There’s a statue in the center of the city where I went to school.
It’s a lady who holds a bug above her head.
The first statue was set in the middle of Main Street a little more than 100 years ago.
Somebody stole the lady’s arms or something so she’s needed a little restoration, but she still stands.
The bug’s still raised high.
Folks sat in the road for a celebration ceremony last December, to mark the 100th anniversary of the day the statue was dedicated.
It was built for a bug called the boll weevil, which ate cotton and forced farmers in the area to progress and plant peanuts.
Peanuts proved to be a bumper crop.
The boll weevil symbolizes prosperity and progress for the people who call the city home.
The place branded itself the City of Progress, and it’s grown.
There’s a lot of businesses on Main Street, like a great restaurant a little down the road from where the statue stands.
I’ve eaten there a lot, and passed the lady who holds the bug many times.
It’s funny, in a weird way, how I’ve seen her only in passing.
I’ve thought about it some since the day my friend brought some friends from Florida and took them to the middle of Main Street to look at her.
The Boll Weevil Monument is a tourist attraction, after all.
I didn’t go to the middle of Main Street when they did because I’ve seen it so often it’s just a part of the city.
It’s downed on me I’ve seen it, but I’ve never looked at it.
I’ve never been closer than a few rows back at a dedication ceremony.
I haven’t taken any trips in a while, but maybe I’ve found a place to go when I go again.
Maybe I’ll go to the center of the city, to the middle of Main Street, to take a closer look at the lady who holds a bug above her head.
This post is a response to Sue’s prompt, which is “center.”
Casey's Column 
Casey: I have passed the Statue many times over the years. I too know the history but never stopped to look. I would drive by it to go to A Christian book store on the left below the Statue. Is the store still there? If I ever get back to Enterprise I will pause at the Statue on the way to the book store. By the way I love peanuts. We used to buy them on further down Main Street.
I don’t know if the book store’s something else now or not. I had some good peanuts from a guy who came by work the other day, and Cadie boiled some. They were good.
Interesting! Never heard of that before…
Here ya go: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/agricultural-pest-honored-herald-prosperity-enterprise-alabama-180963506/
Thanks, Casey. 🙂
You’re welcome. There’s better pictures at the bottom of the article. Haha