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Last week I was in Montfort doing some research for this week's Small Town Living. I stopped at the Montfort Public Library first, since I figured I could dig up some old books with Montfort history, look at some old photographs, etc. Local history is always a good starting point for me. I always learn something interesting that I hadn't known before.
After the librarian directed me to the bookcase with all the local history, I picked up an old self-published book with Montfort history inside. I had paged through most of it when the librarian approached me.
She informed me that it was noon and a group of folks from the area would be upstairs eating lunch. It was something they did every day at the Community Building and they would probably be interested in telling me a little Montfort history, she said.
We went upstairs and into the large room where an ADRC meal was to be served that day. Several people were there, including Kay Sarris, who was in charge of getting the meal ready.
The librarian introduced me and everyone smiled. A couple copies of the Chronicle were scattered across the table and they were all familiar with my Small Town Living series.
Everyone had lots of stories to share, good and bad, old and new. Before we knew it, the meal was ready and Kay invited me to stay for lunch.
Kindness is a common theme when I set out to explore a small town for the first time. And it's one of the things I've grown to love most.
I wanted to thank the wonderful group I met on Thursday for their kindness and willingness to share stories with a young gal like me. I loved listening to your stories, exploring your history and enjoyed your company, but I especially appreciated your kindness. Thank you for being such a remarkable group of people!