Maroons land Gourd Festival

From the CDJ

"Another coup for the city is a proposed gathering in the fall of gourd enthusiasts. Gourd artist Betsy Davis Parker, of rural Clinton and the president of the Illinois Gourd Society, said the group is planning to hold its annual meeting a Clinton Junior High School September 15 and 16. She said last year’s conference was in Lisle, near Chicago, but many members living in Southern Illinois did not attend because of the distance. Clinton’s central location is ideal for the, and the annual gathering might come back to Clinton every year, if all goes as Parker hopes. “Yes. Yes. If we pull it off, well it will just get bigger and bigger,” she said. She said she expects there to be as many as 45 vendors at the event, which includes workshops. She also said she hoped a local group, like a school booster group, could be recruited to provide food and earn the money to stay in Clinton and benefit the group. The event would be open to the public, the only cost being for workshops"

I cannot think of a better place in the world for a gourd festival than Clinton. The pent up demand for odd looking vegetables and the art inspired by such tubers is overwhelming. This is the kind of thing that can change Goon City to Gourd City.

Welcome Gourd Fans! Be sure to stop off in Hog City when you tire of painting vegetables for a cold drink and tall tales.

Hall of Fame

Here is a challenge, name the WHS greats shown here at the All Class Reunion.

HT Wapella Ace of Photographers Geo Spray

Wapella.com Mourns Don Herbert (Mr. Wizard)

Don Herbert, Mr Wizard has died at age 89. Herbert, the long time star of the "kitchen" science program Mr Wizard, was a much admired and copied TV presenter, explaining complex scientific topics using everyday materials and experience. If I recall, Mr Wizard was shown on PBS Channel 12 in a sort of throwback syndication of his original 1950's NBC show (547 Episodes in all, per Wikipedia), and then revived his show for Nickelodian in the 1980's.

The accompanying picture pretty much defines the appeal Mr. Wizard had in Wapella..kitchen matches, fire, explosions, and a kid with a goofy haircut put into great danger, while Herbert looks on cooly..prompting Wapella youth to experiment with vast quanties of vinegar and baking soda, high explosives, modified model rockets, gunpowder, and tobacco products, tossed in to accentuate the danger.

Born July 10, 1917, in Waconia, Minn., Herbert later moved to Minneapolis and then La Crosse, Wis. He graduated from LaCrosse State Teachers College in 1940 and could have taught English or general science — his majors — but he recalled later that he was more interested in the theater. He worked as an actor and stagehand in a Minnesota theater group before moving to New York City in 1941. A year later, he volunteered for the Army Air Forces. As a B-24 bomber pilot, he flew 56 missions over Italy, Germany and Yugoslavia and received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three oak-leaf clusters.

Flags half mast for Army Air Corp veteran Don Herbert.

Wapella to Build Heyworth

Congrats to the Heyworth Hornets, the lucky recepient of Wapella craft and construction. SCI General Contractors of Wapella has been awarded a good sized contract to build a football field and all-weather track complex at Heyworth Junior-Senior High School. As more Wildcats venture north to Heyworth, perhaps we can take a bit of the Hog City good life to the Hornets.

Pantagraph story here.

Reunite Wapella

Nothing does a Wildcat enjoy more than reuniting with other fellow Wildcats (or maybe not, I am around a few of them every day, and they are doozies). So the great Chuck Underwood put together seventy-eight former students of the Wapella Schools at a reunion last Saturday night at his home, east of Wapella on the Farmer City blacktop.

Students from Florida and Texas were in attendance as well as 91-year-old Ray Thompson who was ag teacher at Wapella High School in the 1940's.

I, for one, have yet to attend a WHS reunion where the DeWitt County Sheriff was not called. Thanks to Chuck and Marilyn for keeping this one under control!

Wapella.com Salutes Clifford Ray

One of the great things about staying up all night with a fussy baby is watching ESPN Classic rehash stories that may have been missed 25 years ago. This was a great story about Clifford Ray.

I did not know that former Chicago Bull and Golden State Warrior was able to stick his arm down a dolphin's throat and recover a bolt that was dropped into a pool at an Redwood City Marine World type of place in 1978. I did recall that Clifford Ray had one set of long arms on him, and was a great defensive player.

Clifford's arms? 3 Feet 9 Inches. What a great use of the human wingspan.

The kicker? Years later, Clifford lost a mounted version of the actual bolt he pulled from the Dolphin's second stomach.

Gone, not Forgotten

Some of these bits of info are not so easy to find. Thelma Ellis Peterson WHS '37 has passed away at age 88 in Bloomington. She was preceeded in death by her brothers John and Delmar Ellis and sister Bette Crutchley. I did not know Mrs. Peterson, nor her immediate family, but I bet that there are some Wildcats out there that did. Loyal readers, any more information?

Congratulations to a Great American!

Congratulations to Catherine Bressen on her marriage to Matthew Patrick Toohill WHS '79, on June 1 at St. John the Baptist Church in Fairbury. Toohill, a Wapella Original, is retired from the US Air Force.

Full Salute to Matthew Toohill.

Hitching Posts

This from an alert reader...

On my drive home yesterday I head down the business district of Hog City
and there is it...... a horse tied up to the power pole and a cowboy in
at Annie's throwing back a few cold ones. I had to drive around the
block as I was shocked and stunned though not all that surprised. Has
Wapella turning into a horse trading community with all the new horse
farms? I might add this horse was at the local establishment for several
hours. Thought you would get a chuckle out of this. Though I assume you
have probably been contacted already about this.
....

Wapella has one foot firmly in the 19th century, with all modern conveniences.

Triumph! Wapella has never been finer

Spent a long weekend in Hog City, after a too-long hiatus. I can attest, the town has not looked better in my personal experience of 42 years, nor has it ever looked better in pictures. Evidence...? Drive to Wapella and check these things out

1) Schmid Brothers lift truck services is a thriving business. A dumpy flea market is gone at the old Rodden Johnson's, and a high performance-clean industry is doing well.

2) There are at least 4 newer light industrial businesses on the north side parkway, near Haycrafts Auction House. All are well kept, and looked to be quite busy.

3) Two new horse farms border the Village, each keeping a small number of handsome ponies. Fences are up, the yards are mown, and the horses look particularly happy to be in Hog City. A local hog farmer stopped by to welcome me to his hog lot for an inspection, but scared away my daughter with talk of a big bad wolf.

4) A few new houses are coming up, and look well built and appropriate for the Village. Everyone that I drove by replaced some obsolete housing with something every village would be proud to have.

The Churches were busy on Sunday, Casey's parking lot was packed, the Taverns served their lively mix of reasonable dining and fine spirited conversation, and it seems that a new Chapel has opened in Solomon to revive the spirit of Rural Wapella.

Score a big 6 months for Wapella. The place is great!