1. Jake texted me with the news that he'd be at the Lounge around three o'clock while Carol Lee and several of our friends attended the bazaar at St. Rita's Catholic Church. I seized upon this opportunity, not only to see Jake and Cas, but to log in a one mile walk uptown with the added bonus of walking a ways uphill. DJ came in a bit later. We all had fun yakkin' about all kinds of stuff. Around 4:15, Ed and Nancy popped in long enough to drag Jake and me off our bar stools and the four of us darted across McKinley Avenue to the Elks for this year's spaghetti feed to raise money for the Kellogg High School athletic fund.
2. Before long, the events hall in the Kellogg Elks was filled close to capacity -- possibly full. Jake, Ed, Nancy, and I found seats. Al and Peggy joined us, as did Bert and Cindy. On long tables at the back of the room and on one side sat a multitude of items to be auctioned. The side table held the silent auction items -- baked goods, home decor things, Christmas decorations, etc -- and in the back were the items the auctioneer would work to persuade us to bid on: a huge crafted American flag clock, a huge welcome sign, KHS athletic wear baskets, booze baskets, cakes, cupcakes, a KHS golf bag, and more. Other auctioned items couldn't be displayed: loads of gravel, a rafting trip on the Clark Flork River, tickets to a late December Zags game, and tickets to sit in a private suite at a Dallas/Washington football game next month.
I knew I wouldn't bid on anything. I enjoyed the drama of other people bidding, but, aside from the Zags tickets (which went for 350 dollars) and possibly one of the booze baskets, I wasn't interested in the goods. The cheerleaders were raffling off restaurant gift cards and I purchased a couple of those tickets and I made a voluntary contribution for my dinner, so I contributed a bit to the cause.
I took a moment during the proceedings to think about how much Dad would have hated this spaghetti feed which I enjoyed so much. Because of the great turnout, we were packed tightly together along long tables and fairly close to the tables on either side of us. Getting up to go to the food line (Dad hated food lines) or to go to the bar for a drink or to go to the rest room meant bumping into people and asking people to scoot in a little closer to their table to get by. Uh, not really Dad's thing!
I doubt Dad would have ever attended this spaghetti feed. It was enough that he'd get dragged into attending the Silver King Chili Feed or the United Church Oyster Stew Feed (although we could get him food to go at this one). Nonetheless, I imagined him at this one, perspiring heavily, looking painfully uncomfortable, and, no doubt, quietly scheming when would be an appropriate time to get the hell out of there and get across the street and see Troy at the Inland Lounge.
I am not my father.
As I've written before, I love these feeds in the Silver Valley. Whether it's breakfast at the VFW, the Elks crab feed, the pork and apple feed at the Elks, tonight's spaghetti feed or any of the others, I enjoy the energy. People are in a good mood, gabbing, laughing, seeing friends, and enjoying the food and the drink. Always, these feeds are in support of some good cause. Maybe as I go to more of them that include an auction, I'll decide to save ahead and join the fray, bidding on Zags tickets or one of those booze baskets. Having been to a couple of these auctions now, I have a better idea of what I'd be spending and I'd like to contribute more money to these fundraising efforts.
3. Ed, Nancy, and I went back across the street and joined Jake and Carol Lee at a table with the Wardells, Anita and Chuck. Ed and Nancy couldn't stay long and soon Peggy and Al joined us, as did Tamie L-E. I thoroughly enjoyed winding down for the evening at this table. By the time I left with Jake and Carol Lee within the hour, I was better informed about the Silver Valley and I enjoyed having very positive things to say about my sisters and the great friends I've been hanging out with lately, whether hiking, going to Pendleton, playing trivia, or just relaxing at the Lounge.
Jake and Carol Lee gave me a ride home and I was beaming.
No comments:
Post a Comment