, it’s common to walk (or ride your bike) all over the town. Walking from across the tracks to the high school or from Coulby to Jerri’s Dari-Pride, not having a car for most of your life wasn’t that big of a deal.
- You’re probably friends with most of your old teachers on Facebook
Whether it be your elementary or your high school teachers, you probably have numerous old teachers added on Facebook. You see what their kids are up to and they get to see your college pictures (because they all wanna see those, right?)
- Everyone knows Dottie,
The little old lady in the yellow rain jacket that rides her bike everywhere. Everyone knows the man who walks around with his bongos or his guitar. Everyone knows Joe, who always goes to the pool and loves dogs (bow wow) and hates cats. Wickliffe has its staple residents that we've all grown up knowing but not actually knowing. - “It's not just Aquarius, it's freaking Aquarius”
I was told this my freshman year of band. Aquarius is a Wickliffe homecoming tradition that has been going on for over 45 years and it’s the most energetic thing that has ever happened in this city. Everyone goes absolutely insane when the drummers stand on their heads and the cymbal player goes on top of the drums and swings the cymbals around. If you’ve never seen it, search it on YouTube because it’s a thrilling experience.
- The parades
The homecoming and memorial day parades are days where everyone lines up on Euclid Avenue and comes together as a community. Parents excitedly wait to see their child in a float… err, pickup truck... for softball, boy scouts, swim team, whatever it is. Friends can’t wait to see their friends who are on homecoming court drive down with their decorated cars and wonder which one will be queen or king. Plus, the candy. - Friday night football was the only thing to do on Fridays
And you wouldn’t want it any other way. Everyone in the whole city comes to the game, or so it seems. Wick football might not be the best of the best, they’re 3-0 for the first time since 1997, but we love our high school football team wholeheartedly and will support them every Friday. All of the alumni since the beginning of forever all come to the Homecoming game and you really get to see the “generations of pride.”
- You’ve probably said, “wanna go to the park?”
With an astonishing seven parks and two pools and a spray park, it’s not hard to imagine what you might do. It’s common to go walk to a park and just sit there and hangout for an hour or two. Most people in Wickliffe give directions to where they live by giving the proximity of the closest park.
- People often bad talk our town, and we hate them for it.
We know Wickliffe has its flaws, but that’s why we love it. We talk poorly about it all of the time and that’s perfectly fine, because we’re the ones who live here. If anyone else does it, then they’re wrong and we’ll defend our town till we die. Wickliffe is our home. We may stay or we may leave, but Wickliffe will always be waiting for us with open arms.
