A Great Place to Be.....

Whether you're coming to Barnes for business or pleasure.

Either way we'll treat you with good measure.

We're a small town of about one fifty.

Hope ya don't mind we think its nifty

If you spend a day in Barnes

You'll surely be away from harm.

But don't go gettin into trouble,

Cuz the cops won't be here on the double.

We're down home folks that really care,

So sit down, share a talk, and pull up a chair.

You see people in Banres are good for a chat,

To talk with you, they'll put away this or that.

If you need a place to sit and eat,

Try the Cafe; their country breakfast can't be beat.

Then there's the new Stop N' Shop,

Here you'll find find locals drinking coffee and pop.

But the best place in town is the Bakery

But I'm biased, I work there you see.

Yep at the Bake Shoppe we've got mile high pie,

Coconut macaroons and loaves of rye.

Now that you're done eatin' you might want somethin' to do.

Good luck! That's limited too.

Feel free to take a stroll arond town,

Who knows what you'll see around?

I'm sorry to say that you will stick out,

But in a town of 150 that's no doubt.

Barnes is a small town with many sorts,

Frankly we don't care if your're wearin' pants or shorts.

You never know what you'll see goin' down main street,

A grain truck girl on a white horse or kids runnin' bare feet.

The Mercantile is nice place to shop,

They've got all sorts of vendors; neat place to stop.

Up the street is the post office; you can drop off your mail,

But beware before too long the postmaster will ask your tale.

You might be able to get a haircut if you're lucky,

But definitely not if it's Monday or the weather is mucky.

You can window shop only at the antique store,

They've got old trunks, milkin' stools and trinkets galore.

Check out our lily pond in the IOOF Park,

Just put in new lampposts, you can go in the dark.

We've got a pot bellied plumber; he's real Mr. Fix It,

If he's not around, he's gone fishin for a bit.

We've even got a bank where four ladies will take your money happily.

But the calendars and pens grab a few, they're Free!

You might wanna stay and kick up your feet,

The bed and breakfast is a real nice treat.

We've got a grain elevator where you'll see a grain truck,

Come harvest time this is no place you wanna get stuck.

'Round town there's about twelve lily ponds,

One couple put one in their yard then they became real fond.

The Down Home Quilt shop is quite an appeal,

They've got some interestin' material.

On the North side of townis part of an old school,

Some of the residents attended,

if they tell ya that don't think they're a fool.

On Thursday night it hosts Bingo,

Next to it is a park that could prolly use a mow.

Our grassy ball field still proves to be useful and fun,

We'll play softball in rain or full sun.

If you need to fill up gettin' gas might be kinda hard,

But just ask one of us for our card.

You won't need your car in town anyway,

Everything you need is just a couple of yards away.

Stop by the station if your tires need air,

There you'll see tractors needin repair

If you're here on a Friday or Saturday night;

stop by the Refuge a Christian teen center,

No matter your age or denomination, anyone can enter.

There you'll find kids of all kinds and ages,

And a table of Pitch players with scores on pages.

We've got two churches in town; most of us had a religious up bringin'

Come Sunday morn the church bells will be ringin.

If you forgot your watch and loose track of time,

Don't worry round high noon our fire whitle will chime.

The old folks in town have stories to share,

Most of them were raised here so ask if you dare.

'Round the middle of the month an event the Bake Shoppe will host,

on these nights the town isn't such a ghost.

Being in Barnes might take you to a place back in time,

When your neighbors were friendly and gramdma pickled watermelon rind.

Life here is lower than the big city type,

'round here we don't get into a big hype.

See in this town we're all pretty humble,

We can even understand the old farmers that mumble.

So come give us a visit, we'll be glad you're here,

To you we'll spread our small town cheer.

-Krista Oentrich

Barnes, Kansas

8/3/2004