Some signs of contradiction

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Have you ever had this trouble? I mean, have you ever driven by something for months or even years and not really seen it? Has your wife ever gotten a new hair-bob (that dates me, doesn’t it?) and it was two weeks later when you said, “Hey, honey, I like your new haircut,” only to have her look at you with “that look” and not say a word?

We take so many things for granted. We becomeso much a part of our surroundings that we really don’t see the forest for the trees. Sometimes we don’t even see the trees.

All of us can probably recall an experience of being hit in the face with something that has been so obvious that it’s a complete surprise when someone calls it to our attention.

I won’t belabor the point except to relate an experience I had just afew days ago. It goes back to that little trip out of the area when, while driving around, I happened to notice town population signs.

They’ve never really registered before. Who knows why they hit me between the ears this time. But they did. And this, of all things, led to wondering: Have Gravette’s new 2010 census population figures been posted at the four highway entrances to town?

Of course, I did the logical thing you probably would do. I checked it out. And what an interesting surprise it was.

Driving to the north city limits on Highway 59, the bright green sign proclaimed: Gravette, 1,810. That was the community’s official population at the turn of the century, 2000.

I then headed west and, when coming back into town on Highway 72, another sign caught my attention: Gravette, 1,892. Who says we’re not a growing community?

Then on a trip east out Highway 72, followed by a turnaround, I was greeted with another sign. That sign gave Gravette’s population, 1,893. Somehow we picked up another person on the short drive across town. Growth is good even if just one person.

I could hardly wait to read the sign along Highway 59 south of Gravette.Could we have reached the 1,900 mark?

I drove south to Bethel Road, flipped the car around and headed back into Gravette. Surprise of surprises, I could hardly believe my eyes. Would you believe Gravette apparently ceased to exist? Not a sign of a sign. No Gravette. No population. Talk about population deflation!

The real question is how and when and why did three of the four sign locations show different numbers as Gravette’s population? And, when did the south sign disappear?

Is it the same way at your town? I didn’t check out the signs at the other Westside Eagle Observer communities. Maybe you can check and let me know if things are as mixed up there as here.

Let’s hope when the AHD (that’s the Arkansas Highway Department) erects new entrance signs for our towns they will all reflect correct 2010 census figures.

In the meantime, call it to our attention when things you see seem askew - like when, a few years ago, Spavinaw Creek was renamed “Savinaw” by the AHD. Someone noticed and it was quickly corrected.

Dodie Evans is the editor emeritus of the Westside Eagle Observer and may be contacted by e-mail at [email protected].

Opinion, Pages 6 on 10/12/2011