Vandalia, Illinois, recently voted the No. 1 most redneck town in Illinois, is where I call home. Just like any other town, there are crazy little quirks that make our town unique. Whether you've been here since preschool or are a new member of the community, we are all affected by these trends. You might be a redneck from Vandalia if these things sound familiar...
1. You sweated your years through high school...literally.
August was the worst/best month -- worst because it got 100 degrees in the school, and best because we had the "heat schedule" where we got to go home at 2:15. The dress code was also your worst enemy - whether to risk getting dress coded or die or heat exhaustion.
2. You rode the Cruise Route.
Even though it was shut down by local police, everyone used to gather at the parking lots downtown and hang out all night. On any given weekend, you could see trucks and cars parked in circles. When you got your license, you knew where you were going to drive first!
3. You lost your sh*t when the Dairy Queen opened.
Every year in April, the whole town lined up down 8th Street to get the best Dairy Queen in Illinois. It's then when you'd see teachers taking their students to DQ during class, proving that even the teachers know that ice cream is more important than education.
4. Two words: Greenville games.
Whether it was the football game, where there were ALWAYS police present, or the basketball game where they tried to make fun of us by dressing like "rednecks" - there was always some tension. We came back at them with "red triangles" to counteract their "blue circles" and by challenging them to chant matches. The truth is...we all knew they didn't hold a candle to us.
5. Swimming season was the best part P.E.
To fight the heat we felt inside the school, we got to walk back to the public pool to swim during our P.E. periods. It was either that, or you walk laps in the blazing heat, and I think you know which one to pick. That was the only other great part of August.
6. Your Mexican restaurants were defined by their cleanliness.
Every time you crave Mexican, you have to ask yourself if you want "dirty" or "clean" Mexican. Everyone has their own opinion about which the best...but anyone who thinks "clean" is better is wrong.
7. Your history teacher is probably your football coach.
No matter what sport you played, you were going to see your coach outside of practice. They were either your math teacher, history teacher or P.E. teacher. Any trouble that you caused in class was punished tenfold on the field.
8. We celebrate Lincoln...maybe too much.
Vandalia sure does love Lincoln, and it shows. Not only do we have a statue and an entire building dedicated to him, but we hold the Lincoln Heritage Festival every year. This involves people dressing up in Lincoln-era clothing, complete with skits and activities for kids in the park. The man deserves a festival.
9. Vandalia Correctional Center.
As the population in the prison rises, so does our city's. There are roughly 1700 "citizens" that may have never come within city limits. Makes for a really good fun fact while away at college.
10. We are the Vandals.
As much as we may complain or make fun of our town, it is OUR TOWN. We come together at games to support our sports stars, at the annual theater production or talent show to cheer on our talented, artistic students, and come together to support people in need. Whether there's a death, a fire, a medical problem our town knows where the priorities lie. No stone is left un-turned when helping someone. We are here for each other and we are here for our town.
