There is a stretch of Main Street – actually called Washington Avenue right here – that seems to me to be the soul of my small town of Cambridge, New York. To the left is the Hubbard Hall building, home of the Hubbard Hall Arts and Education Center, and to the right is the Round House Cafe, formerly home of the town bank, there is a big gorgeous vault inside.

When the bank moved down the street, the town’s single police officer rode in a truck with the money, they say and with his gun ready. There was no incident. My town has a rich history and great character still. Hubbard Hall, a former vaudeville house, has a beautiful stage and auditorium and is working hard to reinvent itself to be relevant in modern times. The Hall is pulling in students from all over the area to learn drama and participate in the arts. That is exciting.

The Round House is struggling to find a permanent home for itself, still in difficult negotiations with the owner of the building and trying to figure out its future. The community is very much behind the Round House and is just waiting for the call to arms, Scott and Lisa Carrino have raised nearly $75,000 dollars from their gofundme campaign to buy their building and remain in that space.

There are other options as well, I saw the late afternoon Aurtumn light fall on these two buildings, and I felt I was looking right at the heart of my town.