By Philip Parker

Seymour sure is a lot different now than it used to be. Many spaces around town, once open, are now filled with the hustle and bustle of businesses and people, all in the name of progress. In my opinion, the most notable difference is the area now occupied with the Kroger shopping center. I remember the great open field that used to be in it's place. A memory of a piece of land that once contributed to Seymour being known more for it's farmland than it's busy, growing community.

I remember those weekly trips to the Pixie Drive-In, when my grandmother would pick me up from school in her Chevrolet Station Wagon and take me to get a milkshake and a corndog (if I had behaved at school of course). Those were the good ole' days. I remember when I turned 16 and got my drivers license, my friends and I would gather at Collins Food Mart after school for a burger and a milkshake and if our parents didn't have chores for us at home, we would often stay to hear the older folks of the area pick bluegrass tunes on their guitars and banjos. To this day, I still haven't found anywhere that served up a better burger than the folks at Collins during it's heyday. 

I remember not having to wonder where we were going to rent a movie at on Friday nights. There were no Blockbusters or video rentals in grocery stores in those days. Back then, for a Friday night movie, there was always the "Video Tape Barn." The store is long gone, but the building that housed it still stands next to the Dollar General Market, and now houses a pawn shop. I don't know that I've ever been in that pawn shop, but I do know that every time I pass that building, I remember going there as a kid with my father and picking out the latest and neatest movies! I remember being so excited when "Video Ventures" opened up on the spot where Walgreen's now stands. It was at the time the biggest movie rental store I'd ever seen.  

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