This is my hometown, Wellsville, NY. Isn’t it cute. So cozy, so friendly, so Rockwellian. What a wonderful place to grow up. I had a great childhood in this small, sleepy, Western New York town where the closest city was a 2 hr. drive away. My parents never locked the doors and we could wander anywhere we desired, unsupervised. Everyone knew your name. It was safe, it was serene, it was something that nowadays is hard to come by.
As kids we would walk everywhere. To a friends house, down the street to the five and dime, to school and back, into town with the train tracks guiding us. To my dad’s car dealership after school, where he would always give us money so we could head across the tracks to the Elmhurst Dairy and get ice cream. (Of course we’d always remember to bring him back a chocolate shake). We’d also wander into the woods (basically, my backyard). Here our imaginations ran wild. We would play army and parachute from trees, pretend we were trapped in the wilderness, build forts and structures with sticks and in the winter we would try and survive sledding on “Devil’s Run”. My mother always said, “If you’re bored, go outside and play with a stick.” and we did. My summers were spent pool hopping, garden raiding, catching fireflies and playing “monsters” with the neighborhood kids til way after dark. It was a moment in my life where nothing mattered, there were no worries, and time seemed to stand still. We only knew we should head home when my mother would yell at the top of her lungs from the front porch. It was precious.
Then, my teenage years… Much time spent at the local pizza joint, Pizza King. Hangin’ with my friends, gossiping and deliberating on whether or not 30 was considered old. We’d head to “The Hill” or “The Pines” to party. Some nights it seemed like the whole town was there. Then there was Friday night football games, dances, pep rallies, cruising down main street, going to the movies, shaving cream fights on Halloween. Hanging with my friends “The Screamers” seemed like the best thing in the world. There were many a long night dreaming of the future and what it may bring…
My cute little town is considerably different today which makes me reflect on what is no more. My favorite bakery, which had the best donuts I’ve EVER had is no longer there. The five and dime where we’d stock up on candy cigarettes, the local newsstand in town and the department stores of the past are now long gone. My favorite was Newberry’s. My dad and I would have our father/daughter time there. We would sit at the lunch counter and split a banana split! Also gone is the Target of my day, The Ames ‘Big N’ where I bought my very first record, a 45 of Billy Joel’s It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me. Also no more is my father’s car dealership, Hetzel Motors. The memories of playing “store” in the parts room with the antique register and jumping on smelly tires in the attic are some of my favorites. When I was about 16 he wanted me to intern with one of the mechanics. Should have took him up on that one. He had his own gas pump and was brave enough to let me take a brand new Firebird to the prom. Even my dear childhood woods have been developed now with houses and apartments. My grade school and high school have been expanded, the middle school, where we all experienced our awkward years, knocked down.
When I find myself in Wellsville now I have to say, I love shopping at all the cool new boutiques in town (especially New Vogue and Trend Addictions) and grabbing a coffee, or beer (depending on my mood) at the cafe at the new Creative Arts Center. Heck it probably even has wifi. My adored Wellsville has become a victim and a champion of the changing times.
This portrait I have done of my hometown reflects the Wellsville of today, not the yesteryear of my youth. It has grown as I have grown. It has changed as I have changed. I now live almost 300 miles away, but Wellsville… will always be home.
Limited Edition Giclee prints are available of Main Street Wellsville in my shop www.longbluestraw.etsy.com
