Mark Patinkin: There's no place like home – even if it does have the same name

Mark PatinkinProvidence JournalI wanted to know what was going on in town, so I called Providence City Hall and asked for the head guy.I got transferred to the mayor, who picked up the phone.But it wasn’t Brett Smiley.Because I was calling Providence, Kentucky.That’s as close to a same-named city as exists in America, and I was curious what it’s like.There are four or five other Providences, but they aren’t much. Providence, Alabama, has 167 people. Providence, Indiana, and Providence, Arkansas, have fewer.But Providence, Kentucky – different story. They have a few thousand.I first reached Joy Shouse, the clerk who takes utility payments at the municipal office building, and asked her what kinds of things are going on in her Providence.“Not much of anything,” said Joy. “We’re not very big.”But they do have a July 4th celebration coming up, one of the town’s annual highlights – a familiar focus to those of us in Rhode Island.I also learned Providence, Kentucky's "City Hall" sometimes ge...