The Rock Wall

Picnic over, but all the rides weren’t gone by early afternoon Monday. They were packed up but just sitting on their trailers waiting for drivers. The carnival company seemed to be suffering from a shortage of workers.

-I didn’t go to the Wednesday night street dance. In past years we’ve hurried to town to get an Eagle Burger then take photos of the street dance winners down by City Hall. I didn’t feel like doing all that walking, so Kimball went alone.

There was no Eagles trailer and no one else selling real food, Kimball said. She said there was a pretty good turnout for the street dance that was held in the Park this year, So I guess it was a Park dance.

Kimball came home Wednesday night concerned about the quality of the carnival company for the Picnic. She based that judgement on no merry-go-round and no Ferris Wheel and very few rides set up on North Main.

The ride situation got better as the carnival company got rides set up on Broadway and in what we call the Methodist Church lot behind our office. Our back lot was full of young people when we got ready to go home about 10 p.m. Friday

Arm band sales rebounded somewhat from the Covid numbers of last year – $40,216 for both the City and Carnival company ($10,626 at City Hall). This year, according to City Clerk Kandi Baldwin, total armband sales were $62,212 ($25,954 at City Hall) In 2018, the City sold $26,670 in armbands. In 2019, the City sold $27,720 in arm bands. Don’t know the total armband sales those years without a lot of digging at City Hall I don’t want to ask them to do.

Both Kimball and Kandi said the Park was full of Picnickers on Saturday night but didn’t have any estimate of numbers.

City Manager Bruce Rogers was not available for comment on Monday. He had gone to Kanas City to consult an orthepedic surgeon to see if the doctor was going to insert pins in his right arm that he broke in three places Wednesday when he went across Spring Street to tell someone they couldn’t park where they did, ran into a trash can and fell.  He was at the Picnic in a soft cast.

Kandi said the Picnic Committee found out on Monday that carnival company was not going to bring a Ferris Wheel but didn’t find out until Wednesday afternoon that they would not bring a merry-go-round.

-Kimball had lots of volunteers. She took photos of some of the kids’ games and talent show for you. I’ll see them for the first time in a few minutes when I edit them to start the process of putting them in the paper.. Kimball was going to take them Friday but misjudged the speed of the turtles. They were gone when she got there. So if you have photos of the turtle jump winners we’d like to have them. We may not get all the Picnic games  photos in this week.

– I want to thank you for your response to our book review on Donnie Levi’s book (aka Donnie Denham). He’s concerned about the wear and tear on his sister, Sharyl Henry, restocking the supply at Evans Drug from the boxes of books he left with her. A far as I recall, first book review I ever wrote. KL