The Poem that Survived Diptheria

Ever wondered how Hewitt Road got its name? You can read all about it, in my latest AnnArbor.com story, here.

Nothing Could Be Nicer after the "Raid" of the Sabine Women Than A Relaxing Break with a Lucky Strike (TM) Cigarette!

Branding gone wrong, in the September 27, 1932 Ypsilanti Daily Press.

The 1919 Diary of Ypsilanti High School Teacher Carrie Hardy

Part of a year-long weekly serialization of Ypsilanti high school math teacher Carrie Hardy's diary.

Kind readers may recall that last week Carrie attended freshman reception at Ypsi high, noting "Not many teachers in attendance." She made bread, green tomato pickles, and relish, and was still feeling the lingering effects of her long illness.

Sept. 23 Tues. Was in school all day. Went up stairs to lunch. Helped with attendance + Miss Hoffman.

Sept. 24 Wed. Am taking attendance this week to relieve Miss Gieske. Also, trying to remain in school. Lillian + I went to Mission for dinner.

Sept. 25 Thurs. Went up stairs for lunch. Visited Mr. Erickson's Alg. 12. This week I have recorded all attendance to date. Visited Lillian's room.

Sept. 26 Fri. Taught all my classes today. Lillian is very kind to me. Was tired out at close of school.

Sept. 27 Sat. Went to market with Miss Gieske. Bought new winter hat $7.75. Van washed my windows.

Sept. 28 Sun. Rob arrived about 7:30. He drove out. We had breakfast, then Lillian + I went home with him. Came back on st. car.

Sept. 29 Mon. Am teaching full time now. Gained 1 lb. last week. Seems good to be back again. Tired.

Sept. 30 Tues. Taught all day again + gave out locker keys to freshmen after school.

Thanks for reading; tune in next Tuesday for the next series!

Did Somebody Say They Wanted to Know When Ulysses S. Grant Visited Ypsilanti?

Tuesday, August 15th, 1865.

I was wrong when I said 1869. But I'm always happy to be wrong if it gives me a chance to learn something.

"Tues. 15th. Gen. U. S. Grant passed through in a special train which stopped + he shook hands with many (Com. 8-19-65)." So says an index card in the Ypsilanti chronology of Events file. The handwriting is that of Louis White, former Ypsilanti historian. James Mann, who was at the Archives today, very kindly found this card for me (waves).

I sped to the Archives' microfilm reader and feverishly threaded on the correct spool of film. June...July...ah hah! The microfilm reader does not have a printer, so I copied down the article from the August 19 Ypsilanti Commercial newspaper. Here 'tis:

General Grant in Ypsilanti
The special train conveying the hero of a hundred battles passed here Tuesday at 5 p.m. There was a large gathering of the people to greet him. The cars remained about 10 minutes giving quite a number of citizens an opportunity to take him by the hand. He was kept very busy in shaking hands.

General Cutcheon shook hands with him and remarked, "General, I was with you at Vicksburg." The great commander took off his hat and politely bowed.

Mr. Howland remarked to him, "I am a tanner," and he passed him the same compliment.

He took a number of children who pressed around him by the hand. In appearance he is some taller than we supposed. He looks every inch the soldier. He has an intellectual look. We endorse the poet Holland when he says "whose giant combinations and campaigns" won from his boys the sobriquet --'Old Brains'."

"That peerless man and soldier Gen. Grant." We call the especial attention of our readers to the poetry in another column. Unassuming, not a streak of vanity discernable in his nature, the people delight to do him honor--Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan a glorious trio. We honor them not in the spirit of man worship, but representing in their persons and acts the overthrow of the rebellion--the unity of the Republic disenthralled and marching on to a grand future." --Ypsilanti Commercial, August 19, 1865.

Meet Eliza Hewitt, c. 1860

Eliza Hewitt was the daughter-in-law of Walter (W. B. Hewitt), a pioneer storekeeper in town whose successful store operated from 1850 into the 1870s. Walter owned several large tracts of land just west of town and is the man for whom Hewitt Road is named.

Born Eliza Pardee Post in 1831, Eliza married W.B.'s son Edmund, who worked in his father's store. They had three children, Lucy, Edmund, Jr., and Mary.

Lucy died at age 8 in 1862. Edmund, Jr. died at age 5 the same year. So did Eliza, at age 31. Diptheria ravaged the family, leaving only Edmund alone with his three-year-old daughter Mary.

The 5 Businesswomen in Ypsilanti at the Start of the Civil War

Kind readers will remember that the last blog-post provided an overall look at the 195 businesspeople operating in Ypsilanti at the start of the Civil War. 5 of these businesspeople were women:

The New York-born Mrs. Jane Thatcher, a 35-year-old widow in 1860, ran a boarding-house. Jane lived in the boarding-house with her 16-year-old daughter Harriet. She had only two boarders, the unemployed New York-born 50-year-old Caroline U. Peckham and the German-born 24-year-old tailoress Elizabeth Hamling. Thatcher's boarding-house stood on Congress (Michigan Ave.) between Washington and Adams, next door to the home of furniture and coffin-maker David Coon and his wife Eliza.

The Scottish-born Helen McAndrew was a "homeopathist physician." She lived on the east side of Congress between Huron and Michigan. She was the first female doctor in Washtenaw County, but she had to go back East to get her degree-no school west of New York would admit a woman student. Back in Ypsilanti, it was not considered appropriate for a woman to be a doctor. Her patients were the poor whites in town, and its black residents. She was also a suffragette and a Temperance worker. She and her husband "loved Ypsilanti and its people as nothing else in the world. They were especially fond of the approach from the East up to the edge of the slope, from which one looks over the trees and the roofs of the houses and gleam of the river to the western rim of the valley and the great school on the hilltop, a lighthouse for all Michigan and beyond," according to Helen's son. She was inducted into the Michigan hall of Fame in 1994.

Miss O. S. Coe ran her own downtown dressmaking business on South Huron. In 1881 she became involved in a court case that went all the way to the Michigan Supreme Court. Her credit was bad with a Chicago fabric supplier, so they demanded a guarantor who would guarantee payment for any fabric she ordered. One Newton Crittenden agreed to be her guarantor, but with one stroke of his pen, followed by Miss Coe charging up to $800, he introduced an ambiguity that sent the case to the Supreme Court:

The case was decided against Crittenden on the basis that if the fabric merchants understood he'd meant only $200, they would not have extended credit for more.

Miss Harriet Maycumber also ran her own dressmaking business, in Depot Town. She had a shop on East Cross Street in the Follett Block, with trains rumbling by all day and the depot just around the corner. She boarded upstairs at the Follett House, one of the town's 4 hotels. It was run by H. Hawkins.

Last, Mrs. A. Dresser ran a boarding-house, where she also resided, at Ballard near Emmet.

Of course, other women were working out of the home in Ypsilanti in 1860--but they were few, and confined to only a few jobs judged acceptable for women. Sarah Hope was a widowed tailoress living on E. Congress. Miss M. Forsythe was also a dressmaker. Mrs. E. Lock was a dressmaker working for the Hewitt store. Miss Maria Green was a millener working for the Hewitt store. Mary Fairchild was a dressmaker employed by the Hewitt store (I have a story about this store in the pipeline; you'll read it soon!).

The 5 women listed above were the only ones with substantial enough businesses to be considered--by the "Business Mirror" section in the 1860 directory--to be businesswomen in their own right. Hats off to them for carving out their niche in a man's world.

The Ink Manufacturer and the Ice Dealer, 1860-1

Dusty Diary is studying the 1860-1861 business directory this afternoon. It reveals some interesting business patterns quite different from today, as well as some vanished trades. But context first: what was going on in Ypsilanti between 1860 and 1870?

The population in 1860 is 4,000 residents, or only 19% of the current population of 21,000. Mark Norris builds the Thompson Block. The Thompson Block houses soldiers. The 17th Michigan Infantry, mostly from Normal College, fights in Middleton, Maryland with General Ambrose Burnside, and pushes the confederates back. Depot Town is completed, and Highland Cemetery is opened. “The Commercial” newspaper is started. The city mourns the death of Lincoln. An Ypsilanti Commercial advertisement frankly offers a preparation to "prevent any increase of family where health will not permit it." Ulysses S. Grant speaks at the railroad depot.

Against this backdrop, 195 businesspeople offered a variety of products and services to residents. I've sorted the list (below) in descending order of businessmen to show which professions had the most practitioners. Some impressions:

1. There was a ton of in-city manufacturing going on. It seems as though there was very little you'd ever have to order to be shipped from outside the city. You could get everything from your baby crib to your dress to your carriage to your tombstone all made right here in Ypsilanti.

2. People worked their butts off. Many of these manufacturing jobs were very physically demanding ones--at foundries, mills, and tanneries. There are no relatively cushy cubicle jobs at all, and only a sprinkling of professionals like bankers and lawyers--though there were a lot of lawyers, come to think about it--but overall, the number of "paper" jobs compared to "hard work" jobs is miniscule.

3. The #2 most popular job is doctor, second only to grocer. If you throw in the 2 homeopaths, which I personally wouldn't but anyways, the number of doctors is 18--the highest number of members of any one profession in the entire city! Boy, does that have grim implications.

Other tidbits: One of the barbers was listed as "colored," in the language of the time, and at this time is the ONLY black businessman in the entirety of Ypsilanti. There was one guy whose sole profession was "Ink Manufacturer." Another man was a "Professor of Penmanship." There's a bible agent and an ice dealer and a lot of vanished trades like "dagueurrean artist." Gun and pistol salesman, too. Take a look at the list for yourself and see what *you* can infer from it!

17 grocers
16 physicians and surgeons
14 boot and shoe manufacturers and dealers
10 lawyers
10 carpenters and builders
9 general merchants
8 dry goods salesmen
6 saloons and restaurants
6 hides, leather, and findings
5 insurance agents
5 clothiers (Robert Lambie, whose ad appears at left, was one of these clothiers).
5 booksellers
5 bankers
4 sash, blind, and door manufacturers
4 hoteliers
4 furniture dealers and manufacturers (David Coon, whose ad is at right, was one of the town's 4 furnituremakers).
4 dentists
4 carriage and wagon manufacturers
4 blacksmiths
3 proprietors of boarding houses
3 merchant tailors
3 meat market
3 hardware dealers
3 druggists
3 barbers
2 stove dealers and tin and sheet iron workers
2 proprietors of billiard saloons
2 painters, plain and ornamental
2 newspaper editors (for the Herald and Sentinel)
2 music teachers
2 jewelers
2 homeopaths
2 foundries
2 professors of penmanship
2 daguerrean and photographic artists
1 veterinary surgeon
1 telegraph office and operator
1 soap and candle manufacturer
1 saw mill proprietor
1 safe manufacturer
1 saddle manufacturer
1 merchant miller
1 marble manufacturer and dealer (This was Hiram Batchelder, whose sons (as in this 1864 ad) later ran the town's only stonecutting shop).
1 lumber dealer
1 livery and sale stable
1 ink manufacturer
1 ice dealer
1 house mover
1 hats, caps, & furs
1 harness manufacturer
1 guns and pistols
1 confectioner
1 cigar and tobacco dealer
1 china, glass, and queensware
1 broom manufacturer
1 broker
1 bible agent
1 baker
1 auctioneer
1 agricultural implements
1 Agent express co.

Reader Suggestion

Dusty D has just received a great reader suggestion down there in the "Skribit" suggestion box thingie way down in the sidebar:

"How bout something about the Sinkule Meat market? The family is still around."

I think that is a fantastic idea, and though the Archives is closed today, I'll be there tomorrow! I'll check it out, and thanks to Anonymous for the suggestion! It would also be amazing if I can actually phone some members of the Sinkule family to gather their recollections, if they don't mind.

I've found an old "Gleanings" story for an earlier kind suggestion about the Gilbert Mansion, and I'll scan and post that when I have a min. Thanks to both folks for the great suggestions!

Monday Mystery Artifact

Like to try your luck at this week's Monday Mystery Artifact? Take a peek and a guess right here!

Portrait of a Young Man, May 21, 1877

William L. McCullough, Allie's older brother, 22 years old.

September 20: "Talk Like Carrie Nation Day"

Dusty Diary is officially declaring, with the power and authority vested in me by virtue of... being... uh... someone with a lot of power and authority about special secret things that you don't know about but take my word for it--September 20 as "Talk Like Carrie Nation Day."

I'll start. "I felt invincible. My strength was that of a giant. God was certainly standing by me. I smashed five saloons with rocks before I ever took a hatchet. My tongue was aflame when I spoke God's Gospel to the beer-bloggers. When they decried me, I took my hatchet to their wireless routers, shattering them, and they were sore afraid."

From the Obituary Files

Today in the Archives, Dusty D was working on obituaries. We have a large box filled with 5 by 8-inch manila envelopes. These envelopes come from the old Ann Arbor News clippings archives, which was kindly donated to us. Each envelope contains clipped and dated obituaries. In some envelopes it's just one tiny notice; others have whole pads of clippings. For each person, I wrote their name and death date in the top left side of an index card. If the obituary is small, it is glue-sticked directly onto the card. If it is large, it's shrunken down on the copier first and then added. When dry, the index cards are filed in our Obituary File Cabinet, which contains about 73,000 obituary cards.

Though the front Archives room was quiet, with the only sound the U-M/EMU football game on the radio and our intern clicking his mouse 20 feet away, I was reading accounts of car crashes, suicides, a heroin overdose, and other dark and violent stories.

This one from 1969, however, just struck me as sad. In the first clip an 11-year-old Shalto Jacobs is profiled in a "Young People Going Places" feature. "He would like to become a lawyer when he grows up and defend people. Basketball, his favorite sport in the winter months, fills a temporary gap for the youngster who enjoys building models as a hobby." Shalto's smile is innocent and confident.

The second story details his drowning "in the lake at Woodland Hills Dr. and Scenic Lake Dr."

"When [the boys swimming] got within 15 feet of the shore, Jacobs stopped, yelled, and sank beneath the surface. He did not reappear."

The third article details his funeral the next day. "Jacobs would have been a June 12 graduate of the Ypsilanti High School."

When working on obituaries, once in a while you have to take a break.

Portrait of a Child, c. 1874

Allie McCullough, c. 1874

Where Are You, Allie?

There is a photo of Ypsilanti teen diarist Allie McCullough somewhere in the Ypsilanti Archives.

I ran across a random note in another file saying that the Archives owns this photo and that it shows her "suffering signs of consumption." It was taken shortly before Allie's death.

But the note was old, and from the time when the Archives was housed in its former cramped space. Since then, it's moved into its present space, and spread out, and recategorized all sorts of things in boxes in the back room. Who knows where the photo is now. But I'm on it.

I will find this photo.

The 1874 Diary of Ypsilanti Teen Allie McCullough

Part of a year-long weekly series of excerpts from Ypsilanti teenager Allie McCullough's 1874 diary, from the last year of her life.

You may remember that last week Allie was having "so much fun" at school and starting up the Lyceum season again. She got a new belt and collar and learned how to steer a boat; "it is real fun."

Sept. 18 Fri. Called on L. L. D. tonight after school. When I got home they were all gone. Carrie N. came down a little while. Got ready and went to lyceum. Got acquainted with Mr. Chase. I was chairman after the last piece was sung. J. S. on his way from the piano sat down in my seat and went home with me. I have not spoken two words with him before since last night. Never shall forget.

Sept. 19 Sat. Went up town this afternoon. Was caught in the rain. Went up to Carrie N.'s after supper. On the way I overtook J. B. Was as cool as I knew how to be. Came down town with Joe and Carrie and then went back to C.'s. Had a splendid time. Came home about 8 o'clock. Never enjoyed myself at C.'s more.

Sept. 20 Sun. Did not go to Church this morning. Wrote a composition. Had dinner very early and Will took me down to Mr. Gill's. Emma Stone was there. We had a good time and a magnificent ride. Will told me a good many things and I heard an everlasting string about what B. thinks. They wanted me to stay. Wish I could.

Sept. 21 Mon. Went up to Carrie's after school. Durbin told her the other day that I would not live long. Strange he should think so. He thinks that I will have consumption and look as -- ----- as can be every time I cough. Studied all the evening. It is very cold. Had to read my composition. [Note: Durbin Newton was right. Allie died of consumption the following July].

Sept. 22 Tues. Was so sick this afternoon in school today that I did not know what to do, but I got over it before long. I have a fever every afternoon and a headache. Ma and Mary were up to Mrs. Williams this afternoon and to tea. Ripped up my black straw tonight and played.

Sept. 23 Wed. Have had ever and ever so much fun today. Went around to all of the milliner stores tonight. There is one hat that I want ever so much but I'm afraid I can't get mine done over like it. Have got my sleeveless jacket almost done. Went up town with Mary.

Sept. 24 Thurs. Mary is going to fix my hat over. Have had all my lessons. Carrie was down just a little while tonight. I went up there and had an elegant time. We were having a good time and talked about everything supposing that we were alone when Durbin came downstairs.

Sept. 25 Fri. Dressed and went to Lyceum. Expected that I would have to read, but did not. There were very few there and the debate was wretched. [:)] I wrote a French note to the Frenchman and directed it....... Had a jolly time. This is the last day of Emma's school.

Thanks for reading; tune in this coming Friday for another chapter!.

Before Ypsilanti's First Supermarket

You've read about Ypsilanti's first supermarket...what about BEFORE? Check out a cool memoir by one owner of a centennial Ypsi grocer over on AnnArbor.com!

Allie's diary coming after 5 p.m.; bit crazy busy here today! Thanks!

Response to Reader Question about "First Supermarket in Ypsi" Story: "When Was Its Heyday, and When Did It Close?"

A kind reader who perused my "First Supermarket in Ypsilanti" story over on AnnArbor.com left an interesting question in "comments":

I enjoyed the story and the history behind this store too, but am also interested in a follow up. When did this particular store enjoy its heyday and when did it finally close? --bellhelmet

Heyday: The store enjoyed its best days in the 1950s, according to Wikipedia. "In the 1950s, the pressure it put on its suppliers led to the passing of several anti-predatory pricing laws by Congress. The threat of having to break up the A&P company because of these laws led John Augustine Hartford and George Ludlum Hartford to give an interview to Time, which put them on their November 13, 1950 cover. Time wrote that, next to General Motors, A&P sold more goods than any other company in the world...

The article continues, "In the mid-1950s, A&P was the dominant food retailer. In a few markets, A&P had up to 75% of the market share, with stores in 39 states. Downtown stores were being replaced with 15,000 to 20,000-square-foot supermarkets, which was large for that time period. In many situations a 20,000-square-foot store in a town would replace several 5,000-square-foot obsolete stores..."

Heyday: 1950s. Dusty D sped off to the Archives today to find the answer to the second question. And...I sort of did. (click article for larger image).
In January of 1982, the six A&Ps in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area closed. Poof. Just like that.

After its dominance in the 50s, A&P was lagging. "[S]ome disturbing trends were starting to emerge," notes Groceteria's page on A&P. "The company’s conservative policies were not in tune with the retail boom of the 1950s, and A&P’s largely urban (and aging) store base was concentrated in urban areas rather than the growing suburbs. This would be a major issue for the company in the ensuing years...By the 1960s, stores were stale, sales were flat, and the midwestern and west coast divisions were struggling. A well-publicized corporate reorganization in 1968 and 1969 did little to stem the decline, and the next two decades were defined by declining sales, closing stores, and failed format changes."

The poor economy in 1982 dealt the chain a blow, inciting the local closings. Senior union members from the six stores were moved, when possible, to other stores, and others were given three to six weeks' severance pay.

The Ann Arbor stores stores mentioned in the article were on Maple, South Industrial, and Plymouth. The Ypsi stores mentioned were on Holmes Road and at the Gault Village and Roundtree shopping centers. The Michigan Avenue A&P, Ypsilanti's first supermarket, is not mentioned in the article--it must have closed before 1982.

I didn't notice this when I read the article's headline and confidently photocopied the story at the Archives, thinking, "ah, there's the answer." I was copying a bunch of other things and didn't actually read the article.

So the way to find out the closing date for the Michigan Ave. store would be to go through the city directories for the years following its opening in 1942, which I will be delighted to do the next time I'm in the Archives. I'll say I can find the answer within a week, given my schedule. It would be neat to find out, and I appreciate the good question and the patience from bellhelmet. Update to come!

I'm guessing the Michigan ave. store was sort of a medium-sized 1940s supermarket, between the small "economy" stores of the 1930s and the gigantic A&Ps of the 60s and 70s.

In the meantime, thanks to bellhelmet for the chance to find out more about the rise and fall of A&P!

Ypsilanti Courier: The History of Ypsilanti High School’s Colors

Have you ever wondered why the YHS colors are purple and gold? Well, today's Courier will let you in on it! My article will be online soon, but till then here's the text of my story--hope you enjoy it!


The History of Ypsilanti High School’s Colors
With school back in session, a new group of freshmen joins the ranks of the Ypsi High scholars and athletes privileged to wear the purple and gold.

But a century ago, YHS had no school colors at all. Or, you could say they had 8. Or was it 5?

In 1901, each of the 4 class levels was allowed to choose 2 class colors. The students kept their class colors as they advanced from freshmen to seniors. In 1901, the freshman class of ’04, with 50 students, chose pale blue and white. The 32 sophomores had chosen red and white, and the 32 juniors had claimed green and white. The senior class colors were violet and white, and the 30 seniors had a special privilege—they were the only class permitted to choose a class flower.

They chose the violet.

Choosing colors gave each rank of students a special identity with and pride in their group. But by the time 1922 rolled around, things were getting a bit too kaleidoscopic.

“The High School colors have always been a mystery,” says an article in the 1921-22 YHS yearbook, the “Ypsi-Dixit.” “Our football team wore maroon and white jerseys, our basket ball team had red and blue suits, our baseball uniforms were brown and white. In the lunch room was a Y.H.S. banner of red and green felt. On another school banner the colors were maroon and white. Such confusion as this did not permit us to be very loyal to the school, because we couldn’t wear our school colors, or wax enthused over them when they were displayed, for we knew not what they were.”

The article continued, “This problem was called to the attention of the students by the Sem [school newspaper], and was discussed in Student Council. It was put up to a vote of the students, and at first it looked as though maroon and white would be sanctioned, but as so many schools have these colors, and as the [varsity] letter issued to athletes was gold, the Athletic Council recommended that purple and gold be chosen.”

“The Seniors had already voted for maroon and white, but immediately changed their vote to purple and gold, and the other classes did the same. Purple and gold was officially established as the school colors for Ypsi High.”

A few days later at a basketball pep rally, the students held a mock funeral, complete with coffin, for the doomed maroon and white. The school’s Mechanical Drawing and Sewing classes made a big banner showing a golden letter “Y” on a purple background. The tradition had begun.

Today, Ypsilanti high school athletes wear the same golden varsity letter as their brother and sister athletes of 1922, where the proud tradition of purple and gold began in the Athletic Department 87 years ago.

Photo of a Child, c. 1891

Carrie Hardy, age 16.

Report on Heritage Festival 2010 Meeting

Dusty D just returned from a good meeting with about 20 folks who were involved with the 2009 Heritage Fest. It was actually a wrap-up of 2009, but with plans for 2010 too. It was interesting. And a good meeting, too--Ms. Hummel did an excellent job of keeping things on-task and moving.

Dusty D felt her face get red and HOT when I was singled out to speak. Land sakes, I used to be a teacher; you'd think I could speak in front of a group. And I did, outlining my four-part plan. I showed the group the book I'd checked out of the Archives packed with terrific info about past Heritage Festivals. I passed out a handout of a diagram of the past Living History setup (at left).

Then I spoke about our four-part plan and passed out its handout (picture, below). Our area will have four things:

1. Tinderbox Man (my husband, who will cheerfully tell you "I'm a pyro," not unlike his wife). Tinderbox Man has a tinderbox containing char cloth, a flint, and a striking steel. He will be demonstrating and helping kids with making fire without matches. My sweetie was so excited when he had this idea that all evening he was looking at Youtube videos on making char cloth and making a fire. Every time I passed his laptop, there was a video on with smoke pouring out of something.

2. Old Time Clothes Washing: this will need major props and prep. That's me, in the pic, in my bonnet. Now where did I put my giant cast iron cauldron?

3. "Grandma's Trunk": a trunk full of cornhusk dolls, old tools, neat old stuff kids can handle, with a docent there to ask good teacherly questions to get 'em to think about the stuff and what modern analogs are, &c.

4. Hands-On 19th-Century Games of "Graces" and horseshoes. Dunno why I drew my hubby in a sombrero in that pic. But anyways.

Highlights of the meeting chat:

1. One raffle winner did not claim their prize. It was a loaf of bread. The unclaimed prize was not wasted.
2. Next year's fest may feature a "Duck-Cam" in the rubber ducky race. Stay tuned.
3. Home tour had 350 advance tickets and 80 day-of tix sold.
4. Bed Race: allow gurneys?--they are made to go fast and may present an unfair advantage. Could be a serious problem.
5. Have a Heritage Fest Peace Force next year in bright yellow shirts? (In response to the big fight/rush of kids that took place).
6. Animals in petting zoo were "freaked out" by teens running by them during fight.
7. Over 300 runners in Great Train Race, a great #.
8. Garbage: sponsorships for each garbage can? ROTC kids running garbage had fun. Their favorite word, repeated ad infinitum during Fest, was "JUUUUUI-CY!" As in, "You run garbage, you get JUICY." Kids found a box of almonds behind almond booth, thought it was trash, whisked it away. Turns out it was a batch with double sugar that the owner had set aside because wrong recipe. Kids ate almonds, due to garbage-running's tendency to lower one's notions of food safety standards. "When you run garbage--it's OK." Kids got dizzy, then learned almonds hadn't been garbage. Uh-oh. Almond owner found out--instead of being mad, she offered them two new cones of almonds so kids could taste the RIGHT recipe. :D

And on that happy note, the group disbanded.

Secret postscript: our area will actually have 5 things. The 5th thing involves the first person to volunteer to help us. This gentleman, whom you may (or may not) know, will be a black-frock-coated Temperance Speaker AND Patent Medicine Salesman. It's still hush-hush as to his identity. But he would be perfect in this role and is enthusiastic, or possibly just afraid of me. Anyways, that's the roundup!