I just drove halfway across the Midwest and back to visit lovely Wayne, Nebraska.  Plunked somewhere between Sioux City, Iowa and Wahoo, Nebraska, Wayne is a teeny college town with a big ego.  How big?  They refer to themselves as Wayne, America.

Like any small town, they often wax nostalgic and are filled with an unbridled sense of Americana.  Imagine my surprise, when, on our way to the Super 8 Motel, we drove by a Pamida.  If you have lived in the Midwest for any length of time, you are hopefully familiar with the retailer.  It’s sort of a cross between an old school five and dime store and Montgomery Wards.  They sell a little bit of everything.  I didn’t even know they still existed.  The only thing more awe-inspiring would have been a Hinky Dinky or Piggly Wiggly grocery store.

My co-workers seemed right at home in Wayne.  I felt like a fish out of water.  At one point, my boss lost her ever-lovin’ mind when she discovered pickled herring on the salad bar.  Apparently, it reminded her of her youth.  It reminded me of why I don’t eat at salad bars.  Although I did dive head first in to a platter of homemade onion rings that could have fed a small Peruvian village.

We spent the day touring Wayne State College … a hidden gem of a university.  Our friendly tour guide gave us the 411 on the history of Wayne State (uh, it’s been around a hundred million years), the campus (it’s filled with quirky artwork) and the students (who were all MIA because it was Spring Break).

I am now the proud owner of a Wayne State College keychain to remind me of my adventures in Wayne, America.  I’m not sure if the city has a slogan … but I think it should be:  “Wayne:  We’re Small, But We Have Rockin’ Water Pressure!”  (Seriously, I took the world’s most powerful hot shower this morning. I am now fully exfoliated.)   It was a slice of bliss in this fun little town with a big heart.