You Know You Are From Clovis

Sometimes the town of Clovis gets a bad rap. Disgruntled young airmen who are stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, or perhaps other young folks, restless and ready to move on, post critical comments online. There are some very ugly views of the town on YouTube, too. I do what I can to provide another point of view, with the My Clovis videos and with this blog. After all, in Clovis you can experience a quiet, laid back lifestyle that is practically stress-free. The sun is almost always shining, and the people are friendly. It's a very pleasant place to live.

I came across a nostalgic website the other day, set up for the sharing of memories and documentation of reunions for the Clovis High School's Class of 1959. After I had browsed through the photos and the memories, I came away with the impression of a group of people who love their town, their roots, and remembering the lives they have lived here.

I would like to share their list of things that make them so fond of Clovis. I did my best to find a way to get permission from the webmaster to quote a few things, but unfortunately there was no contact information on the site. If you know how I could get in touch, I would be grateful for that information. In the meantime, I'll give you the list and hope that they don't mind.

You know you are from Clovis when..........

Rainfall is measured in hundredths of inches.

You can start off the day wearing a coat and by afternoon you're wearing shorts.

An inch of rain causes streets to flood but it takes a foot of snow to close schools.

Friday night high school football is a sell-out and we win the majority of the time.

You think one of the major food groups is enchiladas.

The official town "bird" is an F-16.

You know what a Wildcat is.

You've ever dragged Main Street, made a u-turn and done it again.

You know Foxy & Twin Cronnies are drive-ins.

You think that opening weekend for quail and deer seasons are national holidays.

You find 98 degrees "a little warm," and 60 degrees downright freezing.

You think the only seasons are hot, @#%# hot, and winter.

You know if another person is from out of town, the second he or she walks in the door.

People are happy if a picnic gets rained out, even happier if it gets rained out twice.

You've seen dust, rain, sleet, snow and thunder all in the same storm. You consider trees & grass to be good things.

You prefer to drink tap water rather than buy bottled water.

You tell people you live in the brick house with a tan roof and attached two-car garage, and then realize that describes every house within a 2-mile radius.

You can see a million stars at night from your patio or back yard.

You don't feel out of place wearing a Resistol Cowboy Hat to the ballet.

You know where Ned Houk Park is.

You see more American flags in one residential block than you've seen in any Fourth of July Parade.

You've never seen smog.

You can see the sky from any vantage point in town.

You know the soil temperature on any given day but can't recall what you had for breakfast.

You've had to pull over and remove tumbleweeds from the grill of your car.

You've canceled golf games because of high wind & dust warnings.

Vacation means a weekend trip to Santa Fe or the mountains.

You know that the elevation of the plains is higher than the Hill Country down in central Texas.

You know barbeque! And pinto beans and corn bread.

People in passing cars wave to you--even if you've never met them.

You stop to watch the sunsets which are awesome.

You can lose your purse or wallet and a total stranger will return it.

When the sirens go off, you know it's a signal to go outside and look for the tornado or it's 4 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon.

You know that Hillcrest Park isn't on a real hill.

You know what a lion roaring sounds like from the city zoo.

You can go to the band concert and a country & western concert or fiddling contest in one weekend.

You've had several friends move off and move back within a couple of years.

You remember where the old high school was on Main Street.

Most of the vehicles on the city streets are pickup trucks, SUVs, tractors and the occasional horse.

Your folks know what you did before you get home.

Friday nite--dragging main street--you could find your kids--and KNOW for sure where they were.

You can stand on "Clovis Mountain" -- the railroad overpass--and view the entire town.

You want to go to Amarillo or Lubbock, but can't remember if you need to leave one hour earlier or later than your appointment.

The majority of the city streets are now 4 or 5 lanes--without the pavement width having been increased.

You know that Oasis Park has 2 trees.

21st Street is re-paved and four different utility providers dig it full of holes the next week looking for their lines.

A couple of teenagers don't need a ticket to ride the train to Amarillo. (thanks Lee)

You know you’re from Clovis if you know Bell Park isn’t a real park and there’s no bell there.