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September 10, 2007
More About my Weekend
Working in reverse order here (and skipping Sunday altogether). I left out the entire day of Saturday in my last post, because what bits of the evening were still left in my alcohol-addled mind were still fairly fresh.
In any case, Saturday morning Adam got up early and left the house to go run in the Popcorn Panic, an annual 5-mile race that kicks off the much-anticipated Popcorn Fest. I kid you not. Orville Redenbacher grew up here or something, so every year we celebrate Redenbacher's legacy of class-action lawsuits over popcorn lung (or something like that). But, the race goes practically right by our house. So the Bug and I grabbed our coffee and sippee cups and walked to the corner to cheer on the runners along with our neighbors. This is about the halfway point of the race, and I'll let Adam tell you all about how he did, but the Bug really got into it, clapping and yelling when her Dad went by.
After Adam returned and hit the showers, we decided to head downtown to check out the festivities. We've managed to either ignore or be out of town for the festival the first two years we lived here, so this was our chance. I also figured it was a pleasant (i.e. not 97% humidity) day, and the Bug is now old enough to enjoy a parade. We had to walk a fair distance from the available parking, but that's no biggie (but then I hadn't just run 5 miles). I have to say, I was a bit disappointed that the Valpo marching band didn't put in a very good performance. The band from Kouts was much tighter. Yes, Kouts, for god's sake. The Bug liked the marching bands, and the police cars with their sirens blazing.
So the festival was pretty much what I expected. Adam got to realize his greatest dream, which was to eat a deep-fried twinkie. The Bug and I went through the mini corn maze, and shared a shaved ice. I tried not to ruin the day by ranting and raving about how the kids' entertainment lineup for the day revolved around Ronald McDonald (McD's wonderful hypocritical marketing shitfest for kids that is disguised as education to keep them active and healthy. I love it when corporations use that kind of sleight of hand with your kids. Have you seen the study showing that kids think that food tastes better when it's in a McDonald's wrapper?) Anyway, I digress. I also found out that port-o-potties and toddlers are really not a very fun combination, but while we were in there we missed the Pro-Life float. Darn.
There were the usual craft booths, full of puppy dog throw blankets and yard art, but there was one seller with really cool silver jewelry made from old silverware. I've always loved that stuff. I have a hair clip made from an old spoon handle that I got from the Spoon Man during my trip to Portland a few years ago.
So, I managed to swallow my slice of Americana and make it home without too many blisters on my feet. The rest of the day you know all about. Well, except for my trip to Costco in the early afternoon, but somehow I doubt it bears retelling. Have a great Monday everybody.
Posted by mwashburn at September 10, 2007 06:52 AMPosted to True Stories
Comments
So, inquiring minds *have* to know--how was the twinkie?!?
Posted by: Susanne Hinson-Rieger at September 10, 2007 05:57 PM
You'll have to ask Adam. I refused to go near the thing. He did say it was about what he expected, but he actually *likes* twinkies.
Posted by: flygrrl at September 10, 2007 07:59 PM