American Girl

Well, she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn’t help thinkin’
That there was a little more to life somewhere else..(Tom Petty – American Girl)

I am that girl who loves a good celebration, loves a good fireworks display, loves to watch as we celebrate our country on July 4th.

I have lived all over since I left college in the mid 80s. I was the girl with constant wanderlust going where the wind would take me, in a way. My travels and the cities I have lived in have made me who I am. All of my early adventures in big cities, all of my learning experiences, all brought me to this little local town that I have called home for a very long time, now. Well, almost 16 years, but a long time for a girl who likes to live on the fly.

I was a flight attendant, for a few years, and it was the perfect career for this people oriented, social butterfly, girl on the go. I got to travel, I lived all over the place, I got to meet so many different people, and I experienced so much in that time of my life.

The life of a flight attendant isn’t for everyone. It was a crazy life with crazy hours spent with all kinds of crazy people. (Crazy good, crazy bad, depending on the day, the flight, the moon:) But, one of my favorite yearly times to work flights were over the July 4th holiday.

I used to fly the LAX to JFK all night flights. I was based in LAX, we were all a junior crew, we ruled the DC-10, and by the time we landed in NY, we had 32 hours to roam the city. But, with the night flights, on that holiday, we could cross each state, each little town, each big city, and be treated to amazing firework shows as we passed through the night sky.

To me, it was like big sparks of magic, exploding in celebration. I used to just stare down, think about the town, think about the people, think about the pride that each town was displaying in honor of this very important holiday.

I have spent many July 4th holidays in mountains, on beaches, one Grateful Dead concert, on rooftops of old apartments, where I resided, but nothing ever compared to the view that I was lucky enough to experience from the sky, looking down.

I used to wonder about the people who lived in those towns, about their local customs, about their daily lives, as I watched the light show. After all the years of running and exploring, I think I have finally figured out that local pride is all around, no matter where you live, no matter what you do.

We have amazing local pride right here, in Champaign County! You can feel it, everywhere. You can see it, everywhere. I like to think that this little local market is where I make my local mark, show my local love, make it all about my local pride.

This little local market makes this wandering hippie girl, who became your market manager, full of local love for both the market and the customers who come to us through this market.

As you begin your celebrations, think about what makes you proud in your community. Think about how lucky our community is to have so much local pride. Take some time, just to reflect…

The market is open until tomorrow evening at 10pm. We are bursting with all things local, all things that make us proud to offer to you! Get your lists ready, place your order, and let us take the work out of the week, for you!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam