From Roots To Holidays, Water Valley Is Home
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Chamber Report
By Jessie Gurner
If you ask folks at the Chamber why we love Water Valley, you’d better pack a snack and be prepared to sit down and listen for a while, because we’ve got a lot to say. It’s not one big reason. It’s a whole collection of small, wonderful things that, together, make our town feel like home.
First off, let’s talk houses. Or rather, the lack of them. Not because Water Valley doesn’t have plenty of beautiful homes. It does. The thing is, once people move in, they don’t budge. Houses rarely come up for sale because nobody wants to leave. It’s not unusual for a “For Sale” sign to draw as many stares as a record-breaking watermelon.
And then there are the schools. We’re mighty proud to say the Water Valley School District earned a “B” accountability rating from the Mississippi Department of Education this past year. That makes three years in a row the district and the high school have been ranked “High Performing.” And we know the work, the heart, and the grit it takes to make that grade, year after year.
Of course, the real joy of living in Water Valley is the everyday stuff. A trip to the grocery store takes twice as long because you’ll run into everyone you know, and probably their cousins too. The lady in line ahead of you will comment on the weather, how hard it is trying to find something different to cook for dinner, and how it just doesn’t seem possible that Thanksgiving is just two months away, and you’ll answer every bit of it, because that’s just how things go.
Our downtown isn’t just pretty storefronts (though it’s got those, too). It’s the smell of coffee brewing on Main Street, the antique store that makes you lose track of an afternoon, and the lights glowing at night in Railroad Park. It’s neighbors gathering, planters adding color along the downtown sidewalk, and shop windows decorated so cheerfully you half expect them to wink at you when you walk by.
And because Water Valley never likes to do things halfway, the Chamber also has something very special in the works. This will be a brand-new event we can’t quite announce just yet. But trust us, it’s going to bring a sparkle all its own and add another reason to love fall in the Valley.
Then, just as we catch our breath from that excitement, Water Valley rolls straight into the magic of the holidays. There’s Christmas in the Valley, when the whole town shines and Main Street feels like a scene from a snow globe. The Christmas Tour of Homes will open doors to some of our prettiest porches and coziest living rooms, each dressed to the nines in holiday finery. Our businesses will spread cheer with the Holiday Open House, where shopping local gives everyone a chance to visit. And of course, the season wouldn’t be complete without our Christmas Parade which has enough floats and tinsel to make the North Pole jealous.
From the Chamber’s view, we get to see the best of it with new businesses opening, volunteers pitching in, and neighbors supporting neighbors. Water Valley isn’t just a good place to live. It’s the kind of place that makes living good.
So when we say we love this town, it isn’t Chamber fluff. It’s the truth, plain and simple. People come here, they put down roots, and they stay. And once you’ve tasted a slice of Water Valley life, you’ll understand why.
