Helysoune
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 223
- Location
- Charlotte, NC
I just finished reading this thread, and I have to say it's a lovely idea! So that's why I'm reviving this. Hopefully, I won't need to break out the defibrillator.
Anywho, I've got a few ideas of my own I thought to share...I hope I don't get too long-winded.
First, dress code. We all have different eras we like to wear, so it's not fair to say, "We must dress to 1938!" Rather, a sort of general wording in the town charter seems more appropriate. For instance, "We must be appropriately dressed in attire pre-dating 1959 in style. All adult males must wear a hat in public." etc. That gives a lot of leeway for personal style, while still giving the feel that's desired.
Second, tourism. It's inevitable. But, if it's done properly, it won't be garish and horrid. There could be a "staging area" of sorts outside of town where the tourists would park their modern vehicles and either rent vintage ones or take the public transportation (I'm thinking of the woody station wagon like they had in 'White Christmas') into town. That way, we keep the modern cars from jamming the streets and the loud bass and speakers blaring rap modern music out of town and it won't detract from the ambiance. Perhaps a bicycle shop with rentals in town is necessary...it's a great idea for the locals anyway.
Also, seatbelts are required by most states (if not all) in modern cars, and I personally won't get in any vehicle, even a vintage one, without one. Moving on...
Cell phones (on vibrate, or maybe a simple, classic telephone ring, not some annoying rap song ringtone, for instance) and the internet should be permitted, and not just because I'm sure many of us would shrivel up and die without them. This isn't to distance ourselves from technology, or to make a strict re-creation of a particular time and place. Rather, it's to create the best of the past, and fill in with the best of now. For instance, I don't really think anyone would argue against the use of modern medicine, such as cancer screenings, diabetes medications and polio vaccines for children. My grand-uncle, Paul, contracted polio around age 9 in the 30's. It left him rather disabled and completely deaf. He could still take care of himself and lived on his own until he died, but I'd never wish such a preventable fate on anyone.
Onto power plants and other methods of making money. Now, my idea leans toward a sunnier locale, even though I myself would like that one month of snow at Christmastime. Outside of the town, perhaps even away from the "staging area" for the tourists, we could set up wind and solar power generating. Being green energy, there are tax breaks and incentives for setting them up, and possibly government funding, though I'm not sure about the latter. If more energy is generated than needed by the town, it can be sold back to the electric company. Electric companies love buying green power, because it gets them tax breaks, too.
Also, in that same area, a recycling center would be a good idea. This is the sort that takes in trash and processes it, burning the un-recyclables to also generate power. With today's technology, this is also considered green energy. There are massive air scrubbers that remove the particulate from the smoke and keep from belching out black smoke from the center. That same ash is in itself a saleable product.
Oh! And the shops in town, at least the department store, ought to stock proper foundation garments and stockings. Else the seamstresses should be prepared to take orders.
I can do a lot of things, so I'll just fill in once everyone else is all sorted. That is, of course, if I'd ever be able to talk my hubby into this idea. *laughs*
In all seriousness though, I think that it could really be a workable idea. In theory, it could have one of, if not the lowest, crime rates in the country. Think about it - a bunch of people creating a real community, the kind where you look out for your neighbor and work together toward a common purpose, rather than trying to get ahead and beat everyone else out with a snooty attitude on top of it all.
I've gotten so many ideas in reading this, and I should have been taking notes, but I wasn't. I'll try to post them as I remember.
Anywho, I've got a few ideas of my own I thought to share...I hope I don't get too long-winded.
First, dress code. We all have different eras we like to wear, so it's not fair to say, "We must dress to 1938!" Rather, a sort of general wording in the town charter seems more appropriate. For instance, "We must be appropriately dressed in attire pre-dating 1959 in style. All adult males must wear a hat in public." etc. That gives a lot of leeway for personal style, while still giving the feel that's desired.
Second, tourism. It's inevitable. But, if it's done properly, it won't be garish and horrid. There could be a "staging area" of sorts outside of town where the tourists would park their modern vehicles and either rent vintage ones or take the public transportation (I'm thinking of the woody station wagon like they had in 'White Christmas') into town. That way, we keep the modern cars from jamming the streets and the loud bass and speakers blaring rap modern music out of town and it won't detract from the ambiance. Perhaps a bicycle shop with rentals in town is necessary...it's a great idea for the locals anyway.
Also, seatbelts are required by most states (if not all) in modern cars, and I personally won't get in any vehicle, even a vintage one, without one. Moving on...
Cell phones (on vibrate, or maybe a simple, classic telephone ring, not some annoying rap song ringtone, for instance) and the internet should be permitted, and not just because I'm sure many of us would shrivel up and die without them. This isn't to distance ourselves from technology, or to make a strict re-creation of a particular time and place. Rather, it's to create the best of the past, and fill in with the best of now. For instance, I don't really think anyone would argue against the use of modern medicine, such as cancer screenings, diabetes medications and polio vaccines for children. My grand-uncle, Paul, contracted polio around age 9 in the 30's. It left him rather disabled and completely deaf. He could still take care of himself and lived on his own until he died, but I'd never wish such a preventable fate on anyone.
Onto power plants and other methods of making money. Now, my idea leans toward a sunnier locale, even though I myself would like that one month of snow at Christmastime. Outside of the town, perhaps even away from the "staging area" for the tourists, we could set up wind and solar power generating. Being green energy, there are tax breaks and incentives for setting them up, and possibly government funding, though I'm not sure about the latter. If more energy is generated than needed by the town, it can be sold back to the electric company. Electric companies love buying green power, because it gets them tax breaks, too.
Also, in that same area, a recycling center would be a good idea. This is the sort that takes in trash and processes it, burning the un-recyclables to also generate power. With today's technology, this is also considered green energy. There are massive air scrubbers that remove the particulate from the smoke and keep from belching out black smoke from the center. That same ash is in itself a saleable product.
Oh! And the shops in town, at least the department store, ought to stock proper foundation garments and stockings. Else the seamstresses should be prepared to take orders.
I can do a lot of things, so I'll just fill in once everyone else is all sorted. That is, of course, if I'd ever be able to talk my hubby into this idea. *laughs*
In all seriousness though, I think that it could really be a workable idea. In theory, it could have one of, if not the lowest, crime rates in the country. Think about it - a bunch of people creating a real community, the kind where you look out for your neighbor and work together toward a common purpose, rather than trying to get ahead and beat everyone else out with a snooty attitude on top of it all.
I've gotten so many ideas in reading this, and I should have been taking notes, but I wasn't. I'll try to post them as I remember.