By Vern Holmquist
It’s moving day for the Old Curmudgeon and I am wondering how a single, old man like myself can have so much stuff to move.
It makes me wonder if moving is even worth it. As for the reasons to move, it is simple. I have a tougher time getting around and I do need to go to a grocery store. Sometimes, I need to go to Portland or Salem. Mount Angel needs a grocery store and better public transportation.
My 11 years in Mount Angel have been good years. I have made good friends and my neighbors have been the greatest, taking into consideration that I am a Lutheran and a Democrat in a town that’s mostly Catholic and Republican. It’s a wonder I have survived and to make matters worse I like swing and jazz to dance to and I never learned to polka. Oh well, it’s all in a lifetime.
How I got to Mount Angel goes like this. I came with a friend and it just happened Oktoberfest was in full swing. I could not believe this small town could support such a world-class event. I was born in a little town in North Dakota that had a general store, a drug store, a pool hall and a large building that was a wrestling arena, a basketball court, a motion picture theater and a community hall. There also was a grain elevator and a couple of churches and the school. Today, Sharon, North Dakota is like a ghost town, less than 300 people and all because no one thought it possible to have a world-class event in town like Oktoberfest, which is the vigor and vitality of Mount Angel.
You will still be hearing from me. I’m not going to be far away but I must bid Mount Angel a found farewell. Thank you for 11 great years and countless wonderful memories.
