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Letter: There are lots of sounds in town

June 29, 2007

Dear Editor,

Please tell me what has happened to my hometown? I have been gone from Danville some 36 years. I've told anyone and everyone what a great place Danville was to grow up in, go to school, and live in.

What is it with people any way? Would they rather hear shootings, screaming, 90 to 100-plus decibel rock music, bombs or rockets going off in the next block?

I was reminiscing about my youth in Danville. Telling my children that every day at noon the siren atop the fire station on Main Street would go off. That told all it was noon and time for lunch. If memory serves me correctly the Danville Laundry on North Third had whistles too. Again at 6 p.m. the siren would go off meaning quitting time. If you lived in close proximity of the fire station you simply stuck your fingers in your ears. Lexington Avenue Baptist Church played chimes twice daily never lasting more than a minute or two. Maybe not everyone, but at our home we could rest easy.

We lived close to the rail yards. Our choice since Dad worked for the railroad. There were many troop trains coming and going. The steam engines were noisy plus dirty. Steam engines were used to switch cars from one train to another or to a siding.

The day when farmers brought their stock in to the stock yard was another source of noise. Oh, don't forget when all semi-trucks went right down Main Street, Maple Avenue, Lexington Avenue, Third and Fourth streets. That was noise. But that was life.

In hindsight I think our parents and those my age were just glad we didn't have to worry about bombs being dropped on our town, or snipers going door to door killing anyone, or having a Bible or Crucifix in our homes. So what was a little noise if it meant we were safe.

I still love my hometown.

Phyllis Hoover

North Carolina

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