Five things I luuuuv aboot Atikokan

• They only use the last four digits of their phone numbers

• They have their own time zone (I'm not sure weather it is official, but everyone uses Atikokan time anyway)

• There is a canoe decorating practically every street corner (Apparently there is a canoe factory in town, again possibly rural legend but the folksinger from Saskatchewan who sang as part of the Arts series last week in the high school gym seemed to know all aboot it)

• People are intrigued by my exceptional tan for this time of year and ask me if I'm from the one-of-a-handful of African countries that they've heard of either a) on tv or b) because a distant relative once traveled to the aforementioned country. Naturally they are disappointed to hear that I grew up in the place of raging thunder. But I end the conversation on a high by divulging my multiple ancestries. Confusion ensues.

• They have a penchant for statues of large bears. Well, this is more of a regional thing than an Atikokan thing. Quirky and endearing nonetheless.