Couldn't Resist.....

We are voting for a new sheriff in a month. I've seen these signs up all over town and couldn't resist sharing this with you:

 

 

        I absolutely love small town names.  It seems like we rural people love to pick unique names, and then when the child grows up they seem to pick an occupation that matches it (for instance, Dr. Molar was a dentist!!) Nicknames are a big part of life in a small town.  You hear them often on the radio when they read the obituaries.  I wondered if he tried coming up with a campaign slogan: "Vote for Digger.....", but what rhymes with "Digger"?   Bigger?  'Figger (as in "I figger on votin' fer this candidate..)?  The livestock trailer really is appealing, too...but you'll get that in a small town.

For the love of mules......

 

 

 

 

 This weekend, our county is hosting its annual celebration-- The Clark County Mule Festival. It is our nationally known festival that draws visitors from every holler in the nation. And of course, they all bring their mules

 

 

 

 

     The Clark County Mule Festival was established in September of 1986 for the purpose of celebrating the mule.  Our county is considered the mule capital of the nation and those who started it hoped to draw other mule enthusiasts to our lonely spot on the globe.

 

 About a week before the actual festival begins, our town is flooded with campers and travel trailers of every make, model and year lining up at the fair grounds just east of town.  They begin vying for their spot on the grassy lots where they want to set up house keeping for the next week or so. The camping is on a first come, first serve basis, so if you want electric, you'd better get here quickly! I've heard they have a decorated camper contest, so the residents of "camper city" pull out all the stops and hang their Christmas lights, signs, and yard ornaments with great gusto.  The other sites, labeled "primitive" (basically, no electric), seem to go quickly too.  And, believe me, they take primitive seriously!  Little tents and campfires dot the landscape.  Some even sleep next to their mule, using their saddle as a pillow. At night, you can hear bluegrass music played by the glow of the fire.

    If you need some vittles or other supplies during the week, the mule shuttle bus runs constantly making trips to town from the campsite.

  The town gets excited about the mule festival as well, selecting this particular weekend to hold its all-town yard sales. The mule festival participants drive their pickups and mules into town to boost our lowly economy.  It's great fun for all.

 

     During the day the festivities take center stage.  They start the morning with prayer and a devotion read over the intercom.  Then, the games begin.  All Friday, Saturday and Sunday the arena is filled with people on mules playing different games, just for fun.  I got to sit in on a few of them and this is what I saw:

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     First of all, the egg/spoon game.  Each contestant is given an egg and a spoon. They are required to be on their mule for the entire game and keep the egg in the spoon.  Sounds simple, until the announcer says "Riders, walk". So all the mules walk.  As the game progresses you hear them commanded to "canter", then "trot", then finally "gallop".  Each one is eliminated as the eggs drop.  The winner receives the cheer from the crowd and his name listed in the newspaper.

 



   The competition heats up in the team division of the egg spoon game. The bearer of the egg has to remain standing in the back of the wagon balancing the egg.  We all know the stubborn tendencies of a mule, and when they will only move when they are good and ready, leaving the standing contestant at a quandary as to when they should be ready.  Often the mule jumps at just the wrong moment, leaving the bearer of the spoon with egg on his face, literally.

 



 

 

     The next game was the back-to-back competition.  Contestants had to be sitting on the mule with backs to each other. When they are prompted, they try and trade places without getting off of the mule.  So, people are going over, under and around each other all on the back of a mule. 

 

 

 

 



    Of course, there were husband and wife teams, brothers, sisters, friends, all doing acrobatics on the back of a mule.  I wondered what the mule must have thought, not only having 2 riders on its back, but also being wrestled and kicked with cowboy boots. There were several times one mule tried bucking its riders off, and a few contestants fell off in the process.   The winners were a mother and daughter team that had obviously practiced a lot.  The mother would grab the little girl and swing her around to the front of her and then just turn herself around, much to the delight of the audience.

 

     The fair grounds are also dotted with food booths, flea market tables and vendors selling their wares.  There are buildings with booths of crafts, handiwork, jewelry, western decor and other items for sale.  The antique dealers set up their displays and the toy tractor retailers are there to make a profit.

 

     So, ya'll come out for the 27th Annual Clark County Mule Festival this weekend in Northeast Missouri. We will welcome you with open arms, though there may be no vacancy at the campgrounds.  You could rent a primitive site on my front lawn, though the landlord requests no pets, including mules........but you'll get that in a small town.



 

Only in the Country #2

 

     Would you know what to expect of you saw a sign like this?  We see them quite often on our rural roads. I can think of at least 5 different one lane bridges on country roads within 30 miles of our town.  Our roads are not very busy, so you don't often have to "deal" with them.

 

     The one lane bridge has become a greatly debated topic among county officials. I'm sure the original reason for the one lane bridge was to save money. Now, there is more concern for safety, and the time spent "waiting" at one of these bridges (like there's really that much traffic on them!).

 

     After passing the above sign, you will soon see this:

 

 

 

     The picture doesn't quite do justice to what a one lane bridge looks like. They are rather thin and are only wide enough to accommodate one vehicle width at a time. The sign does however give you the appropriate directions on how to respond to a one lane bridge. When we country folks approach one of these and see another car headed for the bridge from the other direction, we respond in a number of  different ways.  The daredevils will try and beat one another to the bridge, often playing "chicken" to see who will give in and slow down first.  The timid drivers will slow down, or even stop to let the other driver cross first. The polite gentlemen will sit patiently and wave the other driver across.  Neighbors will meet half way, get out of their cars and have a little chat on the bridge.  I heard once of a man and woman who met on a one lane bridge and stopped bumper to bumper.  The man hollered out "I don't back up for idiots!"  The woman immediately replied, " I do!"   and quickly backed up .....but you'll get that in a small town.

     

Fundraising in a Small Town

 

      Yes, raising funds for a particular need is much different in a small town area.  There are several different approaches.  Sometimes a church group or a club will attempt a big city plan and hold a car wash or sell candy bars.  The car wash doesn't get many customers, because we here in this stretch of the woods really don't have shiny cars to begin with.  Washing them just takes away the grime that hides the rust and the expired licence plates.  Candy bars are great, but once everyone sells them to their relatives, the whole town is covered and you can't sell anymore.
     Now, a small town area takes some ingenious thought to getting into that pocket to get the funds you need for some project or deficit.  A lot of times people take the direct approach.  Because of this, about once or twice a year, the traffic on my side street becomes unbearable. Those are the days that I know to avoid the four-way stop in town.  The four-way stop is an intersection in the middle of town.  Of course, there are 4 stop signs and each direction must stop there.  It gets humorous when all 4 stop at the same time we have to try and figure out who goes first, but that's another episode entirely.  But, someone a long time ago realized that they could make a profit off of this opportunity. It is usually the fire department guys or the ambulance workers who gather 5 gallon buckets and stand in the middle of the road at the 4 way stop and solicit funds right there. They are always dressed in their particular uniforms.  It reminds me of when I was in South America and the people would sell you some trinket or wash your window right as you were stopped in traffic.  I don't know how effective this method is.  I do know that a lot of people avoid the area when they are there! 
     And then there is the indirect approach.  I call it "Fattening for Funds".  At least once a week the sign at the 4 way stop announces some kind of fundraising dinner to be held at the Senior Center.  It will share the menu, time and who the funds will go to.  Often it will be announced on the radio as well, giving such information as: "free will offering" and "homemade pies".  This must be a rather effective way of raising money as often as they are held.  It goes back to the long held belief  that the way to a man's wallet is through his stomach.  Those who hold these meals have to get rather creative to draw a big crowd.  I'm sure they feel that their menu choice is of utmost importance.  Occasionally they will advertise "homemade noodles" or "liver and onions", seeking to entice a particular crowd. 
     The local high school has come up with some unique ways of raising money too.  Of course, we get the usual orders for fruit in the winter, cookie dough in the spring and candy bars the whole year through, but they came up with a new way a few years ago.  They advertised in the paper that they were taking donations for their  band trip to Hawaii.  Those that donated would receive a Hawaiian flower painted on their driveway, sidewalk or front curb.  And, for added incentive, each flower represented a certain amount.  So, it became a matter of pride.  Each business proudly displayed their collection of flowers out on the front sidewalk, loudly exclaiming their amount of monetary donation!  Those flowers are still visible in town, even after several years.  They have been joined by pictures of Indians, alligators and footballs, each designating different causes that were given to.
     Finally, there is the most effective approach, just plain need.  When a family has a tragedy or medical need or if their house burns down, the whole community joins in one accord to help in any way they can.  The method does not matter, whether it is a coffee can on the grocery store counter, a yard sale or just a clothing drive, we all chip in because we have seen the hurt first hand, or have been there ourselves. We are all familiar with the pleas for money that we are bombarded with daily.  We have our emotions toyed with; we are fed some sob story about someone who needs help. Our mailboxes teem with pleas for funds to be sent to hospitals, cancer patients and wildlife preserves.  Yet, when it comes to someone we know, our hearts are moved even more, because we have seen the suffering and the need first hand. We know that the gifts we are giving will really go to that person and not just to some corporate office.  This is a community of friends and family, and when one of us suffers, we all suffer........but you'll get that in a small town.

Tired Old Truck

     At one time it was a brand new pickup truck.  A retired man drove it off the lot and took it home to his small farm.  It was a prize, a reward for years of hard work, a trophy from the sweat and tears spent in the past.  This was a truck to be proud of.  It took many trips through the man's watermelon fields, or down the road to the local cafe everyday.  It even was nice enough to drive the man and his wife to church on Sundays. Yes, it was a good truck.  The grandchildren would ooh and ahh over the shiny chrome, and fight over a chance to go to the sale barn with Grandpa. The finish was shiny; the vinyl seats were smooth and clean.

     Fast forward several years. The man had a teenage grandson who greatly admired the truck. Even though it had already racked up many a mile, it had the ruggedness that a teen, who had just received his license, looked for in a first vehicle.  It was now a trophy for a young man. But, it was also a lesson learned.  The young man learned the value of a dollar and the rewards of paying off a debt early. It became a vehicle to haul the young man's mowing trailer and helped him establish a reputation of faithfulness and hard work.  It was also the truck that he and his future wife dated in.  Though old, it was a good and faithful truck. It now had a CD player, instead of the old 8 track. The young man also added cruise control.  He put many miles on it travelling cross country to visit his future bride.  Besides the many miles, the truck now held many memories.

     The tired old truck still has a future.  It has listened in on many discussions between that young man and his son as they dream about the future and one day fixing it up together.  The young man knows the thrill of having a good truck when you are first driving and he wants that for his son. 



     The old truck no longer shines.  The chrome has rusted. The steering wheel is now shiny with wear.  The vinyl seats are now cracked and dull.  The original owner has now retired to heaven.  But the memories still remain.

     Today, the tired old truck broke down.  Working in 105 degree weather would cause any old timer to collapse.  Fix it? Of course!  This is a valuable family heirloom.  Sorry, old friend, you're not ready for the truck graveyard, yet, we have plans for your future.............but you'll get that in a small town.



Small Town News #1

I needed a laugh this week.  I found this among my files and thought I'd share. This is one of my favorite small town headlines ever............but you'll get that in a small town!

A Tribute

     Actor Andy Griffith passed away today.  He was well known for his series "The Andy Griffith Show" which aired in the 1960's.  He was a small town boy who grew up in Mt. Airy, North Carolina.  His love of that town and its people helped to shape many of the episodes for the show. If fact, though there was an entire team of writers for the show, I have read that Andy had his hand in every episode, influencing the scenarios and adding that small town flair.
     His portrayal of a rural sheriff and the funny predicaments that accompany that job made us all love the homey feeling of the small town life and yearn to find a Mayberry of our own.
     Thank you, Andy, for reminding us that we need to look for the humor even in the difficult times of life.  Thank you for helping us smile at the joy of prize winning pickles and the antics of the local filling station attendant. Thanks for giving us an understanding of the simple law that rules in a rural area, that looks to build character more than serve the letter of the law, but you'll get that in a small town.