What made the experience stand out?
I love to go to POPS for birthday celebrations. It’s where I always choose for a meal out when it’s my birthday and my brother just went in April for his birthday too. He turned 12 and although we aren’t allowed to drink soda, I still like going to see all the glass soda bottles. And there’s a huge light-up soda bottle I like to see too, which is what really stands out, especially at night. My class did a Flat Stanley tour over Spring Break and I took Stanley there too. He’s just a drawing that you take places but I liked doing that because we gave him a tour of the city. After POPS, we went to the Round Barn.
What was the best part?
It was a really fun day. I like that POPS and the Round Barn are so close to our house but they feel far away because they’re so different from our neighborhood. There are no stores nearby and I always see horses and donkeys and cows on our way there. The best part about POPS is the fried okra and that you can run outside. I like visiting the barn because it’s old-fashioned.
What was the worst part?
The wind was very strong when we got down at POPS and I ran across the parking lot to get to the tall bottle for a picture with Flat Stanley but his arm blew off! I put it in my Mom’s purse but it couldn’t be reattached with tape or with glue. We almost lost Flat Stanley. It was a close call, so if you go, know that it might be windy.
Will other kids like visiting the area?
Of course they will. Kids like food and the countryside. There’s a farmer’s market at the Round Barn if you go on a Saturday in summertime. Would this experience be enjoyed by your siblings? Why or why not? Yes, my brothers and I all like to go because it’s like a break from our regular life. There’s candy at POPS. The Round Barn feels like a field trip.
If you could do this again, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?
I would order an Arnold Palmer at POPS. That’s iced tea and lemonade, neither of which are soda, so you can still get that without breaking the no-soda rule. I wouldn’t run in the parking lot either. And at the Round Barn, I would skip looking in the outhouse. It’s not as interesting as it sounds.
Does anything you learned match up with what you’re doing in school or have done before?
Not really. Both of the places we like to visit in Arcadia are special, which is why I like to see them. They feel different than almost anywhere else.
What do you think you’ll remember most about visiting?
I’ll remember all the soda bottles and the light-up bottle with Flat Stanley’s lost arm. The Round Barn has a ceiling that looks like the inside of a basket, like how those are woven. I think about that pattern and I wonder how it was made. Same with the big bottle at POPS. How did humans make those things? I want to know, so I’ll keep coming back
