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09/01/2003 Archived Entry: "Brookville Parade and Park Gathering"

BROOKVILLE PARADE AND PARK GATHERING

Mike Rogers had the grill fired and hamburgers and hot dogs cooking by the time we arrived in Brookville at 11:00 today for the Gathering in the Park. That isn't what they call it, but the name seems more appropriate than whatever it is they do call it. I like spending part of Labor Day there. They do a nice job arranging it. Long-time favorites Theresa and Mike were singing and they are worth the trip alone. It's nice to sit at one of the picnic tables, enjoy their music, chat with area farmers who gather there and have some good food. And this year it was delightfully cool. Last year it must have been 189 degrees.

I took a look at the frozen hamburger patties (out of a box) Mike was cooking and they must have been made from white cattle. Charolais perhaps. I can't recall ever seeing white beef patties before. I suggested that locally purchased meat might be a better choice. Mike’s an old friend and can take the hint. The pies were homemade and the coconut cream pie was excellent. I saw it being carried in by the person who baked it, so I just followed her to the place where they were selling it. I should have just bought the whole thing.

Josh Svaty and Bruce Wyatt were in the parade along with a strong contingent of emergency vehicles and ATVs. There were two very good horse-drawn entries which saved the parade. The parade is on the main street, which is still dirt, and that makes it special.

Josh was there representing the 108th district and Bruce walked along repeating his mantra..."Thank you for your interest in public education". Maybe he was trying to convince himself of that. I imagine he had trouble repeating that over and over when he knew that if people really did take an interest in Kansas State Board of Education elections we wouldn't be facing the same international embarrassment we did three years ago when the moderates were outvoted by the extremists who decided to remove the subject of evolution from our science class curriculum. Here we go again.

Another interesting addition was that all the windows of the "old" Brookville Hotel were covered with brown paper with this message on all of them: "We Need Sewer to Open". I love signs. Does that mean someone is looking for Ditch Witch work? Would they also say, "We Need Sewer to Close?" I think it also could mean someone has bought the Old Hotel and intends to put in a classy steak house, maybe a little like Meridy's in Russell, but in order to do so, "we need sewer to open". We already know that is one of the many reasons the Martins chose to take their Brookville Hotel to Abilene. The septic tank overfloweth. Don't linger with thoughts on the steak house. Maybe they will have a ribbon cutting when they have their "sewer opening". I'm only kidding.

They also had "sandwitches" for sale. I thought it looked better without the "d" if they wanted to keep the "t". Or, two words would have been good: sand witches. Sammiches is better yet.

There was a good crowd there this year, but not as large as last or during most election years. It’s a time when the kids cut loose and have a lot of fun. I was nearly run down by a little kid on a bike and twice by a kid with horns pulling along some girl behind it. It was the horns I dodged.

It’s a fun place to be on Labor Day.