Tuesday, March 26, 2013

The Dotte: A Dedication


I was born and raised in “The Dotte.” When I tell people that are not from around here, I may get a look and a semi-sympathetic, “Oh” or a surprised reaction. People assume I am from Johnson County. Maybe it’s what I wear or how I carry myself, but I will chuckle and proudly say, “Nah, I’m from The Dotte.”

Some people may know some things about “The Dotte.” That it is indeed Wyandotte County, that we have this “Dotte Original” logo that can be found on shirts, hoodies, and license plates around town and that we may be referred to as “Crimedotte” from time to time. Since I have been raised here all my life, this was all that I knew besides the huge contrast of Johnson County. When I came to Emporia State, I had some culture shock because I hadn’t been around so many white people and I’ve had to learn that not everybody knows about city life or have had such a diverse culture to grow up with. It didn’t take me long to develop a sense of pride for my hometown. To be happy to say that I live in Kansas City, KS not MO. I also developed a sense of gratitude for being able to call this my hometown because it is so diverse and full of an array of people. I think people need that in their life or at least have the opportunity to be exposed to it at some point.

I learned last semester in one of my classes that Lyon County and Wyandotte County are the two poorest counties in Kansas. And I happen to live in both. Lyon County is where Emporia is located. Despite being poor in wealth, I can surely tell you that these counties are not poor in people. Everybody knows everybody. In The Dotte, I have the joy of being a part of this community of catholic school kids since I went to a catholic school until I went to Sumner. I got to run into quite a few at a little bar owned by one of them now called Chicago’s downtown in Wyandotte this Spring Break. It is close to Strawberry Hill that has rich history and was where my elementary school was. Full of ethnicity and I love it. It really does seem like catholic schools are prominent in this town. There also have been a lot of people that went to Sumner that have been successful and doing big things. It was great to see raw good talent in high school whether it was seeing strong emotions from an African American performing a forensics piece or our basketball team winning state. It made it even better when we succeeded when we knew that the well off schools and the Johnson County schools looked down on us because of where we came from, how we looked, and how we didn’t have the resources like they did. Yeah, we didn’t have all that they had, but it sure seemed like we had more talent and in some cases maybe even more heart.

I like going to places and seeing familiar faces. I like that we have small restaurants and bars that only The Dotte has. I like that we were chosen to be the first city ever to have Google Fiber. We were chosen out of over 1,000 applicants. I like the little attitude that comes with people that are from The Dotte. I like that we can still shoot off fireworks on 4th of July. I like the beauty of our own little city that is developing with the Kansas Speedway, Sporting KC Park and more. I always have to look at the Kansas Speedway from the highway every time I pass by it. It really is beautiful. And it’s beautiful what has come about since its creation. Soon enough, all the revenue will come back to The Dotte and it will be beautiful what it can do for our little town that can.

So this is for all the Dotte Originals. We really are quite some original people and I love that. I’ll say it and I’ll own it when people ask me where I come from. I sure love talking about our town to people. Thank you for the memories, laughs, and good humor. Thank you for this home and for giving me this little spunk and extra flavor to bring everywhere I go outside of The Dotte. Thank you for helping me grow an extra big heart. Love you, Dotte.

Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel 

2 comments:

  1. This resonates in me so strongly! I have been watching "Switched at Birth" on netflix, and the story supposedly takes place in KCK. I kept getting so irritated, and even ANGRY at some of the huge misses they make when referring to KC culture. I suppose people who grew up and live in Chicago, New York, or LA feel like this all the time, since so many books and movies take place there. Kansas City has such a rich culture here... there are so many people who are proud to have come from KC, and who love our city.

    I guess what I'm trying to say, is lately I've become very proud of my hometown. I think it is cool that you are proud of your hometown (and your college town!)

    =]

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  2. I'm from the city of Wyandotte, MI. We are proud of our "Dirty 'Dotte!"

    Don't ever let 'em hate... Let 'em be jealous.

    Y & .

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