Viroqua is a unique community. There is something happening here you don't see in other communities. It's hard to put your finger on exactly what it is, but most of all it's the mixture of people. "The sum is greater than the parts." That uniqueness has drawn a lot of people here from outside the area.

These days you can be strolling down Main Street and find an Amish family hitting the local hardware store next to a group of visiting fly fishermen looking like they stepped out the Orvis fly fishing catalogue. Where else can you see a Rasta tree-hugger with dreadlocks down to his butt buying supplies at Nelson Agri-Center next to a bib-wearin' Norwegian farmer wearing a seed corn cap? Changes are afoot.

To me and many others, it's easy to see a divide between those who were born and raised here and "outsiders" who have moved here. The "Ridgers vs. the Townies" let's call it, Ridgers being those who moved here to put their kids in the Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School (PRWS), and the Townies, who were born and raised here. It is a divide that no one wants to talk about, but it is there nonetheless.

Its not often I would say it but in this case I believe I am uniquely qualified to offer an opinion. I have one foot planted in both of these worlds. I grew up the youngest of 10 kids on a small dairy farm. The town I grew up in is not that far away and is even smaller than Viroqua. I understand the values that built this community.

On the other hand I have seen other parts of the world and enough of my nine siblings have moved to other parts of the country that I understand the world out there. I also have a child who attends PRWS and many of my friends and neighbors came here from somewhere else. This also gives me a solid perspective why folks come here.

I think human beings react differently when they are faced with something new to them. For some, they dive right in and have no problem with it, for others they pull back to wait and see what it's about, or in some cases reject it outright.

In many cases, though not always, these "outsiders" are easy to spot, they drive Subarus, wear sandals and "natural" fiber clothing. Some of them have "funny" hairdos and shop at that grocery store that sells only "organic" food. Most of these folks, but certainly not all, come here for things like PRWS, and herein lie some of the roots of the misperception. That's because, for many, the PRWS is that mysterious black box where they teach kids in a "different" way. Many people have no idea what goes on there, but they often "hear things."

I have heard comments about the school that are so off the mark it is astonishing. I can tell you first hand that you need not fear what you don't know about.

With the recent vacancies in our storefronts downtown, the outsiders have been an even easier target than before. How do I know? I know the way someone knows its going to rain - It's the comments you hear at the gas station or grocery store, and it's the not-so-subtle blog comments on the Broad-caster's website that say things like "Maybe you should move back to where you came from" and "No one invited you," or the one that said, "We need to take our town back."

I don't think everyone has the "get the pitchforks" attitude, but I think these comments are indicative of a larger problem.

It's easiest to attack the "newcomers" and blame them, but the idea is not only absurd, but I believe the exact opposite is true. Let me ask what you think would happen if PRWS closed tomorrow? Or if Organic Valley suddenly decided to move their headquarters to La Crosse? Then you would see what these folks have brought to the area. The Viroqua Food Co-op alone is a multi-million dollar business that has a core mission to support local agriculture. Can you say that about all of our local businesses?

This is also a two-way street. For those who are from here, small towns have been well served by a healthy dose of skepticism. Perhaps it is this hard-headed desire to "keep things the same" that creates the very atmosphere that attracts so many to escape the quicksand of the urban world. So, be careful about appearing as though you are critical of everything about the people who live here from the way they dress to the food they eat. There is some truth to the saying "when in Rome …do as the Romans do."

Just because someone wears a seed corn cap do not assume there is not a brain under it.

There are differences, but if our community can find common ground, I think there is a chance to create a cultural and recreational Mecca, not just locally but for the entire region. But first we need to bridge that divide. Change is inevitable. It's how you handle it that matters in the end. You can let the divide rip your community in half or you can build a bridge that brings together the best of both groups.

Perhaps I am too much of an optimist, but my hope is that the day is coming when that the newcomer with dreadlocks to his butt can be seen buying supplies at Nelson Agri- Center next to the old farmer in the seed corn cap and no one even notices. Or better yet, they strike up a conversation about crops, or kids, or the weather. Wouldn't that be a sight fit for a postcard?