Yet another sign that summer is fast approaching: the return of the flower pots hanging on the light polls along Main Street in Historic Downtown Sheridan. Walking home today from the gym, I was excited to see the petunias–I think they’re petunias–hanging in their baskets and John Smith from the Downtown Association feeding them with fresh water.

I have to say, our little downtown is one of my favorite things about Sheridan. I have spent some time in quite a few historic downtown’s: There is Old Town Albuquerque with its grand plaza and spired church; Old Sacramento lined with restaurants and bars; And downtown Salinas where John Steinbeck spent time as a boy; the list is long. But I have to say, our downtown certainly holds it own. In fact, what makes Sheridan’s more special, I think, is the fact that our downtown is still where people actually go to transact their daily business.  Our Historic Downtown is not just a tourist trap with shop after shop selling shot glasses and trinkets.

The buildings that most of use still frequent today to shop, bank, grab lunch, or enjoy a coffee are the very same building that Sheridanites were using back in the late 1800s, when the town was just getting started. We have something like 100 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. And the spot where I took today’s picture was only steps away from the oldest building in downtown; a building that was built in 1883 and is still being used as a pharmacy today.

Our downtown is still the heartbeat of the city, just like John D. Loucks planned for it to be, when he plotted it out on the back of some brown wrapping paper back in 1882.