Small towns define Wisconsin by Brad Vogel

I went sucker fishing this weekend. The moon was bright as we gathered on the bridge in a sleepy country hamlet east of my hometown. A pickup truck pulled up with dip nets, and flashlights soon scanned the waters of the creek. A crew of old classmates caught up. In time, the rough fish, their age-old trek upstream interrupted, thrashed clumsily in buckets at our sides. It was not exactly a night at the Orpheum.

Rural and small-town life, often distilled to its stereotypes, takes a beating here in Madison. In four years, the gap between the boondocks and the isthmus — in mindset and more — has become increasingly clear with every passing day. As Wisconsin’s population takes another collective step “off the farm” and into the future, however, it would do well to reflect on what it is leaving behind. Even as Sconnies embrace Instant Messenger and ensconce themselves in high rises on University Avenue, we should remember where we came from.

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