A Sad Day for Crothersville

It is a sad day for Crothersville! Something wonderful has ended. Hamacher Hall and the Heritage Haus Restaurant are now a thing of the past. There was an article in last night's (Seymour) Tribune attempting to explain it all, but the future is particularly unclear. I do not believe that Hamacher Hall, designated Crothersville's historical and cultural arts center, had outlived its purpose. It became whatever it needed to be at the time--a place to display Indiana history artifacts, a place for scarecrow and tree-trimming contests, a place for individuals to combine their pieces of Crothersville history into a more complete picture, a place to perform amateur play productions, a place for area musicians to perform, a place to host meetings, and occasionally a place for grander, more formal events. The food at the restaurant was always delicious, and the tea was unsurpassed. Marcia Fleetwood, the director, obviously was dedicated to every aspect of her work, and was innovative in her approach, while not ignoring lessons from past experience.

I am grieved that the Crothersville community was not more welcoming, accepting, and encouraging of Marcia and her efforts. She worked wholeheartedly and sacrificially at the task she had accepted. It is disheartening to see one's efforts brought to nought. Community support was to a great extent lacking for any endeavor which was undertaken. Surely Crothersville still needs a place to display its history, a place to host meetings, and another restaurant. Surely it is to our advantage to have a place for performing and enjoying music, plays, and special events. So what happens now? We go out of town for what we want and need, instead of obtaining at least some of those experiences locally. If Crothersville is to make progress in becoming what it has the potential to become, then Crothersville's people are going to have to examine their attitudes toward "strangers" and "outsiders." We are going to have to do more than talk about our small-town friendliness and Hoosier hospitality; we are going to have to practice it! We are going to have to get to know newcomers, rather than just listen to others' opinions or gossip!