Podunk town?

You know podunk. It’s a town next to nowhere where there’s nothing to do, no place to go, and no one to meet.

But there are actual towns with that name: a hamlet in Ulysses, N.Y., not far from Ithaca, and others in Michigan, Oklahoma and Colorado. Podunk is also the name of a restaurant in New York’s East Village and a large-scale bluegrass festival in East Hartford, Conn.

Then there’s podunk soil, of which Oxford County has its share. It’s sand, clay, and/or silt that is gradually deposited by moving water. The term was used at the Mahoosuc Land Trust’s annual meeting and 20th birthday celebration Oct. 17 at the University of Maine 4-H camp in Bryant Pond.

Every soil type has a name and many of those names are taken from American Indian tribes. The Podunk tribe once lived
along the Connecticut River, planting gardens in the rich soil there, no doubt. How did a tribe’s
name morph into the definition of a small, dull, insignificant town? 

Rumford: Not a podunk town!

It isn’t because it doesn’t pass the tests: nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to meet. When River Valley residents leave, it’s usually because they have to to find work. And when they can, people come back, as have Marcia Lauze, Jim Robertson, Bill French and Mary Hoyt Geaney, among others. Or, Rumfordites get back as often as possible, as Walter Abbott and his family do.

Tribute

Walter Abbott, one of Rumford’s finest, was honored this month for his 50-year affiliation with the University of Maine. Hundreds, it seemed, of alumni and friends who had benefited from Walt’s coaching, wilderness training, support and wise counsel attended the dinner in Orono. The many tributes were funny, grateful and loving.

Voting

Looking ahead to next week prompts me to wonder how many people are registered to vote. In Rumford, population roughly 6,000, Beth Belgrade in the Town Clerk’s Office reports there are 4,900 registered voters. Last November, 3,030 of them voted. Nothing podunk about those numbers.

Next Tuesday, Nov. 3, we have important referenda before us. One local question asks us to choose a name for the Rumford Municipal Auditorium. Valley Voices is not to be a bully pulpit, but this one time I’m going to speak up and speak out: The right name for the Rumford Municipal Auditorium is Rumford Municipal Auditorium.
Prove me wrong. Rain or shine, come vote.

Linda Farr Macgregor is a freelance writer; contact her: [email protected]