Lights blaring, ground breaking, history plummeting. 

Recently in the historic town of Glendale, monumental changes have been occurring. Land once harvested for crops is now filled with dump trucks, construction workers, and an unsettling structure. Growing up in Glendale, I have always known it as a place to get away from the world. 

However, the rising Ford Factory has ridden those thoughts. 

Once a quiet front yard, my property has now been turned into a construction zone. From the perspective of the youth, it’s supposed to represent newcomings, yet all that has been witnessed is destruction. The reflection of the town in a bird’s eye view is at stake. 

Familiarity is what is longed for and nothing is reflecting that point.

People who pass through Glendale are used to the tiny antique shops, the Whistle Stop, and the corn rows they have to pass to get there. Not the hair-raising large buildings that tower over the small-town regulars. Not the construction workers who stop traffic in the early morning for their destruction trucks to come in, forgetting about the day-to-day obligations people have to fulfill. 

As many people are aware, school is back in session. The thought of waking up early is already a hassle. However, now having other obstacles early in the morning. Like dangerously swerving around construction signs. Or leaving five minutes earlier so a car from a distant state doesn’t run you off the road so they can clock their neon-shirt in is everpresent. 

All of this work is supposed to bring thousands of jobs to the town; however, these thousands of people coming in have to be considered as well. Where are they going to live? Will our town be able to hold its small-town charm and handle the new personalities that come with it? 

Personally, these hardships are overwhelming. It’s hard to come up with answers to these questions as new ones keep arising. When my family and the townspeople who have lived their entire lives here are at risk of being removed, it heightens a sense of terror. 

Let’s see if Glendale will be able to uphold this double life of small-town charm and mega factory corporation.