I spent my formative years in Western New York just outside of Buffalo. But on an almost yearly basis I would visit my grandparents in Cullman, AL. Aside from enjoying my grandparents I looked forward to the town of Cullman. I would hop on my bike and ride all over the place There just wasn’t much traffic, or anything going on really.

Almost 16 years ago I moved myself down here and started school. It was a bit of a different landscape than I had remembered but nothing like it is now. The fair was quaint and the little festivals where easily navigated. But now we endure these things. It has gotten so big that driving is difficult. Out of state patrons flood the streets and it makes for a very unpleasant atmosphere. The Strawberry festival use to be a single parking lot event. The festivities were run by city park staff. We would go and buy some strawberries and eat at one of the few food trucks. It made for a nice afternoon. Now you can hardly walk. There are vendors stacked into a park the size of a football field. The booth rents are high and the goods are even higher. The lines to get to anything take forever, by the time you get to what you want, you are pretty well ready to leave.

We don’t bother with going anymore. On one hand we appreciate the growth of the City and the numerous park upgrades that the increased revenue has brought. But sometimes it just seems like our little old city has died and the new age of consumerism has taken its place. I guess we told too many people how wonderful it is to live here.