"Russell Hokes is a man with a mission. If he ever hopes to be paid on his book contract, he's got 50,000 words to deliver. The subject: the dying small towns of America. In his desperate search for a small town dying in America, Hokes stumbles upon a quarter-mile stretch of concrete and gravel dotted with strip clubs and used auto parts shops." "Welcome to Wigfield. Population: vague. Upon his arrival, Russell Hokes wanders the streets of Wigfield searching for the salt-of-the-earth folks who have made this country great. Instead he finds: three self-declared mayors; High Priestess Thea and her life partner du jour, Amythys; as well as Mae Ella Padgett and Dottie Fore, both well into their late forties and competing for the title of oldest person in town; and a menagerie of other proud Wigfieldians." "And why is this town in crisis? State Representative Bill Farber wants to tear down the Bulkwaller Dam, thereby flooding the town. According to Farber and all available facts, the dam is an ecological disaster. For the residents of Wigfield, it's now a race against the clock, and for Russell, it's a race for his paycheck."--BOOK JACKET