Netawaka

Netawaka has a nice, big park. A sign near the edge of town declares it to be "A Purple Heart City." It has gravel roads and some lovely homes. There's also a well-kept ball field near the Netawaka Fitness Center, and the fitness center itself is advertised by Burma-Shave-style signs with poetry along the main road. We also saw a fire station, city hall and post office.

In the surrounding countryside, we saw fields of hay and corn.

As we've traveled through the state this year, we've seen a lot of "Trump 2020" and "Trump 2024" flags flying. Folks in rural areas hold their political convictions dearly. However, Netawaka was the first town where we ever saw a political debate going on between two neighbors, by way of their yard decor. One home was flying a faded and slightly wind-ripped Trump 2020 flag. Across the gravel road, there was a large hand-lettered sign featuring a vulgar poem that begins, "On November Third, flush the orange turd..." It says something about our current cultural moment that these decorations were still up nearly a year after the presidential election.