The Only Show in Town

At one point today, Ron M. declared that Afton Station was "the only show in town".  And on a quiet winter Saturday he was so right.   We had an unusually large number of local kids stop in today, which is what inspired  Ron's statement.   It's kind of sad for kids in Afton when they're not in school, since there really isn't anything for them to do except wander around the streets and, for those who are more courageous, come in to the Station, the only place open, and look around.  We love having them, but we are also reminded of what "old timers" have told us about Afton once having a roller rink, a movie theater, several department stores, and everything else that a real town needs.   Not so in today's Afton, when the best a kid can do is stop in and put a few quarters in our penny pinching machine in order to have a little souvenir of the town they live in.

We especially loved having the kids today since there were scant few other visitors darkening our door.  A gentleman from Baxter Springs dropped in.  He's a volunteer at the Route 66 visitors' center in Baxter Springs, Kansas.   It was very nice to meet him and exchange stories about what fun it is to greet people from all over the world.

A couple from Minot, North Dakota (with their little grandson from Grove, OK) stopped because the gentleman wanted another look at the Packards after visiting last  year.  It seems he's restoring a 1955 Packard, so  he spent a good deal of time looking at ours and assessing what parts he still needs for his own restoration.  I sent him off with some back copies of the Packard Club newsletter which always have lists of parts for sale. I hope it's of some help to him.   Very nice folks!.

It was unseasonably warm today (over 70 by the time we left this afternoon!),  so Ron "Tattoo Man" Jones decided to drive his Stallion Trike down for a little visit.  Pretty soon the weather won't allow him the joy of tooling down the road on that magnificent bike!

Tomorrow will be our last regularly scheduled opening until February.  We are dispensing with regular hours for December and January because the rate of visitors falls off to almost nothing in the winter.  In the past week, we've sold exactly $25.50 in merchandise, which hardly makes a dent in the expense of driving the 170-mile round trip for me to get here (even with gas at about $2.45 here now), plus the expense of heating these three large buildings.  We will, however, happily open for those who are passing through and can give us a couple of days advance notice.   Robin and Sue both live close to the Station and are willing to open when needed over the winter.  So please don't hesitate to call me at either 918-382-9465 or 918-284-3829 and leave a message if there is no answer.   I'll still be writing blog posts, but not with much regularity.

  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Stop in tomorrow for our final day before the winter closure.