Small Town Spotlight: Massillon, OH

I spent one night in Massillon for work and made sure to explore they're quaint yet deserted downtown area. It looked like a lot of small towns, with a few historic row buildings housing small business and restaurants. The lightpoles also had speakers on them playing a strange soundtrack ranging from "My Heart Will Go On" to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." What I found so odd was that besides an elderly couple sitting in some mobility scooters on the sidewalk, there was nobody else to listen to the music! It was a little eery. There were also a few murals on the block, which seemed to indicate that high school football was the main reason this town existed. I later learned that Paul Brown (who coached in the NFL and is in the Hall of Fame), coached the Massillon Tigers to multiple state championships. 

One of the many football murals in Massillon

Since I needed dinner, I went to one of the only places that was open: Rockne's. This fine chain establishment could be comparable to a Marie Calendar's but with more pictures on the menu. I was astonished what the, ahem, breadth of the menu, which contained anything from gyros to burgers, to taco salads. I elected for the gyros, which not only was I in the mood for but seemed relatively healthy. I also got the Peanut Butter Cup Pie which I felt was almost a mandatory decision at that point. 

It's obvious why there's an obesity problem in America...fatty food is so cheap

The next morning I left Massillon with not much time to explore, as I head another appointment on the other side of the state that afternoon. I did stop at a tire store and just about blew the mind of the associate there who had never seen a 318ti with a cloth roof in person. That was a fun moment. 

Seinfeld themed restaurant