BY BOB SHAW
Judy Tschumper is chasing a dream.
'It's all right here!' she shouted, over the happy racket of a small-town street party in Lakeville on a hot August night.
Around her was a nostalgic vision of Elvis music, flowerpots, dancing children and food stands -- a throwback to what Lakeville and America used to be. As an old man did the twist beside her, she reveled in the restoration of the everyone-knows-you small-town way of life.
Indeed, that is what most of Minnesota yearns for -- even when it doesn't make sense.
The small towns of yesteryear are gone, yet they grip the imaginations of Minnesotans. From Hudson to St. Paul to Edina, cities fret about losing their small-town charm. Arguments rage and millions of dollars are spent in efforts to preserve or build it.
The rise of the automobile unraveled small towns. When customers could drive to bigger stores, they traded their small-town loyalty for convenience and lower prices.
Meanwhile, air-conditioning and TV kept people indoors. Yards and houses became immense. Neighbors became strangers.
Today, small towns -- like small family farms -- have lost their economic reason for being. Yet Archer said they persist, often with government subsidies.
Is the time right for Centerville to head in the same direction?
