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The world with Roadside

Category: Open Roads

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Written by Randy Garbin

Allow me to take this opportunity to wish all the members of RoadsideOnline a happy holiday season. We've had a very good year rebuilding the brand, so to speak. Longtime readers have returned, new readers continue to discover us, and some old friends of Roadside have come back to contribute. We've not only welcomed back Teri Dunn to our masthead, but I'm happy to say that Bruce Voge III has proved himself a worthwhile addition to this effort. In the coming year, we can all look forward to contributions from Thom Ring, Doug Smith, and even more.

It remains my goal to make Roadside the preeminent online source of back-roads preservation and sustainable living information found anywhere on the Net. Yes, I of course know that you already have hundreds of other sources for bits and pieces of this information out there, but I continue to soldier on with this concept for one very simple reason: No one else does this right. No other site properly threads together the basic ideas of good living, preservation, sustainability, and cultural whimsy all in one place. No one else connects the dots.

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Last year at this time, we seemed to stand on something of a precipice, between the closing of a dark era in our history and the dawn of something more hopeful. Media outlets of all types have tossed out speculation about the future of our country, wondering if we have put our status as a superpower in jeopardy, or that soon China will eclipse us as the leading economic model, etc., etc.

I've lived long enough now that few things I read or see count as real news anymore, despite the size of the headlines or the gravitas of the newscaster's voice. I remember in the 1980s how the Japanese would soon eat our lunch. Before that, I think the Soviet Union was going to leave us in the dust. Before we worried about global warming, we worried about the onset of the next ice age. It seems that no matter who we elect president, we'd soon see tanks roll through your neighborhoods during a mass exodus to Canada. Death and disaster around the next corner. Film at eleven.

After everything we've endured in the past decade, I think we can still count on the fact that we live in a very dynamic, optimistic society. We, as a nation, solve problems because unlike no other country on earth, we still attract people with hopes, dreams, and abilities looking to make their lives better and who, despite their origins, will not resign themselves to a lowly station in life. As long as those people desire and are allowed to come here, we'll be fine.

Not to say that we don't have problems, but it has never been Roadside's goal to worry you. I've made it my mission to introduce you to the brave souls that fight for their commercial independence every day. I don't fret about the future of the mom & pop, not when I see so many examples of moms and pops who've found a way not only to survive, but to endure and thrive.

Can't make money with a small diner? Don't tell that to Carol Sheehan. She's on the verge of franchising her 40-seat Red Arrow Diner. No more shopping on Main Street? Last night we drove through downtown Englewood, New Jersey, where retail options proliferate. Nothing interesting anymore on the open road? You haven't had a buttermilk with your hot dog at Hot Dog Johnny's or attended a minor league baseball game in a town that has a brewpub.

Of course, it helps to foster this dynamism if you also do your part and make even the slightest effort to seek out these special people and places -- especially during the holiday season. As I do every year, I encourage you to patronize the local shops, the Main Streets, and downtowns that still have a semblance of retail activity. I've informed my family that we will not accept any gifts bought at a big box, especially Walmart. For my daughter, I'd rather she get one thoughtful, quality-made gift than six pieces of junk that will end up in the back of the closet after a couple of weeks.

Here in Jenkintown, we now have a wonderful little toy store called Rhinoceros Toys, owned and operated by Kate Pettit, who makes her little shop a beehive of activity by hosting special events for kids and parents alike. This special place features real toys of all types and for all ages, some traditional, some retro, some new, but all ones that help spark a child's imagination. Our little town currently struggles (like many) with too many empty storefronts, but the existence of Rhinoceros points to a better future after we finally shake off this economic hangover.

I've said this repeatedly, but it bears repeating: For me, the biggest thrill of the holiday is the pageantry and the opportunity to reunite with friends and family not often enough seen. Unless you're a five-year-old like my kid, presents become mere icing on the cake. This is a holiday that should be a celebration of community and a time to reflect on those gifts of real importance — those of friendship, love, and peace.

After five years of fatherhood, the smiles just keep on coming. My daughter, among other things, presents me a brand new lens through which I get to view the world around me all over again. Her fresh take on all-things-roadside make it all new for me as well, and I look forward to yet another era for Roadside with her at my side.

Happy holidays from the growing Roadside family.