To all of the locals from the Ville. You former Redbirds. I'm writing this blog post to give you a moment of nostalgia. Maybe you made it out of the Camp and Canoe Capital of Ohio. You're living somewhere, maybe in a city or even in a different state. However, I know that even though you thought you left that all behind you you still get a twinge of homesickness. Just know you are not alone we all end up with it. Maybe you've moved back to the Ville for some reason or another. Here is a post to make you feel proud for living in our little tourist town. If you happen to be reading this because you were curious I hope in one way or another this post makes you think back to your home town, and brings back some nostalgia to you as well. To my former, present, and future Redbirds know this.
We were lucky. You may not think so but we were. I didn't realize that until I went to college. You see I went to college at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. It's close to home enough that we took field trips to Mohican State Park in my environmental classes. When pointing out that I grew up in this little town with this big forest, people were amazed. They wondered what it was like to have access to trails so close to home. To have a state park to play in whenever you want. To be able to grow up in such a diverse way.
When talking to a person who asks about what it was like growing up near a state park I describe it like this: growing up we were river treaders. A typical summer week day as kids involved piling in my grandma's green van and going to the river to swim. I can still smell that feet smell that the van accumulated over time from having our wet butts on the seats, and forgetting our river shoes in there for days. We would take fish nets and a bucket with us to catch crawdads all day. We had our own special spots in the river that we enjoyed visiting. Those visits always sparked something in us.
Growing up we were explorers. Going hiking on the trails with our families, or even our friends sparked curiosity in us. It was easy to find a stick on the trail, and feel like a Lewis or Clark exploring new territory. It was easy to feel so small at Big Lyons Falls. I felt like a big explorer when I would go to summer camp at Mohican Outdoor School. When we would go into the forest to make lean tos or hike to the waterfall. I never wanted to leave once I spent some time in that forest. The forest was home to me.
In the summer we shared our little town with thousands of people. People flocked to our town for the thrill of camping and canoeing on a river that always changes. For the chance to catch a glimpse of the infamous sites. To feel like a local for a day. We tolerate them when they come to our tiny town. In fact it's just a norm to us growing up.
In high school some of us were taught by a legend. He prepared me for my college degree without knowing it. He would take us out to the park and teach us the names of creatures and plants we had seen for years. It was like learning more about an old friend of yours. He opened our eyes to what was out there. To what our little state park had to offer. We appreciated our little park more after those classes.
In high school we also had one of three jobs. You either worked fast food, the campground, or the canoe livery. That was the typical starter jobs. Summers were spent hauling canoes out of the water, getting people's orders, or checking people in. You were considered cool if you got a job at the Richland Mall a half hour away.
Once I got my drivers license I was out in that forest as much as I could. I had my own secret place I would hike. I even spent time in that forest during the winter when little to no people were out. That was my favorite time to go out to the park on the trails. To enjoy the snow, the ice, and to be alone. Alone with the trees. Alone with my thoughts. It was always the best place to think. A place to heal.
I thought I was going to leave this place. I wanted to leave this town. I didn't want to look back after college. I found myself coming back, however. I never thought in a million years I would come back to our little town. That I would work as an outdoor educator at two camps (one of which I went to camp at many years ago). That I would fall in love all over again with those places I loved so long ago. I felt like I lived in the forest with those jobs. I was one with the forest. I was able to pass on the names of the creatures and plants to kids. To share my love with a new generation.
So for all the people that thought they would never come back, and found their way back for one reason or another don't feel bad. You didn't fail. You came home for a reason. The park knows how to heal a soul. You are here to give back to our little town. To teach the next generation to be grateful that they live near our little state park. You are here to enjoy what nature has to offer.
To all the people that are home sick I hope this small post gives you some nostalgia. When we see something on social media about our little town we always feel a since of pride. I hope you are able to come back in visit some day. To enjoy the same spots you used to. To remember not many people can say they grew up in Mohican. Not many people can say they had a state park help raise them.
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