Rensselaer makes a top 15 list

Rensselaer has arrived--it made a list of Top 15 Small Cities in Indiana. And it was number 3. But before you get too excited, the description of our little city is full of errors:

During the PBS segment, Nunemaker introduced the French Lick Railway that passes through Rensselaer. Locals and tourists alike still ride the century-old train through the Hoosier National Forest, but the historic transportation route also has a charming surprise in store for passengers who ride select weekend trains. Modern-day rail workers and actors immerse unsuspecting riders in an interactive reenactment of a historic attack by horseback bandits.
Terry McKnight, a Rensselaer local in charge of the “rangers” who stage the robbery and charge the train, explained to PBS that the reenactment always ends with a dramatic faux chase and shoot-out, delighting families and educating youngsters about the small city’s history.

When I rode the French Lick train, one of the highlights along the route was the boyhood home of Larry Bird. I do not recall that it passed through Rensselaer, though. But who cares. We are number 3, even if the person doing the ranking has no idea what he is talking about.

On to other things. The Crazy D's gas station at the mile 205 Interstate interchange is now an Amstar gas station. It remains the only business at that intersection.

There is a student art show at SJC for a few more days. I did not find anything of great interest.

 I was out of town for most of Wednesday, and when I got back the road over the new culvert looked like it was almost ready to be resurfaced. The pile of big rocks probably will be used to stabilize the banks so the sides do not erode.

 If someone crashes through the barricades now and somehow avoids the excavator, they might not crash and die.

The Dollar General store will have some masonry in front. Maybe we are getting the deluxe model. (Someone told me that Dollar General has four standardized plans for stores.)

The trees are starting to leaf out--we finally have some green in the groves of trees in the country. Quite a few people have already mowed their lawns. Are you ready for summer?