Bob decided to be my PR man & let everyone we met know who I was & why we were there.
We ate in the Yesteryears Cafe for breakfast (best giant cinnamon roll I have had in years...mine included) and I recognized some classmates a few years ahead of me.
Then to the several tables around the park & on the sidewalks for some raffle tickets...a riding lawnmower, a chance at one of a dozen rifles, and a beautiful quilt. Local cookbooks were purchased & then off to the museum.
The Verndale Historical Society Museum is in an old home at the north end of town. Each room has a different aspect of Verndale history to focus on...the school room, the railroad, farming in all its variations...ie grains, sheep, cattle etc... and their town heros. I talked to my original 4-H leaders & was apprised of people I had known as I lived there. Then we were invited to a tour of the school that the class of '53 was conducting.
I was able to see the class of '83's pictures hanging in the elementary hallway...well it used to be the elementary side of the school. A lot had changed since 1980, but I did peek into the auditorium & the cafeteria & the huge gymnasium. Good times...good times.
Well,I met up with Cheryl at the parade uptown & it was as if 8th grade had been yesterday. We yacked & walked around town as her brother Brian filled us in on the 3-Ds: the divorces, the deaths, & the delectable gossip! I met others I had not seen in over 25 years & filled a void I was not aware I had...I was home.
We spent the late afternoon in Wadena (most everything closed at 5PM...& I found out the population is now over 4000!), I bought scrap/stamping supplies at 70% off (you know I'd have to find at least one place before I came back), & we headed to Brainerd for dinner...a chinese buffet (what can I say...we support multi-culturalism) & then a drive by Camp JIM (Jesus Is Mine) on our way back to Staples. The site of my conversion & many great summers. It was gratifying to see it was not only still operating, but thriving. Love it!
Kim & I braved the Verndale street dance as Bob & Vanessa passed out at the room...even Cheryl was too tired to go. My younger brother Shawn (here visiting his side of the family) showed up at the street dance too. Kinda weird since I had just seen him back home in Mesa. We people-watched...real fun when beer has been liberally applied all day long.
Today we will drive by other sites of my past for research & family history lessons for the girls. Some pleasant, some not so much.
Ciao for now!
P.S The day was brite & fare with a nice breeze..around 75 degrees. BTW this post is the same color as the Verndale Pirates' color, which is my absolutely favorite...green.
2 comments:
Sorry, you missed the derby. Atleast you got to the stock car races. No tractor pull? Love the Yesteryear cafe, is the grocery store still open across the street? And what was the name of that Mom and Pop shop that had everything from toys to tools? Glad you are had a good time!
love ya!
Thank you anonymous I had a great time...the grocery store is still there & the Mom & Pop shop used to be called Earl's I believe but I think it is now Fred's. Funny, lots of people remember that shop. I used to get lost for hours in there. Some of that stuff hadn't been moved for a long, long time...haha.
Now...who are you and how do you know my hometown?
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