Stroud, Oklahoma. Home of the Stroud Tigers and the famous Rock Café. A town so small that we only have three stoplights and two main roads. If you have ever been to Stroud or had to go through it, you probably know how small it is. Whenever I moved to Stillwater, people would ask me where I was from and about half of the people who asked had never heard of Stroud. Stroud is a tiny town located between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Every small town has different things that make them unique, and different ways that teenagers entertain themselves while in these little towns. These are a few about Stroud.
1. You go to Sonic to eat, and/or just hang out.
Whether you’re going for a shake at 8 PM or just to chill outside in your cars with your friends, Sonic is a popular hangout spot. My group of friends would pull our cars into the stalls and sit in the Sonic parking lot long after they closed and just hang out.
2. Speaking of Sonic, you or someone you know has worked at Sonic.
I swear, almost all of my friends worked at Sonic at one point during our high school careers. I would always enjoy going to visit them, plus I’d get a free cup of mints during the visit, too.
3. Going to Walmart in Chandler was considered an adventure.
Since Stroud does not have a Walmart, going to the Chandler Walmart was like a mini road trip. Sometimes we would go when we really needed groceries, or sometimes we would go just to run around and cause trouble. Either way, it was fun.
4. Your favorite way to pass time is to drive around on back roads, listening to music.
Whenever we were bored, we would cure that boredom by driving down endless dirt roads with no destination.
5. Stroud Lake was the place to go during the summer.
The Tinhorn was everyone’s favorite spot to go to at the lake in the summer. It was a nice little secluded area attached to the lake that had a giant steel tinhorn that everyone liked to jump off into the water.
6. You own at least 50 different Stroud shirts from 5 different sports.
The people of Stroud are very supportive of the athletics in Stroud. Almost everyone has at least one shirt from a fundraiser. I don’t know what it is about shirts, but we just can’t say no.
7. Friday nights in the fall are strictly football nights.
These were some of my favorite memories from high school. Everyone in the town would come to support the football team, rain or shine, in town or miles away. In my opinion, we have some of the loudest and best supporters in the state.
8. Everyone knows you, your mom's name, and what you did last weekend.
I think anyone will agree with me that this was one of the most annoying things about growing up in a small town. You knew everyone, and they knew you. If someone new moved to town, give it a week and everyone would know about them, too. However, it also made the town feel like one big family because everyone was always watching out for one another.
9. You take the Stroud vs. Chandler rivalry very seriously.
If you aren’t from Stroud or Chandler, you probably don’t understand and never will. This rivalry has been alive for many years and is one of the most exciting football games of the season. If you ever decide to attend a football game in Stroud, you’ll want to go to this one. Trust me. Both sides are screaming in support of their hometown, and the game is always pretty intense. Win or lose, it’s always fun and exciting to go and watch!
10. The alumni parade is one of the most important events of the year.
The alumni parade is probably one of the biggest events that takes place in Stroud. During alumni weekend, all the graduates from previous years come back home. Floats are built and shown off in the alumni parade for everyone to see.
11. Going to a bigger city (OKC or Tulsa) and getting excited because of all the different fast food options.
Taco Bell? Chick-fil-A? Starbucks? There are so many options that weren’t available to us before! It’s always hard to decide what to eat.
12. You know your way around on the backroads.
When it comes to backloading, you're a pro. You knew those roads so well that you could probably drive down them in your sleep.
13. All your teachers had heard about you before they even had you in their class.
Especially if one of your older siblings had been in their class.
14. High schools that have 600+ in a graduating class scare you.
Whenever people tell me that they graduated with a class of 600 or more, it completely blows my mind. I can’t imagine going to a school that big or going to a high school and not knowing everyone.
15. Almost everyone is involved in FCCLA.
FCCLA was one of the biggest groups in my high school. EVERYONE was in FCCLA, because it was so much fun to be apart of! We would always plan fun events and participate in community services opportunities. Everyone loved to say that they were apart of such a great organization.
