Our own vintage town

[Mike in Seattle]

I thought it was that she was selling a town, on eBay...

She bought her hometown in Georgia and then lost it in a bankruptcy proceeding when she walked out on a movie deal and was held liable for all the damages by the courts years ago.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

I can feel a racket coming on already. Will the city be dry?

No, there'd definitely be a water department....

 

[Mike in Seattle]

I can feel a racket coming on already. Will the city be dry?

OK, seriously...

A dry city? Of course not. Liquor gives the newspaper editor and candidates for various political offices something to rail against...while accepting political contributions from both sides to save the taxpayers from being overtaxed to support their extravagant lifestyless. You've got to have a couple bars and nightclubs for people to get all dressed up to go out to after or before dinner or the theatre, and of course, it livens up the town to have a dive or two for the cops to raid in good old vintage fashion with the aforementioned paddywagons and nightsticks flying. What vintage town is complete without Joe the bartender to tell all your troubles to?

 

[strider_ani]

The word vintage is very unspecific if you ask me. The term “Vintage” really has meaning when tied to a specific year. Like in this context: this Cadillac is of a 1940 Vintage. Or, this Hi-Fi is of a 1980 Vintage. And in this case, an old west town is of an 1880’s Vintage.

Of course a true period town where people live a 30s – 40s life style and such is very possible. It’s just a matter of money. There are whole towns in the Midwest that are abandoned that could be purchased for very little and could be refurbished to become such a place. Anything is possible, it would take money, time and work… lots of work to get it to a place where it could be livable and to where people would want to come and see it.

There would need to be a gathering of very knowledgeable types who know the craft of repair and maintenance of classic cars, appliances and such. Also some who know the craft of making natural fabrics such as it was at the time. There couldn’t be any modern conveniences such as computers and cell phones or anything connecting us with the modern world. It would truly be a place where people could escape the wilds of the world and find peace and experience what it was like in those days.

People would have to be them selves, no fakeness going on, I mean no one trying to play a roll of some fictitious person of that era. We’d also have a dairy where they could bottle milk and have milk routs, we’d have an open cab Good Humor ice cream man, a Helm’s Bakery truck that would deliver fresh bread from the bakery daily, there would be an Ice man who would ride around and deliver ice to those who had real ice boxes and not electric fridges. Remember, there were still plenty of people with ice boxes into the 40s.

There would be a radio station that would broadcast news, shows and band broadcasts. Not only old ones but, would broadcast from the ballroom in town of the bands that would play there. It would be the most amazing place to visit. Once the town was set up, I could see a real train station where there would be a fully functional rail road that would take people in and or out of the town by way of steam locomotives and heavy weight cars.

For it to start, I have talked with a good friend of mine and he always says that it would be good to find just an old hotel building some where and restore it correctly and a good deal of us all move into it. Have an operator on the main floor, could connect calls within the building, thus using the classic phones we’d have… and we’d have a garage where we’d park all of our classic cars. That would be a start to the town we’d all enjoy I’m sure.

This would be an absolute joy to either visit or live in for many people, but it would need to have a tourist element for it to be feasible like Diamondback mentioned. We have something like this in Australia. It's a place in Ballarat called Sovereign Hill where the gold rush was and you pay to get in. Its set out exactly like it was back in the day, with coach rides, panning for gold, bowling allies, and people dressed in the era clothes. However, there are a few "touristie" things like slightly modern merchandise being sold (Although it is hand made) and prebuilt tour rides that take you down into the mines where you can see the tools they used to mine and stuff.
(http://www.sovereignhill.com.au/)
Anyways, dunno if anyone's mentioned this yet but it needs a club. Like The Cotton Club or The Savoy Ballroom. That would be simply amazing.

 

[chanteuseCarey]

weather, climate, locale, etc.

Gee, if our vintage town could be something like this...

"It's true! It's true! The crown has made it clear.
The climate must be perfect all the year.

A law was made a distant moon ago here:
July and August cannot be too hot.
And there's a legal limit to the snow here
In Camelot.
The winter is forbidden till December
And exits March the second on the dot.
By order, summer lingers through September
In Camelot.
Camelot! Camelot!
I know it sounds a bit bizarre,
But in Camelot, Camelot
That's how conditions are.
The rain may never fall till after sundown.
By eight, the morning fog must disappear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.

Camelot! Camelot!
I know it gives a person pause,
But in Camelot, Camelot
Those are the legal laws.
The snow may never slush upon the hillside.
By nine p.m. the moonlight must appear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot."

 

[Diamondback]

I can feel a racket coming on already. Will the city be dry?

I hope not--I need something to at least try to make the nightmares go away, even if I know that it'll never be enough...

Point to anyone who can figure out the period-setting film song reference.

 

[Jedburgh OSS]

Have any of these been mentioned? This is a big thread.

Paper boys...and girls; real kids wearing canvas "saddlebags" delivering the daily rag on bicycles and flinging them onto w-i-d-e porches and into bushes.

A small airport a mile out in the country amidst the cornfields. The name has to end in "field" as in Wrong Way Corrigan Field.

And a town drunk. Any volunteers?

 

[FinalVestige79]

HAH

I know a couple of Otus' who would be perfect for it!

 

[Viola]

I still want a little farm with a roadside stand where I can sell fancy potted roses and plain homegrown pickled tomatoes side-by-side.

And maybe if you drop by real polite, some homemade booze, too. lol

 

[FinalVestige79]

I still want a little farm with a roadside stand where I can sell fancy potted roses and plain homegrown pickled tomatoes side-by-side.

And maybe if you drop by real polite, some homemade booze, too. lol

I know a guy whose got a working *cough* still *hackity cough*.....

 

[Viola]

Well, I certainly DO NOT and I am SHOCKED AND APPALLED, Officer! lol

 

[FinalVestige79]

Ahhh Geez the Dame called the screws!!! *peels off down the country road*

 

[jamespowers]

I can feel a racket coming on already. Will the city be dry?

NO!:cheers1:

 

[jamespowers]

I still want a little farm with a roadside stand where I can sell fancy potted roses and plain homegrown pickled tomatoes side-by-side.

And maybe if you drop by real polite, some homemade booze, too. lol

Hey! Hey! I already have the rose franchise.

 

[Viola]

Aw, all right. I'll just have an orchard and some beehives and print up those classic fruit-crate labels.

Hey, who owns the printing press?

 

[FinalVestige79]

..I knows a guy....

 

[jamespowers]

Aw, all right. I'll just have an orchard and some beehives and print up those classic fruit-crate labels.

Hey, who owns the printing press?

Beehives are good. I would be beekeeping right now if I didn't have two toddlers that do not belong near bees.
Someone near the beginning volunteered to run the newspaper.

 

[Viola]

I'm glad you're okay with that option, james, because Option C was to own the town creepy Victorian house and be the lady all the neighborhood kids think is a witch!

 

[FinalVestige79]

And has a bazillion cats?

 

[Viola]

I'm the one who grew the thorn vines over the windows and who put the fear of God into the kids who tried to cut across my garden. I'll probably get a creepy dog that howls.

The Cat Lady would be my sister! (She'd like that) and a haunted Victorian can support more than one crazy old lady.