Being raised near Winston-Salem gives us all a common thread to be connected by. School trips were taken to Old Salem or SciWorks, you either have or know someone who graduated in the LJVM Coliseum, and Lanie Pope is the local weather institution. Whether you're from Lewisville, Clemmons, Pfafftown, Rural Hall, or any other surrounding towns, you know being raised here means we all have a few things in common.
No one's heard of where you actually live. It doesn't matter where you go or who asks, the look is always the same. They ask you where you're from and then immediately cock their head in confusion when you answer. After dozens of failed attempts to explain your hometown's whereabouts, you settle to "near Winston-Salem". For the especially small towns (cough cough Clemmons), you may eventually just say Winston and call it a day.
You live for October. Sometime around the middle of September, something a little magical happens. No, it's not school - it's knowing the Dixie Classic is near. You can smell the funnel cake, the giant turkey leg booth, and the Krispy Kreme burger. Wendy's night is the most crowded but you went anyway knowing everyone you know is probably waiting in line already. (You also have probably won a goldfish or two, much to your parents' annoyance.)
The food is everything and we have the best. Lexington BBQ, Krispy Kreme, Texas Pete, Moravian cookies, Biscuitville - the list goes on and it only gets longer. It doesn't matter what I-40 exit you take, there's always a local eatery with the best sweet tea you've ever tasted. Also, if you haven't been to the Juice Shop - do you even live here?
You probably played a sport. Honestly, there's not much of a scene for the underage so we occupied ourselves with sports. From Little League to Pop Warner and everything in between, we all had our ways to stay entertained and work out our anger issues. And if you made All Stars or competed in Disney World in December, you knew you were the bomb.com.
The traditions call you home. Whether it was watching fireworks in Lewisville Square, the Festival of Lights in Tanglewood, or Spring Folly in Kernersville, you always knew you had plans to go. For those of us who moved out of town, we never question coming home and it's written in pen on our calendars. We've been going since we were toddlers and there's no way we'll stop now - it's tradition.
No matter what small town we originated from, we know we're really one giant community. Growing up we probably begged to leave and said we would thousands of times. Some of us moved - most of us to Boone or Charlotte - but we know where we come from and those of us who stayed will always continue passing down the tradition. Either way, we're all proud of where we come from and that we didn't go to Davie High School.
