An Ode to Cleveland

Back in September, I was asked to write a column for The Cleveland Current. I was struggling with what to write about. It was just over a week since the tragic shooting on Delta State's campus had occurred, and in the face of something so devastating, all I could think about was how grateful I was for our community.

Last weekend, I got to witness the opening of GRAMMY Museum Mississippi - the second GRAMMY Museum in the world, only after the original museum in Los Angeles. As I sat on a blanket on the front lawn with one of my friends on the most gorgeous day, sipping a cold beer and watching the insanely talented blues prodigy Kingfish play, I kept thinking "this is the perfect day. I can't believe this is happening less than a mile from my house." And then I thought back to all the other days I've called perfect - the music festivals, art shows, Saturdays I've spent with friends, the night The Weeks played downtown for the Levitt Amp concert, pretty much all the Levitt Amp concerts in general - all times spent in Cleveland. I'm not completely delusional. I know we have our faults, and there are plenty of things I don't love about Cleveland (I'll save those for another post), but for the most part, or for me at least, the good almost always outweighs the bad. Since I'm still on a high from last weekend, I thought I'd share what I wrote back in September, because it's still true - maybe now more than ever. Who knows where life will take me? Maybe I'll live here forever, or maybe I'll pack it all up in a few months for a new adventure. But for right now, there is no place I'd rather be.

xoxo,
JET

An Ode to Cleveland
by: Jordan Thomas
Originally published in The Cleveland Current

“You live where?” It’s a question I get asked more often than you’d think. Friends and fellow classmates of mine from Ole Miss, people I run into while traveling, complete strangers that I strike up random conversations with, and sometimes even fellow Clevelanders all want to know why a twenty-something girl who seemingly could’ve picked up her things and moved anywhere, settled on Cleveland, Mississippi.

When I graduated from Ole Miss in 2009, I wasn’t really sure what my next move should be. Getting a master’s degree had always been a goal of mine, and so I immediately began filling out applications to schools from coast to coast. I had all but decided to go to Belmont University in Nashville when at the last minute on a whim I applied to Delta State University. Once I weighed the cost versus value of getting a Master’s degree in English, I realized Delta State was the best choice. So one hot summer day I drove the familiar Highway 8 from my hometown of Grenada to Cleveland, pulled into the sleepy little campus, and met with my new advisor in the Department of Languages and Literature. I remember thinking how excited I was that I could take a class solely on Jane Austen from one of the leading Jane Austen scholars in the country. It was a sign I had made the right decision.

Growing up, we traveled to Cleveland multiple times a year for softball tournaments, tennis matches, football and basketball games, and even the occasional shopping trip. It was a place that I had been going to my whole life, but I never thought in a million years it was a place I would eventually live. In fact, I actually commuted from Grenada in the beginning because all my classes were at night, and did I really want to move to Cleveland? I honestly thought I would get my Master’s and then move completely out of Mississippi all together. But life has a funny way of putting you exactly where you need to be.

That August, I walked into Kethley Hall for my very first class. I had no idea then that some of my best friends were sitting in that room. As the semester wore on, I quickly became friends with both my classmates and professors. I realized that perhaps I had judged Cleveland too quickly. Perhaps it wasn’t the town I thought I knew growing up. Hearing my classmates talk about the music scene, the abundance of local artists, the lazy Sundays they spent sitting on porches, and the Thursday nights at Po Monkey’s had me wanting to learn more. It was time to make my move to Cleveland.

Four and a half years later and I have never regretted my decision. I have had the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people, and I have had some pretty awesome experiences. Every time my sister, who lives in Nashville, comes to visit, she can’t get over how much fun she has here, and how nice and welcoming everyone is. Truth be told, I think she’s a little jealous that I get to live here.

There are many things to love about Cleveland. I love that any time I walk into Kroger I’m guaranteed to know at least five people. I love that I can see some of the most insanely talented bands in the country right down the street from my house at Hey Joe’s. I love walking into Delta Meat Market on a Friday for Happy Hour and seeing various social circles share lots of laughter and maybe even a pint or two. I love that I can be involved in a variety of clubs and organizations in the community. I love that Otherfest, one of the best music festivals in the area, brings together a multitude of different people supporting original music for a mere $18 (By the way, Otherfest is October 3!) I love the fact that people my age are truly embracing Cleveland and putting down roots here by opening up small businesses that keep downtown thriving. But most of all, I love that Cleveland has accepted me, a girl from the Hills, as one of her own, and for that I am eternally grateful.

So when people ask me “Why Cleveland?” I just smile and say “You should come visit sometime,” because words could never do her justice.