I miss the old town square. We have a town square but it is not the same. The square use to be the center of everything in town. If you went anywhere to buy something, or just to hang out, the square was the place to go.

Entering from the side of town closest to where I lived, first stop was Woolworth. I'd go in and while mom and dad talked to the ladies at the front, I would look at the toys and then go back to the rear where the pets were. Birds and fish of all kinds. I loved to look at the fish.

Around the corner past a few other shops we came to Roses. It was a huge shop with a second floor that as kids we loved to run up and down the stairs. The big draw for Roses was the popcorn and sodas. Other than that it was mostly clothes which only parents cared about.

Moving along we had Pools. Pools was cool because it was one store in three buildings. You had the women's clothes store, the men's store and them a whole third building for shoes. Getting shoes from Pools was a big deal as they were very fancy and quite expensive.

Swinging around the corner you pass the fountain. It was a pretty fountain but half the time it was not running. Seems everytime they got it going well someone would dump washing powder in it and they would have to shut it down and clean it again. But when it was running and the lights were on, it was a joy to watch. In the summer you could sit on the granite benches, drink a soda, eat a sandwich or snack and enjoy a nice breeze as it blew through the fountain and cooled things down.

Moving across you came to Ward's Pharmacy. Ward's was my favorite. All kinds of odds and ends and best of all, a real soda fountain with the stools, the soda jerk, and even booths. You could get a soda, or one of the specialty drinks such as Lemon Sours, Pink Mules, and such. You could get an ice cream cone, a sundae, or even other snacks. And they had the best comic book section. I would go every Thursday for the new delivery, and the owner, Mr. Ward, would let me open the package to get first shot at the comics. I always felt daring, because the same package also contained the "under the counter" magazines. The ones I was not supposed to know about or be old enough to see. I never peeked. And Mr. Ward was always full of stories. He would pull out albums and show me pictures of when the town square was only a couple stores on one side and three open fields.

Finally you came to Gallant Belks. Oh I loved going into Belks. I loved to look at the different sections. Mens, womens, accessories, decor, and they had an elevator. They had a real elevator. It went all the way up to the second floor and down to the basement. You've probably heard the term, "bargain basement"? Well Belks had one. The basement contained the toys, and displays of sales items. I remember going to a "midnite madness" sale. Standing around the door, crushed by others who were trying to see through the door and pick items that they wanted to rush to. My mom and I planned our attack and had our goals in site. At midnight the doors were opened and everyone ran for the items they wanted. For about 2 hours it was sheer, enjoyable madness. Getting a suit from Belks was a big deal. I was not a huge fan of suits, but I wore my Belks suit as if I was going to walk a red carpet and accept an award.

So that was my trip around the old square. Woolworth is gone. Roses is gone. The town hall is still there but is now the court house. The old hotel is now an insurance office. Wards is still there and they still have the best Pink Mules. Belks is now a music store, a Christian book store and a Pizza shoppe. It's much nicer with the lovely lamps, the trees, benches and stuff everywhere, but it is not my old square. it's nice, but not the same. It's never quite the same.