A town theme

 The fall is a great time of year wherever you happen to be and after this year, we hated to leave Linn County, but, alas, we sacrificed and took a trip to Seattle, Wa. to see old friends and old stomping grounds.

Fortunately, the weather was wonderful - much like what we left in Linn County.

We had the great fortune of seeing a wide variety of towns and cities, each with their own heritage and theme attached.

Two towns impressed me as really finding their niche in a nation of many small, rural towns. The first was Winthrop, Wa. located on the Hwy. 2 scenic Cascade Loop.

Winthrop took the theme of old-time western town with the wooden sidewalks, wooden facades and the Doc Holliday look. As the weekend happened to also be one of the largest

motorcycle rallies in northwest Washington, the Oyster Run, literally thousands of Harleys and Hondas were parked in front of each barroom saloon or old-time looking hotel.

The theme worked. Each building with an exposed side to the street had some kind of mural painted on it whether it was a map of highlights of the area or topography of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

Each mural portrayed something about the town and its history and drew visitors into its character.

The scenic Cascade Loop is probably 300 miles long. Over the course of travel, we drove through many one-horse towns with a gas pump and convenience store. The towns that chose to do more with themselves were farther between.

The second city that impressed me as having an identity was Leavenworth, Wa. What a picturesque, quaint village of approximately 1,500 (a newspaper circulation of 1,800 from the newspaper side of me) residents with each business, from the McDonald's to the Safeway store, decorated in a Swiss Alps mode.

The McDonald's had no big play system. Matter of fact, you almost miss the golden arches as they are given a Swiss look. The building was the same - a tan exterior with Swiss chalet corners and decorations.

Downtown echoed the theme. The entire block was like walking back into time to watch Heidi live.

The town thrived on the theme and not one business escaped it. It was obvious that the city had a very active Chamber of Commerce and a city council who worked to keep the theme cohesive throughout.

After visiting many shops in town, watching a Fall Autumn Parade and listening to a band that played Swiss music at the central band shell, it dawned on me that the biggest thing missing in most towns is an identity.

Yet, each town in Linn County has an emerging identity - all different, but each with a theme. Mound City, for instance, has the Arts and Crafts Fair and their stone architecture to build on. La Cygne has the swan theme and Pleasanton, the history of the Civil War and General Pleasonton himself.

What becomes important is for all parties to come together on what the city's identity is and then get those parties involved in city growth on the same page. The city council, planning and zoning and chambers of commerce each need to be involved in coming together in that identity and stick with it through building permits, building placement, park design, celebrations planned, etc.

It was very apparent in Leavenworth, Wa. that their city council and other entities were all involved in maintaining the theme and identity of the city. Beyond that, apparent from the many who wore lederhosen that day, the residents of the city were very proud of what it had become and wanted the heritage to continue.

It was very, very good for business...from the brathaus to the packed hotels. Their identity was found and kept intact through day-to-day decisions of all involved.

Jackie Taylor

Linn County News

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