OUR TOWN
Life in a walking/biking in Berthoud, a typical midwestern town
September, 2005
RELICS OF THE PAST
The grain elevator and the depot are in no longer in use. They stand beside the tracks, silent testimony to a time when trains moved people and grain in and out of this small, rural town. The trains still carry automobiles and other freight past these old buildings every day.
Built in 1906, this building has been well cared for. It houses four businesses on the ground floor, among them a thrift store and a dance studio. We live upstairs in one of the apartments.
CROP OF THE FUTURE
Bedroom communities are sprouting up alongside wheat and corn at an alarming rate.
IMITATING NATURE
The gables on this home mimic the mountain peaks to the west.
HOME TOWN BANKING
Our new bank stands on the shaded Main Street.
MAIN EVENT
This produce came from the Farmer’s Market, which is held every week on (you guessed it) Main Street.
REMEMBERING THE PAST
On September 24, we rode our bikes a mile east to the Cemetery to learn a little about the history of this little town. Three uniformed guards brought an American flag and hoisted it up the flagpole. An actor in a wheelchair reminisced about her “life” as a farm wife100 years ago.
Another actor gave us insight into the world of a ditch rider.
This pair, a “homesteader” and her “adopted daughter,” talked about their lives on the land.
David, the dance studio director, played the part of a wheat thresher with his pretend wife who died a tragic death in a buggy accident. She had gone shopping in a nearby town with her friend, they lost track of time and began their return journey just as the sun was going down. Tragic, but true, it doesn’t pay to shop and drive.
PARTY IN THE PARK
In which the locals got out their strollers and leashes and went down to the park on (you guessed it) Main Street to listen to live music, look at crafts and perhaps buy a funnel cake or two.
Did I mention balloons and wheelchairs? The park quickly assumed the look and feel of a Fellini movie.
And yes, even the produce got into the act. But, seriously, it was refreshing to see so many people outside, hanging around under the big trees on such a lovely fall day.