by Judy Smith

Created on: April 24, 2008

I've heard all the jokes, like "If you blink when you pass through, you'll miss it." I've even made up a few of my own: "My home town was SO small (All together now... "How small was it?"), the town had only one car that everyone shared." "My home town was SO small (You know the routine... "How small was it?"), everyone was related." Okay, I never claimed to be the reincarnation of Johnny Carson, but you get the picture.

I grew up in Swink, Colorado, which had a population at that time of about 500. I don't think the town has grown much in the nearly 30 years since I left. I attended Swink schools from Kindergarten through my Senior year. My Senior class had the distinction of being the largest graduating class in Swink history - 36 students. The boy-to-girl ratio was quite lop-sided, 12 boys and 24 girls, I believe. Of those 36 students, there were a handful who, like me, had attended Swink schools for the entire 13 years.

The town of Swink had, of course, a Town Hall, which hosted an occasional town meeting and fund-raising spaghetti dinner. In the basement of the Town Hall was the town library, which is where I first discovered The Hardy Boys mysteries. Swink also had one general store, which in my day, was more of a Mom-and-Pop establishment, run by a local family. Today, I think it's been converted into a national convenience store franchise. When I was young, my best friend and I used to walk to the store to buy popsicles or ice cream cones on hot summer afternoons. Across the street was the only town garage. We drove by the garage during our last trip down that way, and I could swear the same rusty old pickup truck was sitting out front, hoisted up on cement blocks, that was there 30 years ago. Swink does have its own post office, one bar situated on the main road through town, a small apartment building or two, and a smattering of churches. I can remember when the very first - and only - family restaurant opened in Swink. It was a steak house that was owned by the parents of one of my classmates. Great food! And, as I recall, the residents of Swink proudly embraced it as their very own, a steady stream of local hungry diners frequenting the small dining room almost every night.

My family and I lived roughly a mile outside of Swink. Back then, few people locked their doors; there was no need to. Everyone knew everyone else - and, yes, a lot of people were related. The community truly cared about each other and looked after each other, and the thought of

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