I live in Hudson, Ohio. If you know anything about Hudson and you live anywhere in Northeastern Ohio other than here, that means you probably hate me. I've lived in Hudson for 15 years and you know what? Sometimes I think you're right to hate me.
Hudson's a beautiful little town and there are a lot of very nice people living in it. Unfortunately, some of its residents think they're better than people who live in surrounding communities. No, that doesn't quite capture it--they don't think they're better, they feel it in their bones. Nice, huh? Not surprisingly, that charming attitude has resulted in a general dislike of Hudson and everyone who lives in it by just about everybody else in Summit County.
Some people go to a lot of trouble to defend Hudson against its detractors. I've even done so myself. But these efforts were dealt a body blow last weekend, when our local merchants sponsored an Easter Egg Hunt. Picture a bright Spring day, then add upper middle class Hudson parents and children accustomed to getting instant gratification. Mix in the fact that there were candy and prizes in the Easter eggs, and you've got the potential for a really disgraceful display.
That's apparently what we got, as I'm told that this event degenerated into the kind of "ME FIRST!" orgy that gave our town its reputation. Parents were single-minded in their devotion to maximizing their kids' haul of eggs, without the slightest regard for whether the three-year old standing next to them got one.
In the words of the author of a letter to the editor that appeared in today's Hudson Hub-Times, the hunt was more aptly described as "a stampede." This author went on to say that "I didn't have time to witness the children's expressions and excitement. I'm not sure if my vision was blurred by the massive quantity of parents jockeying for position at the expense of the children or whether I was simply in fear for my daughters' lives."
Happy Easter from Hudson, Ohio.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
The Great Hudson Easter Egg Hunt
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8 comments:
Oh Hudson...
I grew up and live in Hudson and let me say I am shocked that this Easter Egg hunt turned sour.
I've defended the town a bit myself (and taken my own shots over the years), but your "feel it in their bones" remark is dead on.
Everything you say about Hudson is true, but you have to admit that a lot of those Hudson moms exhibit the same kind of slavish keeping up with the Joneses in regard to their bodies. The end result is a lot of snobbish tight bodies walking around the square.
Finally someone calls a spade a spade! I am from Stow (which makes me a certified "less than" in the eyes of Hudson residents) and I can tell you I dread every time I have to do business in Hudson. The residents are rude and the merchants are over-priced (not that the residents would notice). Money can't buy class, if you need proof, visit Hudson. If you think Easter is bad, visit Hudson during Halloween!
I know Hudson is snobbish and wealthy- but I'd rather live there than in the rest of Ohio- Akron, CF's- they have all gone to "you know what" and have turned into drug havens....by keeping things expensive and nice in Hudson- they keep out the meth addicts and keep it from turning into a ghetto like the rest of NE Ohio.
Hudson has been home to my family since the 1930's. I used to beam with pride when I told people, "I'm from Hudson, Ohio!" Back then, I was often met with "Isn't that the village with the colonial homes all painted white with black shutters?" to which I could begin to share the history of the place I believed to be the most beautiful place in the world. Neighbors were neighborly. Elderly Mr. Ridout, in pressed,white dress shirt and flat 1910 straw hat rode his black bicycle around town from his home on the corner of Elm and Oviatt Streets. I cannot recall a time when there were not a few self elevated "nouveau riche",but they were a minority Everyone knew everyone and that creates accountability. There are still old timers who are good neighbors, but greed filled our rural township with "Yuppie Villas." The haughty disregard for others is not limited to Hudson, but the concentration of these newcomers in Hudson has certainly marred the reputation of the lovely little village that once was...Remember Gott's Hardware, Wolf's Grocery, Bob Henry's Appliances, Weil's Jewelry, Dodd's Department Store, Searcy's Meats, Mary and Ted's Restaurunt, Isley's with the tall pointed scoops of ice cream, Evan's Savings & Loan, Saywell's Drugstore?...Leo's Restaurant survive!
A few things were lost from my comment: The last line was: "Kepner's Tavern & Leo's Restaurant survive". I had made edits in the "body", but they disappeared...I did edit. Please excuse the misspellings & typos...
Having been a nearly life-long resident, who moved away for awhile to the West Coast, and having recently returned after the birth of our daughter.
Hudson is where we want to raise her; being the ideal environment-- it has changed over the years: but I for one am glad to be rid of the Villagers mentality.
It has it's negatives, as highlighted in previous comments, but I do appreciate the diversity that has begun-- granted, as a community, there is so much more room to grow and develop, and I hope to be a part of that change. No community is perfect, but Hudson does offer an active and involved population, and that is where her strength lies.
Hudson is as close as you can get to a "New England town" (in Ohio, and is the only place I feel "at home" in this area. You can walk the streets on a sunny day with your dog and enjoy a nice lunch on the patio of your favorite restaurant. I love Hudson- and if I could afford it..would be the only town in Ohio that I would ever buy a home.
After seeing the other areas of Ohio go downhill so quickly and become so crime ridden and run down, I can understand why the Hudsonites protect their town with such passion. It is truly the only nice place left that is worth living in Ohio.
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