Weekend America >> Saturday, July 14, 2007 >> What's In A Name?


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How did your life collide with the headlines in 2007?
Iraq, the subprime crisis, Facebook, immigration, oil prices - 2007 had no shortage of hefty headlines. We'd like to hear about how these and other major news events of the past year affected you. Where did your life collide with the news in 2007?

What's your holiday performance story?
The office talent show, the neighborhood caroling posse, the school pageant ... At holiday time we often sing, dance, and dress as shepherds. Did you bloom in the warmth of your audience's adulation, or freeze up like the snowman you'd rather be building? Did your holiday performance change your life or that of someone close to you?

What's In A Name? July 14, 2007

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Ever wonder how some towns got their names? In the US there are towns called Fleatown and Idiotville. In Central Illinois, there's a place called Goofy Ridge. Many of these places with these unique names are in rural and poor areas. Weekend America's Kelly McEvers spent a Saturday in Goofy Ridge to find out how the town got its name and why they decided to keep it.

Lost In Idiotville
Gary Gladstone's made a profession out of what's just a passing road sign to most people. He's gone on two cross-country trips photographing American towns with goofy names, like Goofy Ridge. You'll find him snapping away in Idiotville, Ore., Rabbit Hash, Ky., and Cranky Corner, La. He's released a couple books about these towns, "Passing Gas" and "Reaching Climax." We'll ask Gladstone what makes these places so fascinating, after the name-novelty wears off.