Leon's Country Store

Let's say your city—whether that's Austin or Abilene or Amarillo—decided it was changing its name. There would be a vote, and whatever the result was, that's what would stick. If this were the case, would you let only schoolchildren vote? Would you trust them?

I sure as hell wouldn't! I'd end up living in Tik Tok City. Or Taylor Swiftangeles. Or San Antonyolo.

And yet, this is exactly what the residents of Rockne did in 1931. Previously, the town had held names like Walnut Creek, Lehmanville, and Hilbigville. But in 1931, they let the schoolchildren of Sacred Hart School pick a new name. So the kids named the town after the famed Notre Dame college football coach Knute Rockne, who had died earlier that year in a plane crash.

Truth be told, it could've turned out a lot worse. Though the town may have also revealed that it's full of risk-taking maniacs.

I think the word's still out on that. But if you'd like to find out for yourself, there's no better place to hang with the locals than the beloved Leon's Country Store. This well-aged dive and convenience store looks like a Cracker Barrel managed by Michael Myers. It smells like the ashtray in a Moroccan taxi cab. The bathroom looks like it's been attacked by a shark. In short, a true classic.

The building itself has been around since the early 1930s. Leon Goertz bought the store in 1969 and kept the gears turning until 1983 when he offered it to his son Herman. Finding the prospect of getting a "real" job as appealing as getting tarred and feathered, Herman jumped on the opportunity. Herman ran Leon's until he passed away in 2017. But other family members he since stepped in and the place is still chugging along.

Save for a TV behind the bar, there's almost nothing inside to tip you off that it isn't actually 1987. It’s like a ZZ Top song come to life.

Sometimes I'll step into a bar that's so authentic and worn in that it looks like it could fill in for a Quentin Tarantino movie set at the drop of a hat. Leon's Country store is one of those. If you're passing by, give it a shot.