Streetman Dominoes (Texas Country Reporter)

They've been playing dominoes at an old service station for 50 years. Find out why one national news network comes to Streetman, Texas, to take the pulse of the people.
Streetman, Tx
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Video Script:: 

[Music] it's a quiet afternoon here in Streetman Texas these days it's always a quiet afternoon here in Streetman but time was back before the war back before the interstate came through and bypassed this town at least 47 businesses lined this street and you can always find a good game of dominoes over here at the old service station these days most of those businesses are gone but when it comes to dominoes some things never change [Music] baking playing dominoes hearing Streetman for as long as anybody can remember long before this old gas station closed and began to slip into well used and comfortable decay most of the men grew up here then left this tiny town for greener pastures only to return to retire and wile away the hours of the day with an old set of pure EMCO dominoes and a few good friends what does it take for a poor fellow to be accepted into your group here high standards [Music] now depending on the day of the week you'll find different weather-worn faces around this table today it's Tommy Brien and Lloyd Roberts Larry Allen and his daddy Harold veterans and farmers and former politicians who are maintaining a tradition that the young folks around here just don't understand [Music] you know who's the best domino players I guess they are you wanna play game like not with you guys no not with you guys I'm telling you I've already heard I know better my daddy taught me better than that the rules here are simple and membership is cheap five dollars gets you a month's worth of play and all that's asked is that you don't cuss you don't smoke check your guns at the door and there is absolutely no Bowl allowed good thing is the rules are not strictly enforced you don't get to talk about politics are gatorlaw to do your look he's a starts Democrat and I don't blame me hopefully won't - and Larry pretty much Republicans as we do they talk a lot of politics solve a lot of the world's problems around this old Domino table in fact CNN thought this place was such a hotbed of opinion that they've come to Streetman to take the pulse of the people three presidential elections running some here including the Domino players haven't decided who they're voting for yet or they won't say but most agree a change is needed saying the country needs help now Mike Capps CNN Streetman Texas today the opinions are still as hot as a summer afternoon watching History Channel last night you might change your mind you cannot push something down anybody's throat religion while I'm being freezing people don't want to be free they've never been free all the countries around them is nothing it's not dictated and-and-and-and-and will never will never settle things [Music] Streetman is one of those towns close enough to the big city for folks to leave but not close enough for the big city to reach back here that scenario adds up to a town that's struggling to stay on the map I don't see the future getting any better and a financial basis for the community they're gonna expanding the city limits trying to go out to the interstate if we can provide the services maybe do some economic development if that doesn't come to pass the city will continue that downward decline there would be nothing left for anybody except some cows and with a pasture there is a wisdom to be found here around this table and something else too behind the knowing smiles and eyes that have seen a lot of life is the realization that the days are numbered for this game an empty chair sits as a reminder for those who are no longer here seems the 21st century just doesn't have time for dominoes you worried that you worried that someday this games just gonna die out nobody's gonna be playing dominoes here anymore just it's just a matter of time probably and this is one more rural tradition in this part of Texas just going to go by the wayside eventually yeah Streetman Texas one of those rare places still filled with reminders of the way things used to be those treatments not going away anytime soon there are still a lot of folks who call this town home but memories are more plentiful than new residents and at an old weather warm gas station a handful of Domino players still gather every day to spend a few hours slapping down dominoes discussing the hot topics life outside maybe zipping by at 60 miles an hour but in this old Domino hall time runs even slower at least for a few hours every day don't bother looking in the big city for scenes like this you won't find them these days you're lucky to find them at all what is here in Streetman is a glimpse of yesterday a scene from small town past and when we find them we'd like to invite you to come along and join us to share a moment in the place we call the backroads [Music] I like it [Music] you