“You got to appreciate all the community coming together, and just thriving off each other”
In early June I went to Tama’s “Touch a Truck” event. Semis, tractors, dump trucks, fire trucks, and even a helicopter were all parked in the city hall parking lot. Their owners were there as well, to share a little slice of their lives with the community.
While touring the parking lot I happened upon Logan and his friends enjoying a break from the hot sun on a park bench. We got to talking and he told me about his life in rural Iowa.
Logan grew up between Monte and Deep River. After graduating from high school, he left Iowa, pursuing construction work across the western states. He’s now back in Iowa building windmills in Tama county.
I asked him,
“What’s changed since you’ve gotten back?”
Logan: “Since I've gotten back, not much besides honestly, the downfall of a lot of smaller towns. Like this town. It's still thriving in a way, but it's not big. Like my hometown Monte, all of the important restaurants and stores are closing down. It kind of hurts a little bit. I grew up having these really great community events and awesome restaurants and stuff like that. They had a Subway sandwiches place which closed down too. If the Subway closes down in your town, it's pretty much done. I hate seeing the smaller communities die.”
Tristan (interviewer): “How did you end up in Tama?”
Logan: “I actually came home to help on the farm. I was helping family friends and I was helping my family on the farms. I got paid in a whole hog. I got a whole hog for a week and a half of work, which is about $1,200 worth of meat. It sounds funny but that’s how it is around here. Plus these hogs in particular aren't in the confinement, which I hate confinements. They're nasty. I say same with chicken farms. But these hogs, they have really good lives. They're out and they got all the grass pasture to go out into. They got a big barn for themselves so they're spoiled.
And the city is just ridiculous. Every time I go there, there's just so many people and it's so expensive there. My girlfriend is paying almost two grand for an average apartment, just a normal apartment. That's ridiculous.”
Plus, “small town living is one of my favorite things because it's more of a close knit community. You got to appreciate all the community coming together, and just thriving off each other”