To the editor:
This letter is written particularly for Mayor Mike Topliff, Mayor Pro-Tem Jessica Nease, the Chamber of Commerce and West Plains Community.
I have been coming to West Plains for years as I have family from this area and was born in Missouri. My husband and I come a few times a year to visit my elderly Aunt and Uncle and some of my cousins who still reside in West Plains.
We always have a wonderful time when we come not only because we come to visit family, but also because we enjoy visiting the shop in the Aid Hardware building, the area around the square, especially with the new coffee shops, Dev’s restaurant and the Book Nook. My husband often visits the bike shop which has been very helpful with repairs and information about great rides around the county.
We are sorry to see Aid closing, but look forward to something good which will take over that awesome space and history.
We drive around and love exploring the little neighborhoods that make up West Plains. We love the parks of West Plains, Galloway Park being a particular favorite. We certainly take advantage of the Mark Twain National Forest and those hikes, which are right on the doorstep of West Plains. My husband also enjoys the beer selection at Ramey and always brings back some local Missouri beer to enjoy in our New Orleans heat.
We usually come at Easter since it is such a beautiful time of the year with dogwoods and redbuds in bloom. This year, after we found out West Plains was in the zone of totality, we pushed it back a week to coincide with the eclipse. We started following on Facebook all the events that the town was hosting. It was an amazing number of events that your city put together. The city did such a great job with the artwork and with the promotion for all the events. We felt such a community spirit and had such a wonderful time at events such as the concert at the civic center, balloon glow, storytelling and the talk by the Astronomy Department of the Missouri State University.
My husband and I want to commend all of those who worked so hard to pull off four days of such great events. Also, to commend the West Plains community which have always been such wonderful hosts. We thank you for your efforts in making this an enjoyable experience and want to express how much we enjoy visiting the city of West Plains and the area.
