Eminence is a small town in southern Missouri, and when I say small I mean that we have a population of fewer than 600 people, and saying that everyone knows everyone would be an understatement. And if you have never had to wait in a long line behind a tractor or drive forty-five minutes to get to the closest Wal-Mart then you have no idea what it means to live “in the sticks”. In my eyes, Eminence is the perfect example of stereotypical small town. So you might be from Eminence, Missouri if..

1. You graduated with less the 30 other kids.I graduated from Eminence High School in 2014 with 20 other students. This does not mean I had any less of a high school experience, though. I was extremely close to every one of those 20 students and it made going to school that much more fun.
2. You are related to over 25% of your population.
3. Someone asks you where you’re from and you tell them and they reply “Where is that?”Eminence is somewhere in between West Plains, Missouri and Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Most people I meet have never heard of it before so I explain it as the town with Alley Springs, the Jacks Fork and Current rivers, and the Cross Country Trail Rides. Because those are the things that attract all the tourism during the summer.
4. Deer Season is considered a holiday.No this is not a joke. In November our school gives us a week off for deer season. It’s not that the administration wants to give us this week off, it’s the fact that so many kids would be absent during those days that they would not be able to have school. So they save everyone the trouble and just give us the days off.
5. Cruising town means going from one end of the main street to the other.We literally have one caution light in our town, and that’s it. So when you say you’re going to cruise town you actually mean you’re going to drive up and down main street all night until your low fuel light comes on.
6. Sports are the MOST important past time. (Well besides hunting of course.)In Eminence, we take our sports very seriously. Over half, the town shows up to support the Redwings at every home game. A few years ago our basketball and volleyball teams competed in the State Championship games, and this was a huge deal. Businesses closed, the school was cancelled, and our community traveled hundreds of miles to support our teams.
7. Riding your four-wheeler/side by side through town is normal.
8. Going on a date meant going back roading.In Eminence, there weren't many options for places to go on a date unless you wanted everyone to know about it. So our go-to date idea was always hitting the back roads.
9. You all come together when tragedy strikes. July 24, 2015 is a day no one in Eminence will ever forget. That day an accident happened to cause us to lose the life of the sweetest boy to ever walk this earth. A few days later we had a candlelight ceremony that nearly every person in our town attended. It was so amazing to see how much love and support our small community gave, and made me so proud of where I’m from.