My hometown feels like it's slowly dying...

Today I read in the Startribune that the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota will be closing and possibly relocating to the Twin Cities. I grew up just outside of Eveleth (although my mailing address said Eveleth) and I know that the HOF was a great source of pride for the community. Hockey was their passion. As a youth who could not skate  very well and was more than a little undersized, this sport left me peering into local culture from behind the boards. This obsession with a violent sport didn't sit well with me, but I think I was jealous of others because of my lack of talent.

Now as a slightly more mature 25-year-old witnessing this from afar in Iowa, I empathize with the plight of this small town on the Iron Range. The iron..the hockey...it is all slowly disappearing.

It's winters are harsh, but the summer is spectacular. If you listen closely, you can hear the voices of the Northwoods, begging you take a stroll through their wilderness...and when one does, they are left with a deep sense of appreciation. Or if they are a greedy capitalist...a dream of development!

I do not want to see my small town perish and become simply a resort destination for young urban professonials in their hybrid SUV's.