Platial | Who and What's Nearby
Platial | Who and What's Nearby
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Valpa (for Johnson)
I read somewhere once that Michael Stipe of REM fame bought up many of the historic buildings of Athens, Georgia because they were in danger of being torn down and replaced. I doubt that would be necessary in a town like Valparaiso, Valpo for short…or Valpa to Johnson from Von Tobel Lumber in Schererville, Indiana.
In Valpo, they probably have certain laws that govern how you can renovate the buildings in the “downtown square.” Even if you were to own a building outright, you’d likely be forced to adhere to certain codes to make sure the buildings retain a certain amount of their original appearance. Hell, even the houses near the square probably have acertain historical significance. I’ll bet they do.
And now that I mention it…if you live in any number of subdivided areas around the town, you may be asked not to put up a chain-link fence. You may not be allowed to put up a TV antennae, you may be told what type of dog you can have, and where he might do HIS business. Anyway…
What you see on the square is the same as the square in Crown Point, Indiana—about 15 miles or so from here. It’s the same as a square in southern Indiana, where I went with my friend Steve Helm to recruit some players for his team at Ancilla College in Donaldson, Indiana. He pulled over to ask a couple with two children where Larry Bird used to live, and they completely ignored him. Well, they looked at him, but they didn’t answer. Wonder what that was all about—huh. Anyway, it’s nice, but it’s not special. I’ve seen two just like it in this state, and I don’t get out much.
For a small town, Valpo is large, but it’s still a small town. I should know. I’m a small town guy. I’ve always lived in small towns. The difference, politically, is that you can look the guy that’s doing what he’s doing to you in the eye while you grill a brat—that’s it really. Actually, that distance in the throng is probably the only thing that makes the city a better place. The anonymity. Here in Valpo…I’ll bet everyone knows a little something about everyone.
And the square…well, I think it’s like a Hollywood movie set. Charming on the outside, but just a shell in a way—not real, like when you’re hiking somewhere and you can hear a train in the distance, and it snaps you back into the reality that you’re cornered. You’re cornered by progress—or something calling itself civilization. Nothing against Valpo. I like Valpo as much as the next guy, but Mayberry, North Carolina doesn’t exist either—as much as we’d all like to try and recreate it’s success.
But if you asked Johnson—he’d maybe tell you something else. He came here years ago from Iraq. I’m talking years ago too. He calls it Valpa. Valpa’s probably a very different place from the Valpo I write about.
Valpa (for Johnson)
I read somewhere once that Michael Stipe of REM fame bought up many of the historic buildings of Athens, Georgia because they were in danger of being torn down and replaced. I doubt that would be necessary in a town like Valparaiso, Valpo for short…or Valpa to Johnson from Von Tobel Lumber in Schererville, Indiana.
In Valpo, they probably have certain laws that govern how you can renovate the buildings in the “downtown square.” Even if you were to own a building outright, you’d likely be forced to adhere to certain codes to make sure the buildings retain a certain amount of their original appearance. Hell, even the houses near the square probably have acertain historical significance. I’ll bet they do.
And now that I mention it…if you live in any number of subdivided areas around the town, you may be asked not to put up a chain-link fence. You may not be allowed to put up a TV antennae, you may be told what type of dog you can have, and where he might do HIS business. Anyway…
What you see on the square is the same as the square in Crown Point, Indiana—about 15 miles or so from here. It’s the same as a square in southern Indiana, where I went with my friend Steve Helm to recruit some players for his team at Ancilla College in Donaldson, Indiana. He pulled over to ask a couple with two children where Larry Bird used to live, and they completely ignored him. Well, they looked at him, but they didn’t answer. Wonder what that was all about—huh. Anyway, it’s nice, but it’s not special. I’ve seen two just like it in this state, and I don’t get out much.
For a small town, Valpo is large, but it’s still a small town. I should know. I’m a small town guy. I’ve always lived in small towns. The difference, politically, is that you can look the guy that’s doing what he’s doing to you in the eye while you grill a brat—that’s it really. Actually, that distance in the throng is probably the only thing that makes the city a better place. The anonymity. Here in Valpo…I’ll bet everyone knows a little something about everyone.
And the square…well, I think it’s like a Hollywood movie set. Charming on the outside, but just a shell in a way—not real, like when you’re hiking somewhere and you can hear a train in the distance, and it snaps you back into the reality that you’re cornered. You’re cornered by progress—or something calling itself civilization. Nothing against Valpo. I like Valpo as much as the next guy, but Mayberry, North Carolina doesn’t exist either—as much as we’d all like to try and recreate it’s success.
But if you asked Johnson—he’d maybe tell you something else. He came here years ago from Iraq. I’m talking years ago too. He calls it Valpa. Valpa’s probably a very different place from the Valpo I write about.
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