RIP EK

Evel Knievel, the inspiration to generations of Wapella cyclists, has died at age 69. Knievel made the Wide World of Sports a great Saturday entertainment piece witch his Daredevil Motorcycling.

Making it to age 69 is a minor miracle for Knievel. What an entertainer and sportsman.

Dupage County Reader Recommends Mobile Rock and Roll

This in from an alert reader in DuPage County. The song "Let it Rock", really does the trick. Here it is done by a Welshman, Dave Edmunds, with Nick Lowe and Rockpile.

UPDATE

Here is a version of same by Motorhead. Great rock, but keep in mind the firey guitar solo is by Dave Letterman's own Sid McGinnis, not Lemmy or Phil Campbell.

Take a left at Panola and Practice Practice Practice

The answer to age old joke, "how do you have the best Christmas Song in Roanoke" takes a modern twist with on-line voting at Roanoke.com

Vote Here

There is nothing quite as soothing as the voice of Woodford County residents bellowing Christmas songs. Take a look at Roanoke and fill the ballot box with your choice.

Update: I didn't think this looked like Roanoke Illinios. That picture, and link is from Roanoke Virginia.

Reviving Don's World of Beef

From some of the same people that brought you Don's World of Beef, back in the 1970's, here comes the Hog City Holiday Special. Stock up on Beefy treats, right here in Wapella.

The Toohill's have been raising Beef in Wapella for over 15o years. As I can attest to, the warm welcome from the Toohill family may bring you in; the flavorful beef brings you back for more.

Get over there and get some Wapella beef. You will not be disappointed.

Halftime Report

Wapella is leading Bloomington 28-21 at RR1 Wapella field. All players, coincidentally are great great grandsons of Patrick Toohill. MP Toohill has just arrived from Fairbury for halftime relief.

UPDATE: Wapella wins big 72-21. The addition of MP Toohill at halftime was just what the Wildcats needed. Bloomington added up the ages, and noted that Wapella had a hundred year age advantage, however, if off road miles are included the ages are roughly equivalent according to the booth, the play stands.

Mixed Up Joke

I had to read this twice, sort of funny, in a 1971 way.

Two hippies were waiting at the bus stop alongside a nun whose leg was in a cast. The first hippie asked "Sister, how did you break you leg?"

"I slipped in the bathtub."

The second hippie asked the first, "What's a bathtub?"

"How should I know? I'm not Catholic!"

Does Jim Bell have Eligibility Left?

In a confusing story, Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber announced today the signing of Stan Simpson to a national letter of intent on the first day of the fall signing period. An alert reader in Jayhawk country brings up a good question:

Simpson was known to be a good ballplayer, and his kids were all fine Wildcat athletes, but Simpson has to be a 1949 vintage.

Why not go with a younger player?  Doesn't Red still use the push shot rather than the jump shot?

Any thoughts?

From Wakayama to Wapella

Yoshio Kinoshita WHS '79 (represented here by Mr. Fuji) has been getting back to his Wapella branches over the last week. After a lively visit with Wapella.com in his current home of Manhattan, Yoshio visited Chicago and some western suburban Wildcats last night for dinner and drafts.

Some highlights:

1) Kinoshita just picked Wapella randomly on a map of the United States when deciding where to stay. Who wouldn't?
2) After contacting Judy Stein, he (still) was set on coming to Wapella.
3) Yoshio enjoyed the country life of Wapella, and thought Glen and Mable Trimble to be very kind people.
4) With respect to which DeWitt Co resident Yoshio found to be the
most challenging to understand English/diction - none other than Jerry
Peroutka took the prize.
5) Yoshio enjoys the song "Brandy" when sung by Hog City types.

Kinoshita-san is planning a visit to Wapella in 2008. Roll out the blue and white carpet!

Wapella Animal Rescue Unit in Action

Details are a bit sketchy, but at this time, it appears that the feral cat stalking the South East part of the Village has been humanely captured. Linda Jackson has retrieved the kitty after a particularly troubling hunt, and harmlessly put him into safe keeping.

Wapella's own Kenneth Jackson (WHS '86) is now caring for the cat, tenderly nursing the feline back to top fitness and health.

Kudos to the Wapella Animal Rescue Squad for a job well done!

Most Popular Spectator Sport in Hog City

The most popular participant sport in Wapella has been Bear Wrestling for the last 153 years. The most popular spectator sport, however is Illini Football, with a horde of Illini fans, alumni and general observers of the Orange and Blue. Wapella.com salutes Ron Zook, Juice Williams and the Fighting Illini for their comeback season and the great game they played against #1 Ohio State, taking down the Buckeyes in their first defeat of the season. Illini 28-Buckeyes 21.

And for those that doubt the Illini on the road, remember this game was played in Columbus with a minimal number of Illini fans in person, but an army of them watching on the tube.

Go Illini!

editor's note: The Fighting Irish may think about applying for Division 3 status after losing to Air Force.

No Jive Turkey

We know Wapella is still reeling from the decision not to have the St.
Pat's Turkey Dinner, but in an attempt to ease the pain, in steps Anne
Roesch Leischner with some good news:

This just in from the Altar and Rosary Society: in lue of the turkey
dinner (may she rest in peace until resurrected) there are plans to host
a summer fish fry the same weekend as Wapalooza. So, readers, all is NOT
lost, and kudos to the A and R Society and Anne L. for this bit of
uplifting news. Get your summer schedules planned, and make the sojourn
back to Wapella Summer of 2008 for a fish fry/Wapalooza weekend.

P.S: efforts are still going to be made to revive the turkey dinner and
the Cornbread and Bean festival. 

Navy Torpedoes Irish; Illini March On

Sad day for the Fighting Irish, sunk by a weak Navy team yesterday 46-44. Notre Dame's 43-game winning streak against Navy, the longest in NCAA history against one opponent, was gone. Charlie Weiss could use a few execuses, Wapella.com predicts some sort of rehab program for him where he has to leave ND for medical reasons.

The Illini are hard to stop on their march to a bowl game, stomping the Golden Gophers 44-17. May not be a major bowl, but the Illini are back in shape at 7-3 for a game after Christmas.

The word on the streets of Hog City is that at least two Wapella Gentlemen witnessed the Kansas Cats whomp the Cornhuskers 76-39; the most points ever allowed by the Huskers. Was Wapella's own Kansas Cat in attendance? Or only the the adopted Husker Fans from the Farmer City Blacktop via Amtrak?

Photo of Ian Thorpe, the Thorpedo.

Wapella, What Happened to the 19th Century?

A concerned citizen of Wapella writes

"I heard yesterday that there will not be a Turkey Dinner at St. Pat's this year. What's going on with Wapella??…...No Corn & Bean Festival, no purple house and now no turkey dinner at St. Pat's. Is Wapella caught up with all the modern day conveniences and new construction through out the town to remember the classic/historical events? Bring it back! Start petition drives, call your neighbor's, get these event's back on schedule"

I must agree, these trademark events are what make Village of Wapella the Hog City. And beleive it or not, the food is generally very good, and comedy excellent. I am all in favor of 19th Century type of fun (dog-fighting, arm-wrestling, beard growing contests etc), but Wapella.com alone cannot get these events back on the calendar. Anyone out there joining with our Concerned Citizen to revive some of our civic feasts?

I start by nominating BEP as the Most Exalted Chair of a Beard Growing Contest as he always looked like a mini-Rick Sutcliffe. Any more hands on deck?

Robert Goulet RIP

Robert Goulet was a great one because

1) He had a booming dramatic singing voice like no other.
2) He looked good with a mustache. Here he is without one, hardly recognize him.
3) He could take a joke and make fun of himself, as witnessed in Hee Haw, the Naked Gun, Police Squad and the Simpsons.

Goulet died in Los Angeles at age 73 after a long and successful career. May he Rest in Peace.