Summer Fun & Some 'R Work

This looks like a major weekend for town festivals. Stillwater, MN has Lumberjack Days.

Jon also heard about a BohemianTractor Pull at Kolacky Days in Montgomery, MN. In case you are not familiar with "tractor pulls", this is usually a competative event where men use tractors to pull tons of weight. The one he heard about is a little different; the people (teams of Bohemians) try to pull tractors. Sounds like fun to watch but not to be a participant. I can envision some big guys and maybe gals with a rope in their teeth straining to budge a John Deere or Massey-Ferguson.

There are lots of events along the Mississippi river corridor including Riverboat Days in Wabasha and Old Log House Days in Hastings. There seems to be some celebration for every interest this weekend. Finn Days, Blueberry festivals, Corn Capitol Days, Polka Days in New Ulm and a Wilder Pageant in Walnut Grove. If that sounds familiar, it was made famous by Little House on the Prairie as the girlhood home of Laura Ingals Wilder. Yes, Barb, there really is a Walnut Grove. If you desire if for a less ethnic event, try the music on Peavey Plaza by Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

If I had the time, we might go to UFO Days in Elmwood, WI. In the mid 70's they had a "Rash of Sightings" near that little town. Credible people like policemen saw flying saucers. I believe the paper says there were 30 sightings during that time period and none since. Some locals who were not intimidated by the alleged sightings proposed building a landing strip for UFOs. Wiser heads prevailed and they don't have a lighted landing strip but do celebrate UFO days every summer.

If I recall correctly, my sister knew a woman who had a cabin by their Wisconsin lake place, who claims she saw one. She had stayed alone at the cabin during the week and one night saw a strange craft over the lake. There are a myriad of other UFO stories and we tend to dismiss them as bogus or humorous. Some are hard to dismiss when a crowdof people see the same thing together. Jimmy Carter claimed to have seen one years ago. Jimmy Carter is also a Democrat and a lot of the people I know don't believe anything the Democrats say so I guess they couldn't call him an unimpeachable source. Being neither a Republican or a Democrat, I tend to believe his story. Maybe that is because I am concerned that someday on a quiet country road I will see bright lights and hear strange sounds. Odds are that would be just the sheriff pulling me over for speeding but it would be disconcerting to see a spaceship and have no one believe you.