Small Town Life

Story on the front page of the weekly newspaper this week:

Penny
horse
is gone
 For around 50 years, the mechani-
cal pony at the grocery store has
been entertaining children. Parents
who rode the horse as a child were
now letting their children ride.
 But no more. The horse, which
for the last 50 years has cost only a
penny for several minutes of riding
entertainment, was taken out by the
present owners of the grocery store.
 Maybe it will be back. The own-
ers did not return the telephone call.

Editorial on page four:

Grocery store horse gone
but the memories live on

 The horse is gone! For years, children have been
riding the mechanical horse at the grocery store.
Through the years, the horse has carried chil-
dren through the imaginary hills, chasing robbers
and crooks, to the sunny meadows. Children came
through the doors armed with their pennies (it only
cost 1 cent to ride for several minutes) and some-
times with their chaps, boots and cowboy hats.
 Parents were grateful for the few minutes they
could shop in peace while their children were
riding the horse. If there was a child who was
standing in front of the horse but had no money,
there were clerks who always carried a few extra
pennies in their pocket just for those children.
 The different owners have had to make repairs
to the horse and even gotten it a new saddle but
the price has always remained the same affordable
penny.
 Maybe the new owners of the grocery store will
replace the dependable old horse but, chances are,
it will cost more than a penny.
 Things do change but it is hard to imagine that
the grocery store pony has moved on to greener
pastures.

Why the big uproar? Because this is the straw that broke the camel's back. In the last five years the grocery store has changed owners three times. The store is changing hands again at the end of the month. I do not write checks for my groceries that often but each time I do I have to ask what the name of the store is because I can't seem to remember it.

Each time the store has changed hands the quality of the goods and produce provided has gone down some and the prices of said goods and produce has gone up. I don't know how many times I have found products past their expiration date on the shelves. People have been upset by all the changes but so far have done nothing but grumble about it since this is the only grocery store within thirty-five miles.

But the horse. The men and women at the Senior Center are talking about starting a petition demanding that the horse be returned. The kids at the high school are saying they want to do the same thing. That horse is the main topic of conversation this week. If the owners have any sense they will bring him/her back before people's anger spills over to the real issue; owners thought to be taking advantage of customers who have nowhere else to go.