Then and Now
August 14th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
February, 2006. Eastside park in Emporia. One lonely swing set under a tree.
Now there’s a playground.
And over yonder to the west is a shelter house (not in picture.)
And now, an obelisk. But the memorial isn’t finished yet. More to be done with this.
Roger has recorded the obelisk in process, step-by-step.
It is just great that Emporia has talented stone sculptors living right here in our town. Not all towns have this talent.
Another good reason to be in Emporia! I drove by the park yesterday and there were kids playing and adults enjoying the beautiful park! What a great place that is!
Yesterday we drove through Emporia on our way to and from Lucas. I want to give our impressions, even though it is nothing new to us.
First, we noticed how some parts of town that were getting run down that the houses are being fixed up, or have been fixed up. We drove past a house that Larry lived in as a kid, and he said that the house looked better now than it did when he lived in it 50+ years ago. They have rebuilt the garage, and yesterday they were putting in a new driveway. (intersection of 1st and constitution, across from Maynard.)
With things like that new park, and some neighborhoods getting fixed up, Emporia has this wonderful hopeful feel.
At the entrance to town coming in from 99, we noticed a sign that said something to the effect of Emporia is building an inclusive community.
I imagine that sign was planned when the Somalians were there, and they’ve left. But what a great sign and great attitude. It is welcoming to ALL. In today’s world, towns that want to grow need to keep their arms open to all sorts of people. We are a diverse lot of creatures. How lucky you Emporians are to live in a community that welcomes that diversity.
ele, I drove past what used to be the shoe and boot repair place in Emporia. It is on 7th as I remembered. But now that building houses “Daisy’s Mini Market” and “Veronica’s barber shop”.
Oh, one other place you might ask who has the records for Union cemetery is the registrar of deeds in Lyon County. They may know.
Janet
I loved the before and after photos Cheryl. Thanks for posting. It is good to be reminded of how it once looked so we can see the many accomplishments.
Janet mentioned coming into Emporia on 99. Isn’t that new apartment complex (The Villa, I think)a wonderful addition when you see Emporia for the first time coming from that direction? It is so surprising to see that so many little balconies were in use too.
Yes! Onnalee, that was one of the things I meant to mention in my post. We did take note of that building, how great it looks.
The powers that be should check each highway entrance to town. Or maybe they are. That pallet factory *finally* got torn down South of town on 99. So, that isn’t there creating an eyesore anymore. And when you enter town, you cross the river, which is very picturesque.
Coming in from East or West looks okay, but coming in from the West, by the turnpike still needs work. I imagine they’ll get to it as they continue working out there.
So many small towns (Emporia isn’t all *that* small) have messes at their main entrances. Hamilton is one. At their north end on 99 are some things that could use cleaning up. I think they’ve done some of that actually. Rosalia is a sweet little town to drive through off of 54, but it looks like a junk yard from 54. To be honest, that hasn’t bothered me at all. What I would like to do is stop and get out of my car and explore that stuff. It’s private property, no doubt, so I wouldn’t just do that. But some junk is truly interesting.
Junk done well turns into art!
Janet – They’re caling that Junk-Into-Art thing “Upcylcing” now!