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I was talking with Dan Aultman, who runs The Summer Kitchen between Highland and Montfort, the other day. He gets some newspapers from us to pack jams in when he ships them out. He said there is a lady from Virginia who chewed him out the other day after he sent her some jams. She was very upset that he didn't include my column when he packed her box. She said she really enjoys reading it! Then he told me another lady from Indiana takes the crumpled paper out of the box and irons it so she can read our newspaper! Both of those little stories are pretty impressive "for a town this size"!
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It's time for our "Best Of - Dodgeville Chronicle Readers" survey to go out starting in this week's Chronicle. It's also available online at www.thedodgevillechronicle.com. That's where YOU get to pick the "Best" in the area in certain categories we list. We hope you have as much fun voting as we do handing out the awards at a special reception for the winners!
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My great-nephew (Pat's grandson and Ryan's son) Sean was one of the 9u team members from Dodgeville who got to go to Jeffersontown, Kentucky (near Louisville) to play in the Ohio Valley Regional against 17 other teams from the region. It was indeed quite an experience for a group of youngsters from "a town this size" to go up against mostly All-Stars from different areas. They held their own in a few games even though they didn't win any in four tries. They got to see a lot of sites in Kentucky and even made it to the Louisville bat factory, where Grandpa Pat brought a "future" bat for Sean - a wood one!
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Gee, when I was nine years old I was lucky to go as far as Rockton, Illinois where my aunt Florence (Sis) lived. I helped her out at her bar for part of the summer. And if I made it to Kentucky (which I doubt - Peoria, Illinois was about as far as I got) it was for delivering purebred Hampshire hogs!
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Boy people must've really been waiting for the A&W top open here in Dodgeville. They officially opened Monday, July 28 and there has hardly been a parking spot available anywhere around it since! (See above photo) I was out there the other evening and vehicles were parked in neighboring lots and people were standing outside visiting while they were waiting or their order to come up. I hear rumor that they are going to remain open longer this year - until the end of October - since they got a later start this year. The Lockhard family must be pretty happy with the response they are getting!
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The Dodgeville Knights Home Talent Baseball Team won a big playoff game Sunday at Wiota. That coupled with a huge win by #8 Oregon over #1 Verona puts the Knights at home this coming Sunday against Hollandale, who beat #2 Argyle. The winner plays the following Sunday, the loser doesn't. It would be good to see a big crowd of local followers at Centennial Park at 1:00 Sunday! Also, brother Pat is being honored for 50 years of managing Dodgeville Home Talent!
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Also, on Sunday, is the annual Cobb Corn Boil parade and FREE sweet corn. Plus there's a lot of other events in Cobb over the weekend, including a Classic Car Show on Saturday.