This snapshot was gathered in conjunction with the Museum on Main Street program at the Smithsonian Institution and its "Stories from Main Street" initiative. The project is intended to capture Americans' impressions and stories about their small-town and rural neighborhoods, waterways, personal memories, cultural traditions, work histories, and thoughts about American democracy. This story is from a group of narratives inspired by the Smithsonian traveling exhibition, "Voices and Votes: Democracy in America."

Terry Poe Buschkamp (00:00): Hi. I'm Terry Poe Buschkamp, and I've worked for Main Street Iowa for 11 years. I'm kind of excited about retiring, but as I've worked across the state in the 55 communities, it's really interesting to see. They're like, with politics, the more different we think we are, the more unique we think we are, the more the same we all are. Before we start working in these towns, we want to have communities come together and talk about their town and what they love best of their town.

(00:27): Almost 99.9% of the time, you're going to get the same answers, "I love my town because this is where my family is. I love my town because everybody knows my name. I feel safe here. I love the history. I love that I feel comfortable here." I think what's most telling is everybody is passionate about their town, no matter where they're from. I'm from a little larger town. I'm passionate about my community. I'm really looking forward to going home and spending time in that community, but all of these other people are passionate about their community. I think that's great.

Asset ID: 2023.03.04.b