Pamala PriceWhen I First Moved To Allen It Was Quite A Culture Shock. It Was Like Stepping Back In Time But Now, As Alumni Weekend Is Upon Us, I Got To Thinking About How Allen Has Grown In The Past 25 Years Since I Started To Call It Home.First Of Al

When I first moved to Allen it was quite a culture shock. It was like stepping back in time but now, as Alumni Weekend is upon us, I got to thinking about how Allen has grown in the past 25 years since I started to call it home.

First of all, we have a school we can all be proud of. From the 46 seniors who just graduated to the Pre-K students, we have good kids taught by some exceptional teachers. We have some great athletic teams. The Mustangs try hard and make the fans proud with their playing ability and good sportsmanship. And our school is growing, both in the number of students and buildings. We have a new elementary building, an expanded junior high, and a new gymnasium.

We celebrate homecoming each fall with a parade and still have an annual high school reunion (this year is the 94 ^th alumni gathering).

The town is also growing and doing well. We have a new City Hall with a drive up window and a new fire station complete with up-dated trucks and equipment.

There is a beautiful Veterans’ Memorial on Hwy 48, and a very popular walking trail on Easton Street. The local park is well taken care of and enjoyed by area youth and the swimming pool opened this week. Our local cemetery is also very well maintained and looking good. The new entry gates are courtesy of a bequeath from Mrs. Bryce Luke.

We have an active Chamber of Commerce that sponsors a visit from Santa and, although not this year due to social distancing, an Easter Egg Hunt and a luncheon honoring area veterans on Memorial Day. And a number of dedicated Allenites are putting together a 4 ^th of July celebration and sponsor movies in the park on Fridays during the summer.

The new Industrial Park houses not only the Allen Fire Department but also J&S Exchange, TankWorks and Whitehead’s Meat Market, and the offices for ProCore Fuel and Allen Heating & Air Conditioning are located there.

Also on Highway 1 are two convenience stores, Allen Quick Pic and the Country Junction, Allen Farm & Ranch, Farmers Insurance Agency, Dollar General, the new location of my fabric store Prairie Notions, the Allen Nutrition Site for our senior citizens, the Allen Vet Clinic, and the oldest family-owned businesses in town, the Allen Camper Co. and Idle Time RV.

Make the corner coming south to main street and you will pass the Allen Insurance Agency, Sanders Car Wash, Allen Sto & Go, the All Washed Up laundromat, the Allen Community Pharmacy with the Allen Rural Family Health clinic attached, and Small Town Fitness.

Broadway is main street in Allen and we have businesses that have been here for many, many years, plus some that opened after I came to town. On the west end we have the Allen Health Clinic and Purvey’s Surplus & Storage, then Criswell’s Chapel. The main corner holds the Allen Food Center, Farmers State Bank, the Allen Advocate and coming soon, the Cajun Corner restaurant. Continuing east we have the Allen Tag Agency and Carolyn’s Flowers & Gifts, Jarrett’s Barber Shop, and That Extra Touch gift and craft store.

Main Street is also home to Allen’s City Hall and the Public Library. Just south of Broadway on Hwy 48 is Plunk’s Car Wash and the Allen Post Office is on South Easton Street.

Allen is also home to four beauticians (Mary Ingle, Carolyn Sanders, Heather Clifford and Hannah Heck), Pre-Mc Oil, Prentice Oil Company, Magellan Oil, Hinkle Plumbing, Gary’s Heat & Air, Barrett’s Electric, Todd Electric, Wells’ U-Haul Rental & Interstate Batteries, Rinehart Tire & Automotive Repair, Dava Beck’s catering, and Christina’s Cookies.

Allen is blessed to have eight churches, the United Methodist, church of Christ, Church of God of Prophecy, First Baptist, Richmond Free Will Baptist, United Pentecostal, Market Place Church, and Bethel Free Will Baptist.

Allen has a lot to be proud of. We are the second largest town in Pontotoc County and we need to support our town by shopping local when possible, keeping our tax dollars at home.

Whether you’re an Allenite born and bred or a transplant like me, we love our town and want it to keep growing.

Gerty Reunion Scheduled

The 2020 Gerty reunion will be held on Saturday, June 27 ^th , beginning at 10:00 a.m. and going all day.

It will be held at the Gerty Senior Citizens Center. Please bring a covered dish.