It used to be that this little college town quieted down after graduation. Students went back home, traffic died down, and life was as calm as a warm and windless summer day.
Now the population of Lawrence seems to be growing faster than the city can expand.
The days of a summer drive across town taking only a few minutes are a thing of the past. Every day a new apartment complex pops up beckoning students to stay in town through the June, July and August months.
And while this means business is booming for restaurants and shops across the city, some of the niceties of Small Town, USA, seem to be slipping away from Lawrence.
Still, there are those who remember Lawrence as a small town, and those who organize events to keep that small-town feeling alive in the community.
Sidewalk sales, art in the park, Wednesday night city band concerts, and tonight's theme, "Thursday night movie night," are a few of the many community-oriented events that help knock Lawrence back down to size.
Thursday nights during the summer folks of all ages bring blankets and lawn chairs out to a grass lot near downtown and endure the mosquitoes and the humidity to watch classic movies projected onto the blank wall of a nearby parking garage.
It is a time to meet with friends, take in a good movie (tonight's film featured Lucille Ball), and enjoy a relaxing evening in Lawrence, Kansas.
I do miss the days when I could drive across town in 10 minutes or less during the summer. But as long as there are people who remember the values and benefits of a small town and help to remind Lawrence of its own small-town roots, I think I can live happily ever after.
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