Along The Ad Routes

by Mike Reilly

I saw a first the other day. I was crossing the street downtown at the bank corner heading to Bob’s Bitchin BBQ. An older gentleman was at Bob’s corner and traffic stopped for him to cross the street. Instead of him crossing straight ahead in the crosswalk, he headed diagonally (jaywalking) towards Cathryn’s Market. I’ve seen a lot of jaywalkers, but never before heading diagonally when traffic has stopped for them!

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It is time for  the annual Iowa County Fair. It’s held over Labor Day weekend - Thursday, August 29 through Monday, September 2 - at the Iowa County Fairgrounds in Mineral Point. There’s entertainment every evening Thursday, through Sunday, a Midway of course, plus lots of events going on for the whole family all throughout the grounds. Don’t forget all the animal and exhibit shows and the livestock auction!

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Unfortunately the Iowa County Antique Collectors Club couldn’t get enough manpower to hold their annual “Power Show” this summer. They did say to look forward to one next year though!

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I ran into Terry McNeill of Bob’s Electric fame the other day. He had just returned from a Scandinavian trip. He said while they were in Norway he and his wife Laura went to see the “Little Norway” that was taken down from east of Dodgeville and moved to Norway. He commented that Laura had never seen it before, saying when was so close to home and that she had to travel overseas to see it!

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With the Lions Club Flea Market & Antique Show on Sunday and vendors coming in to set up on Saturday morning, we made the 20 minute trip to Hollandale and Stroz Inn for Saturday morning breakfast. It was just Bob, Terry and me leaving Dodgeville to meet Dewey there, who was heading from there to DeForest to watch his grandson play football. We had a special treat as Terry and I got to ride in Bob’s vintage T-Bird. It was tough fastening the seatbelts and it’s a little bit of a struggle for old  men (me) to get in and out of the back seat in a 2-door! We had Erica Ludlum, a Mineral Point grad, as our waitress. She’s going to Southwest Tech for Business study and trap shooting She did a great job and brought Bob, Terry and me “huge” omelettes that were made by owner Jen in the kitchen. Terry and I got through ours, but Bob needed a carryout. Dewey pretty much finished his eggs and bacon before he had to rush off for a 9:00 game. When I was leaving I spotted a new face working there. It was Presley Evans, a Dodgeville girl who dates my great-nephew Reilly Berg. She was bussing the tables and was in her second week of working for Jen!

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Last Sunday I had 3 concession stands to set up - the Lions Club’s Flea Market and Antique Show, one at Centennial Park for baseball games and one at the High School Field at the middle school for baseball games. I was scrambling all weekend to make sure everything was in place. Then it was my 60th high school class reunion on Saturday that I was able to get to for a while. I was exhausted come Sunday night and slept pretty well!

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Today is National Whiskey Sour Day. Myself, Back in the day, I was a Brandy Sour guy! But, the history behind the Whiskey Sour is: For decades, the sour drink was enjoyed aboard the ships, until it was finally brought from the oceans to the shore. And, it was a hit! Across the world, the liquor used to mix with the citrus was not exclusive to whiskey; however, in the United States, that's what was favored and popularized. It was enjoyed for years. I still preferred Brandy Sour!