As I have said, I was born out on Fruit Ridge Road in our home on our farm late one night. Our farm was definitely rural as it was three miles down to the sleepy river town of Moscow and five miles kind of north to that farming town of Felicity. Yup our farm was safe to say stuck right dab in the middle of nowhere. There was plenty of farm land around but scarce were the neighbors.
I guess that was a big reason that when we would go into town it seemed to be a big deal. From my birth until the end of my year in the seventh grade, Moscow was my focus. That was where we went to church and there were two grocery stores (Harold’s’ and Inez Logan’s’) and the school along with the post office and the lodge hall. Maybe it seemed big to me as when we went to Moscow it was almost always one of the above mentioned places for and event. Oh and I had better add that I went to Moscow to visit my grandma. For me she was probably the biggest event for me but tied with church and anything at the school was my mom. My sister and brother had both graduated from Moscow and to the best of my knowledge and desire that was where I wanted to graduate also.
That was to my knowledge that was just how it was going to happen. But it seemed that the higher powers that be back at that time decided Moscow was too small to educate and what was big at that time was that the bigger a school was the better the education would be. So it was decided by those same powers that be to consolidate Moscow into New Richmond. All I really recall was there was a lot of arguments and meetings held and fighting among families who had been friends for generations as to just where me and my classmates would become smarter. Therefore, it was finally decided that a school district line would be redrawn and those who lived on the far eastern and northern sides would go to Felicity and the rest would go to New Richmond. It became interesting to me when our farm straddled the district line. Mom and dad were told they could choose just which school I would attend. This could only be decided once and no changes after that.
I didn’t know this was going on until my parents sat me down at the kitchen table and explained it to me. The thing was they felt it was not fair for them to decide, as I was the one who was going to have to deal with this result. So they gave the final decision to me. As I had said earlier, Felicity was only five miles from home and New Richmond was about fifteen miles. (Long ride on a school bus.) The Felicity school had about twice as many students as Moscow had and New Richmond had right at four times as many. (That would have been a lot of new friends to make and names to remember.) Most of all Felicity had Vocational Agriculture and a very successful FFA Chapter. If there had been any doubts the FFA decided where I wanted to go and that was Felicity.
Therefore, I attended Felicity from eighth grade on. Now I am sure New Richmond would have been a good school to go to but Felicity had what I wanted. Now that was over fifty years ago and I am here to tell one and all I have never regretted that decision. I think there were only five from my class that went to Felicity with me and the rest of my friends I had had since first grade went to New Richmond and that was the biggest loss in the entire deal to me. Even though I was pretty nervous that first day at a new school I made friends quickly as the kids there were eager to take me in and become my friends and most are still just that. MY FRIENDS!
The school was somewhat larger and there were more teachers to learn just how to deal with and it is safe to say only a very few people in the school were not wanting us there. (This I learned in Phys Ed playing dodge ball against them.) Moscow had not one restaurant in town so we were not really allowed to leave the school grounds. However, at Felicity we were allowed to leave the school if you could return in 43 minutes. There were a couple restaurants in the middle of town and two pool halls. But what I found the most fun was what I these days refer to as the Greasy Spoon restaurant right across the street from the school. It featured cheeseburgers, cokes, and French fries. As you ate, you visited with other kids as the jukebox blared out new hit songs and the pinball machine would ring up the score of whoever was playing it. As I got older, I found this was a great place to smoke and a cigarette machine was there. It was a paradise for school kids.
The school would put on a big carnival in the fall at Halloween and one in the spring and there was a junior and senior class play to attend on a Friday night. The school seemed to work at finding activities to keep the students from being too bored as we were in a farming community and there was little going on in the evenings. On Friday evenings in the fall the town’s folk would come to watch the football games. (That was something new to me.) When the basketball season began, it was a standing room only home crowd. I always felt that on a Saturday night if a game was being played a burglar could have cleaned out the town as all were at the game.
You see those two towns created their own entertainment. When you are raised in a rural area, you learn early to create most of your entertainment. Felicity hasn’t changed very much from my youth nor has Moscow.(am very glad they haven’t either.) In the fall, they still put on the Felicity Gourd and Harvest Festival that is done by the businessmen’s’ association. I try to attend, as I look around, I see many new faces, and as I ask, just who that might be I learn that it is a child or grandchild of one of an old friend. I guess the bottom line to growing up country is just blending in with the rest of the community. The biggest event might just well be visiting with each other and if you get to learn something new the visit becomes even better. Try doing that in a large city and see what news you learn. The bottom line is rural is rural and that is a good thing to be.
Rick Houser grew up on a farm near Moscow in Clermont County and loves to share stories about his youth and other topics. If you are interested in reading more of his stories they can be found in his books ‘There are Places to Remember” and’ Memories ARE from the Heart.” He may be reached at houser734@yahoo.com or mail to P.O. Box 213 Bethel, Ohio 45106.
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Rick Houser: Good times that can be had even in a small place like Moscow - The Clermont Sun
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