A group of the Dodgeville Class of 1965 always come to the area to play golf on the first Wednesday of the Town Square in downtown Dodgeville. Last year they cancelled due to the "hot" weather and this year they almost did again, but decided to go to the House on the Rock course in Spring Green, where it is down in a little more and has more trees. That evening I got a text from Kramer "Butch" Rock saying he was just going into Bob’s Bitchin BBQ and the rest would be 15-20 minutes later. I went down and he was sitting alone with a beverage in toe, so I joined him. It seems he didn’t make it to golf because while driving from Green Bay he happened to get a flat tire. Come to find out he had a box cutter blade in the tire (how did that ever happen?) That put him behind schedule. A few minutes later in came Dick Stephens, Joe Meudt, Bob Rundle and Mike Gust with Dick James (Class of ’59) trailing behind! We shared some stories (and I mean stories) for awhile until they were ready to order. I took off because I’m on a no-food diet! Not really – just had some things to do and I didn’t want to make it another late night! I really enjoy those guys!
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Of course most of those guys were baseball players in high school and some beyond, so one of the topics was how great a season the DHS baseball team had. And, of course, that led to some stories about when those guys played – very interesting!
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We received our yearly note from longtime subscriber and DHS graduate Randy Severson of Fort Myers, Florida. He said, "Pat & I hope snail mail gets this up there in time for that FREE month. I think you have been sending a paper to Florida to me for over 40 years. Also thank you for the nice job you did on my wife Karen’s obituary. I hope to see you this fall if I get through another hurricane season. Randy Severson". "And congratulations on State Runner-up baseball. A lot of good juniors for next year. P.S. "Heather – I pray for your mother and father every morning and nite. Spend every bit of time with them you can. Their friend forever – Randy" *****
This weekend it’s Linden’s Frolic with kickball on Friday, July 24, Slow Pitch Softball on Friday, a BBQ Cook-off on Saturday and then the chicken BBQ on Sunday, followed by the parade at 2:00. Dodgeville’s DodgeFest, featuring local and other powerful music will take place in the Iowa County Corfhouse Parking Lot on Saturday, August 1. There will also be lots of refreshments and food trucks. Then the Cobb Corn Roast will be held August 4-9 with such things like BINGO, the return of the Car Show, live music, ball games, volleyball, chicken BBQ, FREE Sweet Corn and a huge parade, both on Sunday. There will be games and activities for the youngsters too. Then, of course, the summer ends with the Iowa County Fair at the fairgrounds in Mineral Point that runs Thursday thru Labor Day! Oh and who can forget the Ridgeway Labor Day elaboration when the ghost returns! That’s a lot going on over a short time! *****
Saturday at the parade in Arena I got bombarded with candy, sunglasses, a flag and even a hat! I’m not sure if they just wanted to get rid of stuff or if I’m getting recognized more in that area. There were several people on floats or in vehicles who called me Mike and I didn’t have my monogrammed shirt on!
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I almost forgot to write about Saturday morning breakfast. We had decided to go to Boscobel to Old 61 Diner. When we met at the Chronicle at 7:00 a.m., Terry said he had to be back by 10:00 to meet someone for Lions Club tables and chairs, so we decided to go to Muscoda instead. It was Tom driving Potsie, Terry and me to pick up Royce in Cobb (since it was on our way, in fact, to either place). We got to Muscoda about 7:30 and realized they didn’t open until 8:00 (none of us thought of that) so we headed to Boscobel afterall! We arrived and went to our usual table and spotted Lacie (owner) back in the kitchen working away. She spotted us and smiled! We were waited on by Lexi, a new waitress to us. She did a very good job after she realized we "liked coffee"! Lacie was really busy so we didn’t get to chat like usual, but that was good for her. I stopped at the kitchen window to say goodbye and we chatted for a couple of minutes. She says, down the road, she wants to retire and do a daycare in the restaurant spot! The rest of the guys went out to Tom’s vehicle and I followed shortly, got to the vehicle and realized that I forgot to pay! That got a good chuckle from the guys! I told Lexi that I didn’t want Lacie to call the cops and send them after us, so I figured I’d better come back!
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For my special day, it’s today, Thursday, July 23. It’s National Refreshment Day which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in July. It is a summer holiday designed to help you pause, rehydrate, and cool off with an ice-cold beverage. Whether you prefer craft beer, lemonade, iced tea, or sparkling water, the day is all about kicking back and beating the heat. And as hot as it has been the past few weeks, we do need to celebrate!
Actually, the weather predictions for the 23rd is one of the coolest days we
