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04/12/2003 Archived Entry: "THERE'S STUFF ON THE STREETS"

THERE’S STUFF ON THE STREETS…..(this is Ellsworth after all)

Yes, there is that tell-tale stuff on the streets that lets you know the Gather is gathering. It’s ELLSWORTH, after all, the wickedest town in the west.

All types of early frontiersmen, buffalo cowboys and drovers hit town yesterday. Many came Thursday and pitched their tents and laid out their stakes at the Cow Camp.

The re-enactors congregated at the grade school to tell about their lives to the school children in the afternoon. The one who got the most attention was Barry Tompkins of Nicodemus/Bogue whose re-enactor name I can’t recall. He’s a movie star of some fame and because of him, Danny Glover did the historical tour narration of Nicodemus, the all black community north west of here. He and his wife, Angela, who is also a re-enactor have been friends of mine for a couple of years now. I went to their grand opening of Ernestine’s Barbeque in Bogue last May and blogged that evening of good food and conviviality.

But I digress. Yesterday people were in and out of Drovers, visitors were taking in the sights of Ellsworth while the others were roaming around the Cow Camp visiting with friends. I had a couple friends who came for the event and we enjoyed the stew that Linda made and Jim stirred at the Cow Camp. They had a huge iron pot full of it. They also had biscuits that filled the back seat of my car and 12 huge turkey roasting pans of peach cobbler. A friend and I toted all the food from Drovers to the Cow Camp and I can tell you, there was lots of it. Linda had to be busy for days making all of it to feed the hundreds that were there. They accepted donations but I wonder if they covered their expenses. They put a lot of their own money into this event....into all corners of it....and we could all do a better job of kicking in a little to help them. They won't ask.

Later we attended the cow girl auction and ranch rodeo. I think you really have to love horses to fully appreciate those events…. and there was a good crowd of people who did. Tonight the men get to show off their horses so it should be another well-attended event. Dennis Katzenmeier and his crew of helpers put this part of the weekend together. I was amazed at the number of people who were there working the event.

The parade starts at 11:00 today, so they say. You know how parade starting times tend to be. But it should be very interesting. Some of the entries were on display yesterday at the Cow Camp and they are very outstanding. While you are waiting for that event, you can browse the sale items that will appear in front of the stores.

The Chuck Wagon cook-off is this afternoon. If you buy a ticket, you can have a meal the participants prepare. I heard it was going to be chicken fried steak, but I don’t know for sure. If you buy your ticket at Drovers this morning it will cost you $7.00. At the event, it will be $8.00. I hope they have a sell-out event for this.

And will the person/people who have called Drovers and the city and the chamber office to complain about horse poop on the streets please cool it. A lot of people have spent a lot of their own money and time to bring this event to Ellsworth and they can’t attend to everything “right now”. I suspect there will be a lot more of it after the parade today…horse parades being what they are.

I hope to see all of you downtown this morning. Rob Phillips, the organizer of the parade...and owner of the Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence that sponsors their 100 wagon Christmas parade each year...says we have to bring out the crowds before he'll bring the wagons back to Ellsworth next year. So, come to the parade and bring a lot of friends along too.

It's time to head that way.....