I like to think that Pixley is typical of small-town America, but I don’t really know, as it is the only really small town in which I have lived. I spent my childhood in a small town that was at least ten times the size of Pixley. Our little town put on a beautiful fireworks display on the Fourth of July and parades on every major holiday. There was a sign at one entrance to the town welcoming passersby with the names of some of the religious, civic, social organizations there — Rotary, Lions Club, VFW, The Presbyterian Church. and so on. My dad was a Moose, and they were not listed on the sign. I always imagined the meetings were something like those of the Royal Order of Water Buffaloes in The Flintstones.
Pixley has parades and celebrations, too. They decorate the town square — not truly a square, more of a rectangle by the train depot — with lights at Christmas. They have a scarecrow competition every fall. Between The Storm and COVID-19, I haven’t had the opportunity to participate in any of these festivities, but I’m happy just knowing they are happening.
The entrance to Pixley is graced with a welcome sign worthy of her position as the county seat. Above the sign, a very large American flag flies proudly. Every time we get a water bill, there are two amounts. One is the actual water bill, and the other is the water bill plus two dollars — one for the upkeep of the flag and one for the parks. We have a couple of nice parks for a town this size. We pay the extra $2.00.
I don’t know of any civic organizations here. We do have a lot of churches. According to Church Finder, there are 37 Christian churches in Pixley — more than one church for every hundred people. Fourteen of those are various types of Baptist. There are two Catholic churches. one Episcopal, an AME, a Pentecostal, the Salvation Army, and various others. If you go to synagogue, you’ll need to go to Big City or Beach Town. Same if you’re of another faith or even my particular flavor of Christianity. I don’t sense any strife, any judgment, anything negative about the faith lives of people in this town. You do hear “Have a blessed day” a lot, which I like because I can use all the blessings I can get.
Now let’s talk about what there isn’t. There isn’t a bar in Pixley — or in the entire county. We’re one of the few places in the country that is still dry … though you can purchase weak wine and beer at Walmart or one of the few restaurants with a liquor license. There isn’t a bus or a taxicab. I won’t go into that just now — that’s a whole post of its own! There are no movie theaters in Pixley. You have to go to a Big City or Beach Town for that … if they are still around after COVID. There isn’t a lot of racial strife … at least not that I have seen. I formed many of my opinions on the character of the people of Pixley from the way they behaved after The Storm. Again, that’s a post of its own.
It’s a proud little town, proud of its history, proud of its position in the county. Laura Ingalls Wilder mentioned it in a book. The second-lowest temperature ever recorded in the state was here. There is even a commemorative plaque where a scientist helped create and introduce a variety of plant that, well, we’ll just say it’s pretty big around here. When I mention the chickens, some people seem offended. This is the city! You don’t have chickens in the city. I mentioned how many truly big cities allow chickens. Chicken-keeping is quite popular. Then they give me a look as if they are questioning my sanity.
They may have a point. I took my dog out this morning, and a single hen came over hoping for a handout. I talked to her while my dog sniffed every inch of ground in the yard. My dog never talks back. The hen clucks and squawks as if she is conversing with me. It’s really quite comforting.