Small Towns, Big Hearts: A Tribute to the Builders of Our Communities

The men and women who do their jobs well and are involved in their communities are anything but ordinary

Suzy Bomgardner, the outgoing library director at Unicoi County Public Library in Erwin, Tenn., at a crochet class offered by the library. (Courtesy of Suzy Bomgardner)

Drive down any interstate in the United States, and the sights are the same. Sure, the terrain and weather differ—Eastern Colorado sports the Great Plains and the Southern Rockies, and snow blowers are roaring in Minnesota even while tourists are basking in the sun of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. Apart from those differences, these highways are mostly one and the same.

The high speeds require a driver’s complete attention to the road, and the off-ramps generally feature the same bill of fare: fast food restaurants, chain motels, gas stations, and some occasional signage urging travelers to come see some local attraction.

Meanwhile, embedded all around this spiderweb of expressways are the United States’ communities and small towns. Some of these places are distinguished by odd names, such as Whynot, North Carolina; Truth or Consequences, New Mexico; and Popejoy, Iowa. Some have served as the stage for history’s dramas, such as Osawatomie, Kansas, and Williamsburg, Virginia.

For the most part, however, many see these towns, when they see them at all, as ordinary and dull, scarcely worth a glance. Eager to make Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Zelda’s country estate, the family from D.C. leaves I-81 and blows through Strasburg, Virginia, little noting the Victorian buildings and unaware of the many annual events hosted by the town.

Even some of the folks who reside in such dots on the map may have given little thought as to why their towns have survived or why they shine with vibrancy and pride.

The answer is simple, really. It lies in the talents and passions of those who love and care for these communities.

Let’s meet some of them.

Working Hand-in-Hand

Billed as the “Gateway to the Shenandoah Valley,” Warren County, Virginia, has a population of about 40,000. Take away 15,000 residents living in the county seat, Front Royal, and you’ll find the rest scattered among hamlets, neighborhoods, and farms.

Excluding Front Royal, which has its own police department, the rest of the county falls under the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s department. Here, head honcho Mark Butler, the department’s officers, and other personnel perform their required duties: helping out in emergencies, ticketing traffic violations, solving crimes, and fighting the illicit drugs that are now endemic in the United States. Elected 3 1/2 years ago and with a lifetime in police work outside of Warren County, Butler said in a recent speech, “Law enforcement is about honor, integrity, and courage.” Later, he said, “And I work for the people.”

Butler also works very much with the people through what he calls “community policing.” He speaks to many different organizations to explain the mission of the department, but then he takes it another step by asking them what specific problems they face and what solutions they might suggest.

“We’re trying to build a culture within our ranks to get the community to become one with the sheriff’s department,” Butler said. “I have two individuals, Lieutenant Robbie Seal and Sergeant Terry Fritts, who deal with community policing and outreach. The majority of our officers volunteer and want to be a part of this. We’re trying to build a culture within the ranks to get the community one with the sheriff’s office.”

The Warren County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Unity Masonic Lodge No. 146 by serving meals at the Thermal Shelter last month in Front Royal, Va. (Courtesy of the Warren County Sheriff's Office)

The department’s website lists numerous outreach and education programs reflecting this emphasis. Butler himself takes a particular interest in the senior center, where he often plays music and attends luncheons.

“The only way to make a community safe is everyone working together hand-in-hand,“ he said. ”Without that, we’re never going to get anywhere.”

Next stop: Banner Elk, North Carolina.

A Gem in the Mountains

“We’re there for people after the casseroles stop,” Janet Speer, professor emeritus of theater, said.

She’s speaking of the Stephen Ministries, a nationwide program that offers counsel and a listening ear to those who are grieving, depressed, or battered by life. After intense training, Speer has spent the past six years volunteering in this capacity. She also teaches an exercise class free of charge, which moved to Zoom during the COVID-19 lockdowns. “I have people in class from as far away as Wisconsin,” she said with a laugh.

Banner Elk’s permanent population is about 1,000. Often, the mountain town is bustling in the winter with skiers from the nearby slopes, and in the summer with hikers, campers, and part-time residents escaping the heat of the flatlands. The town is also home to Lees-McRae College, where Speer and her husband, Allen, a professor emeritus of humanities, each taught for more than 40 years.

Today, Allen said with rightful pride, this small town features art galleries, two active theater companies, live music in its restaurants, and outdoor concerts in an amphitheater throughout the summer. One unusual feature is the Book Exchange, housed in the historic Banner Elk School, a beautiful stone building in the middle of town. Staffed by volunteers, the Book Exchange allows patrons to swap books without charge for those on the shelves.

And the Speers have long been involved in this conversion of the town into a sort of permanent festival of the arts. With her decades of directing, writing, and performing plays, Janet Speer has helped make Banner Elk a center of the theater arts for the Southeast. Though retired from the college, she continues to operate the award-winning summer theater program. Meanwhile, Allen Speer has written books mostly centered on family history and his boyhood town of Boonville—he recently raised more than $100,000 for the renovation of its library—and is active in a writers’ group that meets at the Liars Table, a restaurant devoted to a “light-hearted tradition and spirit of community.”

In their teaching, the Speers affected the lives of two generations of students. In their countless hours of engagement and volunteerism, they’ve enriched Banner Elk’s “spirit of community.”

Time now to strike out west across the mountains.

The Little Library With the Big Heart

“I really think the library is the hub of our community,” said Suzy Bomgardner, the outgoing director of the Unicoi County Public Library in Erwin, Tennessee.

Susy lives in nearby Johnson City with her three sons and her husband, Tim, who directs a gap-year house there for young men discerning a vocation in ministry, but her affections for Erwin and its library clearly run deep.

“I love Erwin. It’s a quirky little town,” she said. “And in my experience, the library is unique. I’ve worked at all sorts of libraries, and this one is special. It’s warm and inviting, and the people who come in really want the best for each other.”

The seed library at Unicoi County Public Library offers patrons packages from Baker Creek and Eden Brothers, as well as locally collected seeds. (Courtesy of Suzy Bomgardner)

A crochet class brings together members of the community at Unicoi County Public Library in Erwin, Tenn. (Courtesy of Suzy Bomgardner)

Story, the Unicoi County library's cat, was treated to a birthday party late last month with cake, crafts, and catnip. (Courtesy of Suzy Bomgardner)

The Unicoi County Public Library organizes a “Yarn Bomb” event every March to celebrate National Read Across America Week, draping tree trunks, utility poles, and more with crocheted pieces. (Courtesy of Suzy Bomgardner)

Three other attributes set this library apart. For one, it occupies the town’s beautiful old train station. Stick around long enough, and a freight train will roll by just yards away from the building. For another, every March, the library helps deck out the town in crocheted art. Called the “Yarn Bomb,” the library celebrates “National Read Across America” week by draping tree trunks, utility poles, fences, and park benches with colorful crocheted mantles of yarn. Finally, a cat named Story resides permanently among the books. The library recently celebrated her 10th birthday.

Casey Groll, age 27, newly married and new to Erwin, works the front desk and is also the library’s teen and homeschooling coordinator. She and her husband wanted to own a house in a small town and found that in Erwin.

“People want to stick around here ’cause it’s special,” she said. “And I think it’s the fact that it’s a small town that’s genuinely a small town. It’s mostly local people doing business here. There’s something kind of dreamy about it.”

A few minutes later, she said, “People are very involved with the town. From church leadership to the senior center, everyone has their own pocket of things they do here.”

Faithful and Loving Servants

Suzy Bomgardner often puts in a 70-hour work week, with much of that time devoted to writing grants and planning events that will keep the library afloat. Casey Groll sparkles with enthusiasm for her job and the community she serves.

“This is my dream job,” she said. In their decades-long commitment to Lees-McRae and Banner Elk, Janet and Allen Speer have volunteered countless hours to community activities, especially in theater. Sheriff Mark Butler is on the job 24/7 with his department’s police work, his engagement in the community, and his time spent as a volunteer.

In other words, keeping a small town alive and well requires elbow grease, intelligence, and fire in the belly.

Like many readers, I closely follow the daily news in our country, and consider with more than a little dismay the often dreary headlines. Speaking with the people mentioned above, however, reminded me that across this land are millions of men and women just like them, ordinary people who are really not so ordinary at all seeking daily to do their jobs well, to improve the towns and cities where they live, and to boost the spirits of their communities, large or small.

In our present age of turmoil, they are my heroes.