To the editor:
Here’s the cycle of local history I run into all the time:
1. Something new comes to an area and it’s a big hit.
2. After awhile, those who patronized that location have grown bored with it, found what they think is a better deal, moved away, or died.
3. The location closed or moved because of 2, above, or the owners aged out and decided to retire; if the location was taken over by someone else, they make changes that might cause 1 and 2, above, to repeat, or not.
3. Eventually, as more locations close or simply go in decline, others follow the trend.
4. After awhile, the folks who were there at the beginning but didn’t stick around wail and moan over the loss or decline, ignoring the fact they contributed to it (they prefer blaming the local government or the changing demographics).
5. A generation or more later, everything is different except the moaners and wailers continue denigrating the changes, always thinking erroneously that “everything was better in their day,” despite the fact they stopped supporting, participating, or frequenting the location.
6. Rinse and repeat, ad nauseam.
— David Britten, former principal at Pine Street Elementary and retired superintendent of Wyoming Godfrey Lee Schools.
