Hee-Haw in the Ozarks
That is what we attended this weekend. No. I am not kidding.
It was fun too.
I mean, our town has a population of 700 something and when it decides collectively to celebrate......why not?
This celebration of sorts has been going on almost 30 years. It is just a slow paced day filled with all different types of entertainment.
We kicked off Saturday with the parade. Once again the kids wanted to participate in their own little way. Miss L really wanted to ride her pony in the parade, but her daddy and I decided that since Mr. B wouldn't be able to ride behind her the entire length of the parade and he isn't old enough to ride the gator or a bike by himself, she should take one for the team. We ended up having Miss L into driving the John Deere gator once again while Mr. B hitched a ride as a passenger and Daisy, the pooch, rode in the dump bed.
This worked out well for us.
Apparently they really wanted participants for the parade so all of the children received a $1 for being in the parade. Then the man giving out the money asked us what class we were in?.....
"Um, I am not sure that we have a class...."
Well, we will create a class for you and since you are the only one in it.......You get 1st place!
That, folks, raked in another $5.
************************
After the parade we wandered around talking to the neighbors and family that were there. Of course, Miss L and Mr B felt somewhat like a celebrity since people were commenting on their parade appearance. Since Miss L started preschool this year, classmates of hers were coming up and talking to her and commenting on her gator and Daisy. Let me tell you, she felt big.
At 12:30 the event we had all been waiting for. (Drumroll please)
The turtle race.
Apparently back in the beginning of Community Days the turtle race was a big draw. Kids and turtles came from all over the area. Some with painted shells, some small, some big........... most were ready to race. After many years the turtle race started to dwindle. Let me be the first to tell you, IT HAS MADE A COMEBACK.
There were over 55 turtles/kids. Each child was given a $1 for participating. The winner of each heat was given $5. The grand prize winner was given $20.
Unfortunately Miss L's turtle never left its shell and Mr B's turtle never moved.
Next year we will go at it with a different angle. Ya know, maybe hop them up on some speed or something. I mean the $9 we came home with was great and all, but just think next year we could come home with $30 more. And it is, ahem, all about the money.........
*********************************
That evening we made our way back to town and finished off the festivities by watching the hometown rendition of Hee-Haw! It was really cute and well done. It made me remember times sitting in my parents living room floor watching the show as a family. Times have changed. I am glad that at least for now, my children, my husband and I, live in a place where time moves a little slower than it does in others. Traditions still run firm. People still sit on their front porch. Kids can run around and the parents know that collectively, the community is watching them. Their kids are our kids and our kids are their kids.
Although we will never be put on the map for being on the cutting edge of anything, this town, my town, of 700+ is a really good place to live.
"Now we're not one to go around telling rumors,
In fact we're really not the gossiping kind....
No, you won't hear one of us repeating gossip
so you better be sure and listen close the first time."
Mytown, Missouri population: 781 Saaa-lute!
It was fun too.
I mean, our town has a population of 700 something and when it decides collectively to celebrate......why not?
This celebration of sorts has been going on almost 30 years. It is just a slow paced day filled with all different types of entertainment.
We kicked off Saturday with the parade. Once again the kids wanted to participate in their own little way. Miss L really wanted to ride her pony in the parade, but her daddy and I decided that since Mr. B wouldn't be able to ride behind her the entire length of the parade and he isn't old enough to ride the gator or a bike by himself, she should take one for the team. We ended up having Miss L into driving the John Deere gator once again while Mr. B hitched a ride as a passenger and Daisy, the pooch, rode in the dump bed.
This worked out well for us.
Apparently they really wanted participants for the parade so all of the children received a $1 for being in the parade. Then the man giving out the money asked us what class we were in?.....
"Um, I am not sure that we have a class...."
Well, we will create a class for you and since you are the only one in it.......You get 1st place!
That, folks, raked in another $5.
************************
After the parade we wandered around talking to the neighbors and family that were there. Of course, Miss L and Mr B felt somewhat like a celebrity since people were commenting on their parade appearance. Since Miss L started preschool this year, classmates of hers were coming up and talking to her and commenting on her gator and Daisy. Let me tell you, she felt big.
At 12:30 the event we had all been waiting for. (Drumroll please)
The turtle race.
Apparently back in the beginning of Community Days the turtle race was a big draw. Kids and turtles came from all over the area. Some with painted shells, some small, some big........... most were ready to race. After many years the turtle race started to dwindle. Let me be the first to tell you, IT HAS MADE A COMEBACK.
There were over 55 turtles/kids. Each child was given a $1 for participating. The winner of each heat was given $5. The grand prize winner was given $20.
Unfortunately Miss L's turtle never left its shell and Mr B's turtle never moved.
Next year we will go at it with a different angle. Ya know, maybe hop them up on some speed or something. I mean the $9 we came home with was great and all, but just think next year we could come home with $30 more. And it is, ahem, all about the money.........
*********************************
That evening we made our way back to town and finished off the festivities by watching the hometown rendition of Hee-Haw! It was really cute and well done. It made me remember times sitting in my parents living room floor watching the show as a family. Times have changed. I am glad that at least for now, my children, my husband and I, live in a place where time moves a little slower than it does in others. Traditions still run firm. People still sit on their front porch. Kids can run around and the parents know that collectively, the community is watching them. Their kids are our kids and our kids are their kids.
Although we will never be put on the map for being on the cutting edge of anything, this town, my town, of 700+ is a really good place to live.
"Now we're not one to go around telling rumors,
In fact we're really not the gossiping kind....
No, you won't hear one of us repeating gossip
so you better be sure and listen close the first time."
Mytown, Missouri population: 781 Saaa-lute!
Comments
I agree, I love small town stuff. We don't live in an area like that but we often visit them. However, each Fourth of July, I look around at our town lined up on the parade route and say to The Swede, "Now this is Americana." I love it.
Nice-looking family by the way.
We live in a small town, and I work in a nearby small town which happens to be my hometown.
It is this very town that holds the honor of the longest running 4th of July Parade west of the Mississippi. In 1991 President George H. Bush and his First Lady, Barbara Bush participated in our Independence Day Parade. As you can imagine....the population of our town increased ten fold during this time.
In a town the size of ours this is an occurence of historical porportions.