Ham & Bean Supper
The Geneseo Izaak Walton League will be hosting their annual “Ham & Bean Supper” on Saturday, September 9, 2023. It will be held in the Ikes Park by the Ikes’ Lodge from 4 to 7 p.m. Famous cook, Kent Anderson, and his volunteers will be serving great soups and all the trimmings. The cost is $10.00 per adult and $5.00 per child, age 10 or under. If needed, there is a newly built handicap ramp to the lodge. So, mark ‘yer calendar and enjoy a nice evening. While I have your eyes, do any of you know how I can get in touch with “Joe” who has played the banjo and sang at our past Ham & Bean Suppers. I can’t locate him? Alternative: Is there anyone who would like to entertain the crowd with live music for $150.00? Let me know at deboonelr@aol.com.
Geneseo Big Band
This was the last outdoor concert of the season. It was held in the Geneseo Park on August 8, 2023, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. It was a beautiful evening and the band played some great jazz music. It was a nice way to end the outside musical season.
Geneseo International Thanksgiving Program
The Covid-19 up-rooted a lot of problems besides the worse being health. One of the organizations, Geneseo International Fellowship Program (GIFP), has been on hold since 2019. However, the program has now been reinstated. This non-profit organization asks for host families or individuals to welcome in their homes a foreign college student during the Thanksgiving holidays (Nov 22-26, 2023). While we Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, students from foreign lands do not. We hire a bus that brings the students from Chicago to Geneseo on November 22nd, and they are returned to their dorm by bus on Sunday, Nov 26th. It is a wonderful way to show how we Americans live, especially in the rural communities. Lorna and I have been involved with the program for 30 years and believe me, it is a lot of fun, plus we learn about their culture and vise-versa! If you are interested in hosting a student, please contact Marcia or Arlyn Helke at (309) 944-4486.
Are you a 1% ‘er?
From the internet comes this. Worldwide, if you were born between 1936 and 1946 you are part of the 1% of folks still “kicking!” Here are some things you might remember growing up. 1) You remember milk being delivered to your house and placed in the milk box on your porch (Yep! Bakers Dairy, Moline). 2) We would gather around a large Philco radio and listen to Amos & Andy, Fibber McGee & Molly, The Shadow, etc. 3) We had our first TV (black ‘n white, 14” screen) in the early ‘50s. There were 3 stations and no remote. 4) Typewriters always seemed to need their ribbons changed. 5) Telephones were one to a household. We were on a party line and my mom would get mad when the other party would talk longer than maybe they should. 6) You went downtown to shop and walked to school. Around age 11 or 12 I shot a few sparrows with my Daisy BB gun. The Moline Police caught me one day and no more Daisy said my parents! Ah, the good old days!!
Fishing Humor
Where did the fisherman and mermaid meet? On line. 2) What kind of guitar do fishermen
play? Bass. 3) You can tune a guitar, but you can’t tuna fish. 4) My friend tells better fishing stories than me. He has longer arms! 5) Sorry, for my bad fishing jokes. I feel so gill-ty.
Fishing Tips
1) Do not, “do not” use large bobbers when fishing for panfish (bluegills, sunfish, crappies). I see kids and even some adults using large red & white bobbers. Fish do not want that resistant when they get the bait. 2) Red worms, waxies and trout worms are great baits for panfish. Use long shank hooks (easy to get hook out of fish’s mouth) size 6, 8 or 10 for small mouth panfish. 3) When fishing for channel cats and using stink bait, make sure the bait doesn’t get too soggy. I carry a small container of flour in my tackle box. When mixed with the stink bait, it can stay on your your rubber lure better. 4) Always keep your live bait cool. Leaving it at the hot sun’s mercy depletes its effectiveness. 5) Last week a fellow fisherman told me he caught some nice bass on the canal using a topwater frog look-a-like. If you don’t have such a lure, I think I saw them for sale at Farm & Fleet.
Winners
At the recent Geneseo Izaak Walton Club’s “Fish Fry,” Diane Lodge and Rahn Randolph were the winners of the 20 question ships trivia game. They each got 18 of the 20 questions correct. As winners, each received an autographed photo of me. Oddly, I found both photos in the trash when I helped clean-up after the event.
Humor
During rough seas eating on a ship in a storm has its benefits. Where else can you toss your salad after you eat it? In the event of a water landing by your airplane, be assured that appropriate Beach Boys music will be played through the intercom. I start every day with stretches – I stretch my jeans, my shirt, my budget! Lastly, on a Senior’s T-shirt: “Car keys: So close and yet, so far away!