Gathering is Good

There is a restaurant in Dexter called The Gathering Place. Dexter, located in Cowley County, has a population of about 350. It's open Friday & Saturday 7 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sunday noon-2 p.m. It's located downtown
at 105 S. Main.

Every community needs a gathering place. This one is really homey and inviting. The women that work there are very friendly, they love to cook from scratch, and they give their customers wonderful attention. I'm not sure if there are multiple owners or if they just have a great working arrangement but because there is a main core, if one needs to attend a game or go to an appointment, the others take up the slack. It works really well. That might be a secret to success.

When you think about it, a place to eat has always been the gathering place dating back to when the west was being settled. It's really hard on a community when the restaurant closes because they lose that place to find "community." The restaurant is where you hear the news, where you make plans, where you get nourished, where you see friends or check out the strangers in town.

There is nothing that can replace a small town restaurant. Some are in historic buildings, some have the classic waitress, and many have good old-fashioned made-from-scratch food. But all of them struggle to make it, especially in towns of 2,000 or less. Some buy processed food when they'd like to bake and cook from scratch but revenue prohibits that. That's where we can help! When you're out and around the state if you have a choice please eat at a local cafe!

We should appreciate and support these local cafes. Hats off to all the people who keep them going. It's hard work but what a value a cafe is to a community.

Here's a special thanks to the women at The Gathering Place in Dexter: Vickie Drake, Lynn Killingsworth, Kelly Killingsworth, and Janice Reeves.

Get Kansas! Kansas Explorer #2 Marci Penner