’Twas a touch rainy last Saturday morning, a good day to stay hunkered down. But I had business in town, so up I arose to leave the comforts of home and hearth. Into Centralia I went.
I’m glad I did. Not only did I have a wonderful morning, I was reminded of the rewards of a richly connected life in the small towns of Lewis County — and how living in a community like this creates a sweet kind of small-scale celebrity that is so much more wholesome and life-enhancing than the toxic, self-destructive, oversized fame that blows up in mass media.
First stop: the Seminary Hill Natural Area for the monthly Stroll With Friends. Every third Saturday, a couple of fine young leaders in that organization, Damian Bean and Cindy Garibay, host coffee at 9:30 (donated by Vagabond Coffee) and then lead a low-key walk in the woods at 10 o’clock.
This was a special day, I learned when I arrived to find homemade coffee cake that Damian had made for Brian, a recent addition (with a great name) to our Friends group. I led us in singing “Happy Birthday” for him and did my part in devouring the treats. I enjoyed greeting many other friends, including David and Leah Wegener (she was also celebrating a birthday, we later learned).
I headed back down to town and a quick stop at Dawn’s Delectables, where Leah and David’s son Henry is manager. He wasn’t on duty, but I was pleased to see my old buddy and incoming interim mayor, Hizzonner Chris Brewer. We enjoyed catching up.
As my coffees were being prepared (lattes for my sweeties at home), I took a quick walk down the block to Anderson’s True Value. Greg Anderson, a bedrock of our local business community is retiring! I wanted to wish him well and give him a hard time.
I found him at work assembling paint rollers. We shot the breeze for a few minutes. He told me about his plans for retirement after five decades of work. At one point a plastic piece popped off one of the rollers.
“That one’s your fault,” he teased.
“Yeah, just add it to the list,” I tossed back.
Then a customer had an actual question and he was suddenly all business with the easygoing helpfulness that has been a beloved part of our downtown for generations.
I headed back down to Dawn’s to pick up our delectables (deluxe coffees for my womenfolk and a signature Dawn’s cinnamon roll for my teenaged boy). My last stop was the grocery store to pick up some radishes. (Yeah, radishes. That’s right. So I like radishes! Hizzoner, Mayor-to-Be-Brewer, gave me a hard time about that too.)
As I stood in line to check out, I watched the gentleman behind me put his items onto the conveyor. First: a carton of chocolate ice cream. Yum. That caught my attention. Then he had a pound of ground buffalo meat. Yep, good stuff. Then two kinds of mushrooms, and then a bunch of radishes. Someone else likes radishes! I was really rolling with his food vibe and decided to tell him so.
“Sir,” I said to him, “I just have to say that I really admire all your food selections.”
He turned to me and as I finally saw his face clearly, I recognized Michael Dolan, who is both a business legend and agricultural icon of Lewis County. He founded and owns Burnt Ridge Nursery, where he grows, harvests and sells all manner of fruit, nut and berry trees and bushes east of Onalaska.
I’m a huge fan of his business and his expertise. It was great to see him.
As I checked out, I was delighted to see Jacob Wegener, the other son of my Seminary Hill friends Leah and David, bagging my groceries.
Jacob is a celebrity in my eyes. Several years ago he performed the song “Perfect” at the Kiwanis Talent Show at the old Liberty Theatre (now Bethel Downtown) in Centralia. He knocked that song out of the park. It was the first time I’d ever heard it and I was blown away both by this pop music masterpiece and by his heartfelt rendition of it.
The song has become one of my favorites, and while I know now that it was written by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, to me it will always be the song that Jacob debuted into my life.
As I headed home from a simple morning in town, I was starstruck by all the celebrities I’d met, the people famous in our community and in my world.
From the incoming mayor to titans of beloved local business, from people who lead hikes into the delightful depths of the forest to a talented singer of legendary songs, each one of these folks has changed the world around them for the better.
What a town. What a life. What a blessing to be part of it all.
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Brian Mittge is a community enthusiast who has written for The Chronicle since 2000 as a reporter, editor and columnist. He can be reached at brianmittge@hotmail.com.
