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November 2006
When Imagination Takes Over
By: Laura Bradford
Creative Writer
Ordinary: Adj. Of no special quality or interest, commonplace.
Extraordinary: Adj. Beyond what is usual or ordinary. Exceptional.
~Dictionary.com
Being a writer, I would never attempt to argue with Dictionary.com. It’s my saving grace when working on one of my novels. It keeps me from lugging around that great big book that sits on my desk collecting dust. But I will offer my two cents in clarifying the difference between the two adjectives.
Details.
That’s right, details. The taking of something ordinary or simple and tweaking it a little here and a little there to make it unique.
Like New Town.
Now before you say, "duh", let’s consider this detail thing for just a moment. I’m not talking about a community with its own mom–n-pop market, book store, pizza joint, churches, etc. Those are the easy to see "wow’s" that put New Town in a class of its own.
I’m talking about the kind of details that set New Town on a playing field of its own. The kind of details that takes this community "beyond what is usual or ordinary."
Detail #1. The sewer lids.
Have you ever looked at the sewer lids in New Town? Yup, I’m talking about the round things on the streets. They’re custom made…with the New Town logo on them (the only other time I’ve seen custom made sewer lids was on Main Street U.S.A. in Walt Disney World).
Detail #2. The bollards. These are the black poles you see by the lake and the shopping area. They are cast iron and brought in from England.
Detail #3. The pictures hanging in the sales center. These magazine-quality photos with people (that look a lot like professional models) enjoying various events like parades and shows…are real. Meaning, the people in the pictures were truly at those events. The smiles genuine. How do I know this? I recognize some of the kids. One of them is my own.
Detail #4. Bike racks. It says something about the hope for a community like New Town when you see bike racks every bit as prevalent as parking spots. It says to me that New Town isn’t just talking the talk.
Detail #5. The tree farm. Over ten thousand trees are growing on the community’s tree farm…for the sole purpose of being planted throughout the community. To benefit its residents.
Detail #6. The flag pole. Have you looked at the flag pole lately? The one in front of the post office? It’s not metal like you see everywhere else. It’s wooden. Which, in my book, is very C-L-A-S-S-Y.
Detail #7. The lights outside Town Hall and the mail center. They’re gas powered lanterns like you’d have seen years ago. When things were simple.
Detail #8. The stone wall that runs along Hempstead Street. It’s hand stacked. Not fun for the guys who had to stack it, but yet another example of taking something ordinary and doing it a little bit differently.
I could go on and on. Fill this column (and a few others) with lots more examples of the kind of details that make New Town something special.
But rather than encroach on someone else’s writing space, I’m going to leave the uncovering of those details to you. Consider it a challenge the next time you go for a walk. A scavenger hunt of sorts.
Have fun!
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