Winter continues after a brutal cold snap and an unusual warm streak this past week in Medstead. With kids back at school after bus time freeze outs and fewer folks trapped by the weather, it gives the community a chance to appreciate the charms of a small village.
Food has forever been a method of interpersonal connection; the ritual of family dinners, 鈥渂reaking bread with loved ones鈥� has long meant creating deepened connection through shared time. The double-edged sword of living in a small municipality is the opportunity to have tightly-knit community ties verses the limited patronage thereby to sustain local businesses in order to keep activities and expenditures within the community.
Medstead shows its ingenuity by circumventing the aforementioned 鈥渃atch 22鈥� and making opportunities while not stepping on the toes of other businesses. Mondays, when the tavern is closed, the village store is opened. On Sunday when the store is closed, the tavern remains open. The local bar serves homemade pizza and the store has ready-made sandwiches, soup and dessert.
On Wednesdays, the village store has its food Wednesdays where the southwest corner of the store converts to a proverbial restaurant. Food Fridays at the school keep the youngsters content while raising funds for the institution.
Now, in addition, rink lunches have commenced on Tuesdays. Firstly making homemade burgers and fixings and following with the western theme of pulled pork keeps well with the culture of the area. The village is, though small, seamless in its support of its businesses both by way of patronage and that from within the business community.
With taking advantage of the varying opportunities the seasons bring and continued aligned interests by way of selective scheduling events, Medstead is a continuing success. The local features make it so no matter what time of the year or day of the week there will always be a feature of interest to put a smile on the face of visitors and locals alike.
