Time stood still on February 20, 2016. I remember sitting in my apartment, 700 miles away from my hometown of Kalamazoo, and watching the news unfold about the mass shooting that took so many innocent lives. I remember crying. I remember frantically texting each one of my family members because in a town that small there’s a good chance you knew someone involved. I remember holding my breath waiting for their replies. I remember seeing the stories in the following hours about where the shootings had taken place and thinking, “Wow, that’s right down the road from my house… I remember looking there for cars before I moved… I used to eat at that Cracker Barrel all the time.”
Tragedy was never supposed to strike our quaint town, not even once, and definitely not twice. But Tuesday night I found myself in the same situation. I was reading the CNN headlines as I do every night and saw a headline reading, “5 Dead, 4 Injured in Bike Crash.” I opened it and never thought I’d see my hometown’s name in headlines for the second time in a matter of months. Since it happened, many of the same thoughts that ran through my mind that night in February have crossed my mind again.
Before the first tragedy in February, no one seemed to know where Kalamazoo was. When I would say I’m from there, I’d get replies like, “Wait, where? That place isn’t real!” Or even more often, “Kalamazoo? Is that something Dr. Seuss made up?” I have a sticker on my laptop that says “Yes! There really is a Kalamazoo!” which has become a popular phrase for anyone from my town. Now, when people see that sticker or ask me where I’m from, I often get awkward silence and a remark about “the town where the Uber shooting happened.”
Well, I’m here to tell you, those things may have happened, but that is not the real Kalamazoo. We will not be defined by these tragedies. Instead we will be defined by the things that make our town as much of a dream as one of Dr. Seuss’ real creations.
1. The beer.
If someone does happen to know what Kalamazoo is, it’s most likely for our beer. Philadelphia has their cheesesteaks, Chicago has their pizza, and we have our beer. Bell's Brewery is a local landmark, and the Oberon sun is a symbol of greater things to come (sunshine and summer, of course.) Put simply, we love our beer, and so does everyone else. For heaven's sake, our baseball team's mascot is a Growler, a beer bottle.
2. The food.
We have the normal chain restaurants like every other town, but it’s our originals that really keep your tummy happy and in the mood for more. Everyone counts down the days until the Root Beer Stand opens in the spring. Theo and Stacy’s makes a mean, well, everything (but especially gyros). And the Crow’s Nest? That needs just four words: banana bread French toast.
3. The atmosphere.
If you’re from Kalamazoo, “Row the Boat” means a lot more than someone talking about canoeing or kayaking. It means a Saturday at the football game. It means bleeding brown and black. We’re proud of our Broncos.
Kalamazoo is the most festive place I’ve ever been in. We have festivals for everything, even specifically for Greek food, and pretty much every other kind of food, music, or way of life. We go downtown and feel the buzz just from walking the streets. Every day, we hope and pray we see the Banana Car rolling down the street. Nothing starts a weekend off better than the Banana Car.
4. The nature.
In Kalamazoo, we all know that to go south you go west. Did you know that in Michigan, you’re never more than six miles from a lake? Well, in Kalamazoo, we’ve got plenty, but nothing beats the short drive to the ultimate hangout spot and arguably one of the most beautiful places in the Midwest: South Haven.
But even if you don’t want to leave the city, you’ll find the most beautiful views right from your front yard. From most hills in Kalamazoo, you can see the skyline. There are hundreds of yards of arboretum. And Celery Flats? Yeah, we’ve all been there in our adulthood to relive our childhood nature field trips.
But the best thing about Kalamazoo hands-down?
5. The people.
Everywhere you go, you know someone. And you’re actually happy to see them. In Kalamazoo, we know that a trip to Meijer will never just take 30 minutes, because you’ll spend at least that amount of time talking to the person, or most likely people, you know that are there as well.
This is what made those tragedies so hard to swallow. The possibility was real for every person that we would know someone who was involved in either the shooting or the biking accident. The tragedies showed the real character of the citizens of Kalamazoo. Following each tragedy, every person was touched. Everyone sent their condolences and blessings to the victims and their families. Everyone came together to memorialize the victims. Everyone donated something to the families of the survivors, whether it was money or prayers.
Kalamazoo may not be one of Dr. Seuss’ creations, but it is a magical place. It’s the definition of community. It’s one of those places that everyone wants to get out of, but when they leave they want to come back. The real Kalamazoo is far more than the tragedies that have taken place there.
