We'll get to the house selling thing I mentioned in the headline in a minute, but here's something that's just for fun. I took a Facebook quiz the other day titled, "How Edwardsville are you?"
The result came back as, "Mayor Neibur." It judged me with this statement: "You are Mayor Niebur. You are a lifelong resident of Edwardsville and have served 5 terms as mayor and have done a great deal of good for the city. Unfortunately, you are not as Edwardsville as Preach..."
That made me laugh and made me think about my own list of things that make you truly an Edwardsvillian. It's really a lot more than being born here...or moving here as a toddler...or coming here for college and never leaving as I did. Note that some of the items on this just-for-fun list will only make sense if you're an Edwardsville person "of a certain age." The rest of you are forgiven for being too young.
NANCY'S LIST OF THINGS THAT MAKE YOU AN EDWARDSVILLE PERSON
- You know how to let pedestrians proceed into a crosswalk without running them down (thanks to on-campus training at SIUE)
- You understand that trick-or-treating takes place on the night before Halloween so you can go to the Halloween parade on October 31
- You adore Preach and worry if you don't see him around for a while.
- You took your first legal drink at The Granery -- at age 19, I might add. (I'll allow Vanzo's as a substitute.)
- You remember when the LeClaire water tower was actually the Jimi Hendrix water tower.
- You know that LeClaire was a company town before it was just a neighborhood
- You're still longing for the long-gone lunch counter at Schwartz Drugs.
- You met your future spouse by literally stepping on him at the MRF (okay, maybe that was just me)
- You remember that the Historic Col. Benjamin Stephenson House was previously the TKE frat house
- You "attended class" at Stagger Inn (or maybe that was just the Mass Comm majors. My husband tells me that the math/comp sci folks hung out at Vanzo's)
- You're guilty of buying dented, label-less cans for cheap at the old National grocery store during college, thus ensuring that dinner would be a yummy surprise. Sometimes it was ravioli. Sometimes it was dog food, so you had to look for a stray dog
- You still grab a kid and run to Miner Park when it snows to sled down the amazing hill
- You held kiddie birthday parties at Cottonwood Bowl, Montclaire Bowl, Pantera's, Cottonwood Cinema or Skate Corral
- You shopped at the Bargain Barn
- You and Chimega were on a first name basis
- You drive through the Bank of Edwardsville on Christmas Eve just to get the huge apples.
- You remember Peter Station and Whistle Stop
- You inadvertently stampeded cows in a relative's Edwardsville pasture (again, maybe that was just me)
Feel free to add to the list with your comments. I'm sure there are a lot of things I'm forgetting.
Now back to the important house-selling stuff. If you're looking for a Realtor who really knows the Edwardsville area (and the rest of Madison County, for that matter)...send me a message. It will be fun to recall the good old days together while I fill you in on what's happening in the local real estate market. Or, if you're newer to E'ville or SIUE, I can tell you about some of the history and quirks you may be finding here while we talk about your real estate needs.
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About the Author: Nancy Milton, GRI, is a REALTOR with the GoshenRealtyGroup at RE/MAX Preferred Partners in Edwardsville, Illinois. She and Kristina Pratt help their customers buy and sell homes and investment properties in St. Louis' Illinois suburbs with special emphasis on homes for sale in Madison County and the communities of Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Collinsville, Troy, Bethalto and surrounding areas.
Goshen Realty Group takes its name from the earliest nickname for Madison County, Illinois -- the Land of Goshen -- coined when the region's first settlers compared their new home east of the Mississippi River to the biblical land of peace and plenty.
For more information, visit GoshenRealtyGroup.com or e-mail Nancy at Nancy@GoshenRealtyGroup.com. Text or call Nancy at 618-791-8007. REMAX Preferred Partners is located at One 157 Center, Edwardsville, IL 62025.
Please note that individual listings periodically mentioned in this blog are accurately described in terms of availability and price at the time of the posting. Because properties are constantly coming on and off the market, please contact Nancy for the latest information on those that are of particular interest to you.
Learned a few new things about Edwardsville. Hope everything is going well at the new brokerage.
Things are terrific. We're very excited about it. Thanks for stopping by and for asking!