There are people with the idea small towns are quiet places, places where the pace is slower and life is simpler. Driving through Maidstone during July and August may add to the myth. During the summer months people flock to their cabins and haul their trailers as far as a whim will take them.
September and October are completely different as activities reorganize and the sleepy little town is shaken awake for most of the year.
It amazes me how many activities and organizations there are in rural areas. There are of course the hockey teams propped up by the dreams and legends of small town players who make the big leagues.
Offerings include a variety of other sports, dance and other cultural experiences and service clubs. If a person's interests aren't served by the community it isn't too far to drive east or west to find a place to spend time developing talent and character.
It can mean a longer road for teams from small town often competing with other small towns stretched out across the plains. Competition is important and on certain days of the week students, parent drivers and coaches of the high school teams can be seen getting ready to head hours down the highway in all directions.
Strong commitment to community pride and quality of life and experiences for the young people drives the energy level and pace of the town to a sprint. That phenomenon is never more obvious than during Mega-Volley weekends in Maidstone.
The tournament puts Maidstone on the volleyball map, allows the home team to show their hospitality and lets them compete without having to drive.
I was a busy youth but not nearly as busy as some of the young people I know today. I am a busy mom and even though I have only two children, and they aren't involved in some of the more heavily scheduled sports and activities, we feel like we're running just trying to catch up most of the time.
Sometime we stack activities tightly to keep them alive in the community and to make sure we have the experience because it isn't always offered here.
Adult activities are less common and so I myself, a hater of exercise, doing two days of boot camp and one session of yoga every week this fall. It isn't really my pace but I've actually learned how hard running and sprinting is and I'd say the words describe our life pace pretty well, without all the huffing and puffing, of course.
