We start our tour with the cultural center of Hollywood - Shorty's store. Shorty's is the hub around which Hollywood society turns - he knows everybody there. This is probably because he runs the largest of only two stores in town, complete with a hardware department, restaurant, gas pumps, and the "convenience store" section. The building is one of the oldest ones around here, as you can see from the picture below, and Shorty has maintained it in line with it's original appearance.
Next door is another of Hollywood's old buildings. Christa Garage and old Hollywood Fire Department once were housed here, but it is now vacant.
Next on our tour is Hollywood Town Hall, located on the edge of town. Looks a little out of place, don't it? It was built recently, and apparently some architect decided that Hollywood was a good place for a piece of art! Town Hall houses the mayor's office, police department, and the fire department. I have to give credit where credit is due - Hollywood has got one heck of a volunteer fire department!
Just down the road is the Hollywood Post Office. Believe it or not, we're apparently big enough to have our own zip code! Actually, the Post Office covers a huge area around Hollywood, since it is the closest town. The folks here are real nice and friendly - no gun-toting trigger-happy mailmen in this Post Office!
Right next door (on the right) is the only bank in town, Jacobs Bank. They're real popular around here, probably because they've been around so long. I heard they once turned Moses down for a loan (just kidding)!
Hollywood's answer to MIT! The Earnest H. Pruett Vocational Center (formerly Jackson County Technical School) is located just down the road at the main intersection in Hollywood. They handle vocational education for all of Jackson County, not just Hollywood, as well as having adult education courses. This is where yours truly learned the great art of drafting (drawin' purty pichers). And this is my chance to do something I've wanted to do for a long time - HI, LEROY!
This is Hollywood School, which also serves a huge area around Hollywood. It's a little different than most schools around the country. There are almost no drugs, no guns, and teachers still spend the day teaching instead of being scared of the students! This is the main reason we live here now - the other schools I have seen are crammed full of crime, drugs, and weapons. I refuse to allow my children to grow up in that kind of enviroment, so here I am! Say what you want about small schools, the Redneck prefers them.
Mud Creek Primitive Baptist Church (some people call it the Old Hollywood Baptist Church) is one of the oldest churches around, and a pretty well-known landmark in these parts, so I thought it would be a good idea to include it here. The cemetary around it dates well back into the early 1800's, and maybe beyond that. It's located on the edge of downtown.
