If you’ve ever watched Gilmore Girls, you know the town.
Stars Hollow, the kind of place that feels almost too good to be real.
A charming little town where everyone knows each other. Where the mayor shows up at community events. Where quirky festivals pop up on the calendar and neighbors stop to chat in the middle of the street. A place where kids grow up surrounded by familiar faces and shared traditions.
When my kids were younger, we used to watch the show together, and I remember thinking the same thing a lot of people did.
If only a place like that actually existed. It always felt a little too perfect to be real.
Turns out, it does exist.
You just might not realize it until a moment sneaks up on you.
I had one of those moments a month ago at Caruth Park.
It was the annual children’s fishing derby, and if you’ve never been, let me set the scene. The pond dotted with little bobbers, the grass lined with folding chairs, golden retrievers trying very hard to understand why they are not allowed to “help,” and parents crouched down whispering instructions like they’re coaching Game 7 of the World Series.
This year I spent most of my time near the measuring table, where kids sprinted up clutching slippery trout to have them officially logged. Two volunteers from the Highland Park Bass Team carefully recorded each catch while the announcer called out the children’s names over the speaker.
Every time a name rang out, you could see a little chest puff up with pride.
I was filming the excitement when I drifted into conversation with Mayor Pro Tem Mark Aldredge and City Manager Robbie Corder. Fishing stories were being traded, although in my case it was more of a warning.
I told them about my one and only deep-sea fishing adventure, miles off the coast of Cabo, violently seasick and counting the seconds until I could get back on land. I’ve always imagined myself as someone who loves deep-sea fishing. That trip may have permanently altered that storyline.
Then Robbie and Mark waved me over.
“Come say hello to Mayor Tommy Stewart.”
And there I was standing beside a pond full of children and bobbers, laughing about fishing mishaps with the Mayor of University Park.
Watching the derby felt a little like stepping into an episode of Gilmore Girls if Stars Hollow had a Texas accent and a few more labradoodles. It had that same small-town charm, where everyone seems to know each other and the mayor might wander over to say hello.
Except here, he actually does.
Twenty years ago, when we moved here, I never would have imagined moments like that. Not because they’re grand or flashy. They aren’t. They’re simple. But that’s what makes them extraordinary.
On the surface, a fishing derby is just a Saturday activity. A line in the water. A worm on a hook. A prize for the biggest and smallest catch.
But underneath it is something deeper. A reminder that community isn’t built in big, dramatic moments. It’s built in the ordinary ones.
Some towns exist on a map.
Others exist in the way they make you feel.
And some days in the Park Cities, it feels an awful lot like we’re living in our own little Stars Hollow — only with better barbecue.
Martha Jackson, host of The Bubble Lounge Podcast, has lived in University Park for 20 years. She’s passionate about connecting with fellow moms, supporting local businesses, and finding humor in the chaos. You can find her at bubblelounge.net and on Instagram
@bubbleloungepodcast.
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Martha Jackson
View ProfileMartha Jackson, host of The Bubble Lounge Podcast, has lived in University Park for 20 years. She’s passionate about connecting with fellow moms, supporting local businesses, and finding humor in the chaos.
