West of 98 James M. Decker

Today's episode is the first in-depth discussion on a specific topic of importance to rural communities, swimming pools. This details why swimming pools are important to a community, discussing the concept of "third place." It also discusses the story of the city pool here in Stamford, Texas, how admission became free in 2018, and the impacts on the community of free pool admission.

Read more about the idea of third place here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place

If you would like to learn more about the sad, infuriating history behind segregated swimming pools, read here (warning: it's not enjoyable): story https://theconversation.com/the-forgotten-history-of-segregated-swimming-pools-and-amusement-parks-119586

Check out the Facebook page for the Stamford City Pool to learn more about our summer events and big goals that will be announced later in the summer: https://www.facebook.com/stamfordcitypool

Subscribe to my weekly essays and contact me here: westof98.substack.com

This episode is the oral version of my essay on Memorial Day 2021. It discusses the origins of Memorial Day as “Decoration Day,” a remembrance of Civil War dead that has its roots in the Appalachian decoration day ritual of decorating ancestors’ graves. The episode concludes with a recitation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Decoration Day.”
The episode begins with a discussion of last year's essay on Memorial Day, centered around the poem "In Flanders Fields." That essay can be read here: https://westof98.substack.com/p/decoration-day-2020-poppies
The referenced story in The Bitter Southerner, "Grave Concerns" by Jennifer Crossley Howard, about the decoration day traditions that persist today in the Deep South: https://bittersoutherner.com/grave-concerns-southern-decoration-day-tradition
The text of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Decoration Day" poem: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/05/a-memorial-day-poem-by-longfellow-from-the-atlantic-june-1882/239636/
As a special bonus, "Decoration Day" from the Drive-By Truckers, with Jason Isbell singing lead. It's not about the holiday, but it tells the story of a violent feud between Southern families and the veneration of ancestors and death plays an integral role in the story: https://open.spotify.com/track/3jemxe3JnL0QXCDh1DdEgV?si=557308f4a3f74290

Welcome to West of 98. This inaugural episode outlines the podcast to come and the topics to be covered: rural revitalization, public policy, history, literature, music, Theodore Roosevelt, native grasslands, and more. Subscribe now and be ready for upcoming episodes on city pools and Allsup’s burritos. Email me at westof98@substack.com. Subscribe to my writing at westof98.substack.com, and find me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.