Celebration takes more than 500 ears of corn
Old Settlers Day feeds hundreds in FarnhamvilleBy HANS MADSEN, Messenger staff writer
Article Photos
FARNHAMVILLE - As residents and visitors lined the route Saturday morning for the Old Settlers Day parade, most sought out shady spots for a favorite lawn chair or blanket.
Tyler Hanna, 14, and a group of his friends did just the opposite.
They selected a spot full of sunshine and as the floats drove by, quite a bit of parade candy found its way to where they were standing.
There was a problem though.
''I forgot my bag,'' Hanna said.
Hanna found an inventive solution, he took off one tennis shoe and used that to collect the various sweets scattered on the street.
That created another problem. Laundry day for his mom might not be such a good experience since the walk home would stain his clean sock beyond the strongest bleach. Would she get mad?
''Yes,'' he said, ''well, maybe.''
Still another problem cropped up, tennis shoes have a tendency not to smell too good and Hanna's are no exception.
He really didn't have a solution for that other than hoping the candy didn't absorb any of the ... mmm ... odor.
In the end, the shoe experiment can probably be chalked up to experience. He had advice for other parade watchers wishing to collect candy.
''Bring a bag for sure,'' he said, ''or an extra shoe, a clean one.''
Nathan Gentry and Emily Knouf, both of Rockwell City, were enjoying some time in the shade after the parade and doing what the tailgate of his 1937 Chevy pickup was made for.
''Sitting around watching people and waiting for the line for the food,'' he said.
Gentry, who builds and restores cars for a living as Gentry Restoration and Kustom, attended the day's events as much to spend time with family in Farnhamville as attending the car show.
''Mom's from Farnhamville and I visit my grandmother,'' he said.
The food he was waiting for was the Community Feed. For $6, a pulled pork sandwich, corn on the cob, beans and coleslaw and a nice cool glass of lemonade could be had. Hundreds took advantage of the opportunity and stayed for lunch, enjoying their meal with family and friends under the shade of the parks many trees.
So just how many ears of corn does it take to feed a town in the park? According to Steve Gutshall, who was helping to cook it all in a giant propane heated lobster pot, ''537 ears, give or take about 10 or 20.''
He explained the count might be a little off. It was early in the morning and he was enjoying some pleasant conversation with friends at the time.
Regina Smoley and her father, Charles Luth, brought a new craft item to the park this year for children to enjoy after the Community Feed.
Made from colored plaster of Paris molded in spoons, the egg-shaped discs can be decorated with markers or paint to make cute bugs.
''Dad tried it out on the grandkids and we thought it would be fun for the kids in the community,'' she said.
After being decorated, the lady bugs, grasshoppers or bees the children produce can be taken home and serve a second purpose,
''It works like sidewalk chalk when it's all done,'' she said, resisting the temptation to demonstrate on the picnic table.
Contact Hans Madsen at (515) 573-2141 or hmadsen@messengernews.net
