I know they happen all over the world but here in the great midwestern USA they are part and parcel of many folk's existence. Looking forward to the "doins" that your town puts on and trying to make it bigger and better each year is as ingrained in the Midwestern soul as the love for greasy and deep fried fair food......and that goes pretty deep! Even in today's modern times with worries about cholesterol and weight, the booths selling assorted types of sweetened, deep fried, dough make a killing. We love everything deep fried from ice cream to pickles. If you can batter it and toss it in the fat, we'll eat it. I'm waiting for cow patties..........
So our love and need for festivals outside of the yearly county fairs also burns far down in our genetic code. What do we celebrate you ask? Just like the fried food, we'll celebrate anything! In Ohio for instance, the list includes almost every vegetable and fruit from apricots to zuchini. I used to live in the "Home of the Tomato" and I figured the only saving grace was that it wasn't the home of the pea. We celebrate bratwurst, popcorn, pumpkin, walnuts, buzzards, soybeans...hell, we even have a CLAY festival. Up until a few years ago, we had an underwear festival in a mill town where they were made, but it was taken over by outlaw bikers and the townsfolk are now having to rely on other towns and the county fair to get their greasy food fix.
Even in the tiny village where I now reside we have a little festival that has grown every year thanks to the work of a group of "community leaders." It started out as an Oktoberfest sincce the town is "Bremen" but that wasn't working as well as if they could just come up with something to celebrate. A few years back it became "Derrick Days" since they had once pumped oil out of the ground here. Oil has been pumped out of every county in Ohio but what the hell? Bremen needed a theme. The fact that they never found more than a smattering of oil here didn't matter at all.
Like all festivals they have a parade with a Grand Marshall and a festival King and Queen and a Miss Bremen Derrick Days and all of that. After all, we can't be outdone by the corn festival forever. It is of course, but we have something to aspire to! And this brings us to what I wanted to actually say. Sorry about that!
I have observed at these things all manner of silliness and stupiidity over the years and the rule seems to be that the smaller the burg, the more silly it is. Bemen, Ohio is very small. As I looked over this year's program I noted the page devoted to the Senior King and Queen. This is always an honored award and they ride in the nicest convertible through the streets of town during the parade. The parade only goes 4 blocks but the setup for it takes almost every other street...all 14 of them!
So I read all about this couple and I realized they were both dead. Nowthis is a first as far as I know. I've never encountered thisparticularly odd situation before but I figured only here would something this stupid take place. I can hardly wait for the parade tomorrow. Somehow I just know it's going to be pretty weird. Perhaps a nice Vette with their portrait on the rear deck. Or maybe their adult kids holding photos or for all I know they might .........no............I won't go there.
Got anything like this where you live? Tell me about it!