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The focus this year in the Coal Days activities will of course be the big parade, scheduled to be held next Saturday, June 8 beginning at 6 p.m. The lineup starts at 4 p.m. The theme this year is “Shawneetown Coal Days honors our U.S. Armed Forces 2013.” So get your thinking caps on an honor our Armed Forces with floats, bands, cars, trucks, etc., as we are proud of all who serve and have served. You can contact Piecemakers Makers‘ Facebook page to get your entry into the lineup, or hit their website for registration info.

The fest is proud to have 40 vendors on the roster this year, so there will definitely be something for everyone; be sure to attend Shawneetown Coal Days 2013.

And if your group or organization has a fest coming up, you know we want to know about it. We have an entire fest section here at the website, much of which is frequently featured in the print version, in order to show everyone that despite all the corruption and crime in our state, we have an awesome citizenry that can come together every year in their respective communities and ensure a fun, safe environment to bring out the family and enjoy the festivities and each others’ company. We promote these events free of charge, both here and in the paper…so send us you fest information! The best way to tell us is right here at the website, or by sending us one of your flyers in the mail: Disclosure, PO Box 52, Calhoun, Ill., 62419.

Winner, “Best Dog/Guardian Lookalike”: Comet, with his guardian, Andrew Tennis

This little scarecrow guy is Andrew Tennis of Bellmont and his chihuahua, Comet, took top prize in the “Best Dog/Guardian Lookalike” portion of the competition. There were lots of other competitions, such as Best Tail-Wagger, Best Handshake, Ugliest dog, Best Rescue Story, etc.

We’ve got the winners in all categories, and will be bringing them to you in the print version, on stands Oct. 20!

And, while you’re at it, check out ARF at http://www.arfcares.org/ for the spay/neuter vouchers and other details about the group, who are doing awesome work in the region. We had an influx of feral cats two years ago during harvest season, and as a result, three litters of kittens. Using ARF’s vouchers, we were able to afford to have ALL the kittens spayed, putting a stop to the “littering” and creating happier outdoor cats. And of course our indoor cats are all fixed, courtesy ARF’s vouchers; we even have one ‘rescue’ cat from almost 13 years ago who is here by the grace of the fine animal shelter in Fairfield, and the efforts of ARF to support finding homes for shelter animals in the area.

Thanks, ARF!!

Above, a view of the square facing north; the streets are filled with vendors, rides and games, along with tents for fest-goers to sit and enjoy each other’s company, or some of the best fest food to be found in southern Illinois.

Above, adorable little kids enjoying the rides over on the west side of the square.

Above: plenty of vendors up on the courthouse lawn…where it’s shady!

More rides on the southwest corner…and not just for the kids!

Did we mention the delicious fest food…?

More Lawrenceville Fall Fest in the October/November issue, on stands Oct. 20!

Pooch in the park

Above, Boo the Great Dane, owned by Jake and Jayde Seitzinger, accompanied his family who were listening to the amazing Bluegrass music.

We’re not crazy about Bluegrass, but these guys were GOOD!

The Flat Mountain Band had this little guy clogging right in front of the stage. The sound system was great; music could be heard throughout the park.

Tie dyes..

Above is a bright display of tie dye work; the vendor had a whole tent devoted to it, and it was a popular location.

For the car show, we found such beauties as the above 1950 Oldsmobile, owned by Charlotte Weger and shown in memory of Jerry Weger.

Above, a 1947 Ford street rod, owned by James Smith, West Salem.

Above, Rick and Tara Opell’s 1970 Mustang in electric blue; they’re from Fairfield.

The above hot number is a 1971 Dodge Challenger done up in stunning pink and with the appropriate character behind the wheel; the car is owned by Puff Rogers of Princeton, Ind.

There were plenty of people admiring Puff’s pink panther ride…

Overall, there was quite a turnout for the car show.

You couldn’t MISS this car…classic 1930 Ford Model A, owned by Wendy Rousey, Bridgeport.

Ang was completely enamored with this above car and had me take SEVERAL shots of it…more will be in the print version, but we wanted to show you this amazing paint job.

Above, the yellow/orange lineup…we didn’t catch who owned the one on the far right, but the one in the middle is a 2000 Chevy Corvett owned by Don and Tonya Pauley of Sumner; and at left is the General Lee (we’ve shown that one before; it’s a car show favorite!)

Another view of the yellow/orange grouping, showing a few more cars…

There were all kinds of tractors at the other end of the park in the tractor show; we’ll have more of those, and more of the fest, in the print version, on stands next Monday, 09.13.10!

Berryville Chowder, 09.04.10

Apparently, the phenomenon of chowder is a very regional thing in southeastern Illinois.

Last Friday (09.03.10) when we were courthouse crawling in South Counties (specifically Gallatin and Hardin), we were hustling through our work so we could make preparations for the weekend events we were set to shoot.

When we arrived in Elizabethtown and were working in the Hardin County courthouse, we mentioned to Circuit Clerk Nancy Pennell that we had “two chowders to shoot in the morning.”

She asked what chowder was. (I’m pretty sure she knew what the noun meant, but used in the context of a verb, as in “an event,” she appeared a little confused.)

We explained that it’s a kind of soup that’s stirred in huge kettles at big outdoor events where everyone gets together and has a kind of community reunion of sorts. There are frequently some kind of baked goods available for sale; country stores with various different wares; events for the kiddos like inflatables and games of skill; sometimes sports events like little league baseball games; and usually some kind of entertainment on stage going on as well.

This is apparently a foreign concept in South Counties, so, since our website is by and large propped up by SoCos readers, we’ve decided to show you this yummy stuff we concoct up here in North Counties (at least north as far as our coverage area) called CHOWDER.

Stew or burgoo?

In other areas outside North Counties (composed of Edwards, Wayne, Wabash, Richland, Clay, Crawford, Jasper and Lawrence), chowder is called burgoo. We’ve learned that in the northern part of the state, it’s called that, as well as in surrounding states like Kentucky and Tennessee. Burgoo is more like Mulligan Stew, and can be somewhat spicy. It’s often served almost as a side dish, with other items accompanying it (some people pour it over potatoes; others over beans). The name, as you can see, is derived from the different root words for “red” (burgundy, etc.) The ingredients are much the same as chowder—a tomato base, veggies, and meats varying with geography and FDA approval. However, chowder, really is better than burgoo, because chowder is a whole meal…just add crackers, no need to pour it over beans or taters, because there’s beans and taters in it!!

Roy Slunaker is actually stirring this pot.

Back in the day before the government was sticking their noses into every aspect of our lives (even when Ang and I were little kids…which shows you how old we are….) community chowders were held in the fall when there was a lot of overage in the gardens. The folks would bring in what they had excess of and couldn’t get canned or stored in the cellar fast enough without it going bad, cut it up, and dump it in the pot (they vary in size. We used to have a ten-gallon one, but it was stolen; some of the ones they use in the local communities run 20-70 gallons, but the most common size are 50 gallon). Some of the menfolk would go out that morning and shoot whatever was nearby—usually quail, squirrel and rabbit (again, before the intrusion in our lives of “hunting seasons” and limits on what, when and how much)—and bring fresh meat for the pot. Everybody would pitch in, and by noon there would be a fine batch of chowder.

These days, there is no wild game at chowders that are sold to raise funds for the community and its activities; the FDA said no, can’t do that, has to be store-bought stuff, as well as the veggies used. So chowders, while they taste different than they did 45 or so years ago, are nevertheless delicious, and actually are quite healthy, as no preservatives (except what might be minimally found in any canned veggies used; by and large, only fresh vegetables are cut up and used in the soup) are introduced into the stew. You can buy chowder by the bowl and eat at tables provided at the site, or you can have bulk sales and take it home with you. A delightful note: chowder freezes beautifully. You can buy it in August when it’s almost too miserably hot to eat it, freeze it in its container (usually a Prairie Farms ice cream bucket), break it out in January, and enjoy.

Note the paddle Roy is using…ya gotta stir, or it sticks

When we were little, the chowder pot would be hung suspended by large teepee poles over an open, wood fire. These days, the only wood-fired chowder we’re aware of is held at Bone Gap in early August. Everybody else has moved on to propane, which can be controlled a little better than wood. You have to stir the chowder, as it is so thick that it sticks (note the lower left of the above photo); long paddles, designed to be used horizontally so as to keep the stirrer away from the heat, and which have slots drilled into the paddle flat, have to be used constantly to keep the stuff stirred up. Each community keeps their chowder kettles in tiptop shape, washing them well and greasing them down before storage after each use. Some places have modern, mechanical overhead stirrers; we saw some of those in Orio Saturday, and they’ll be shown in the Orio Chowder page in the paper next week.

So that’s the chowder phenomenon locally. Chowders are a lot of fun; we enjoy shooting them; and we enjoy eating it. It’s one of those things that makes southeastern Illinois unique, and one of the many reasons we both returned here after being gone so long.

Any chowders going on right now or coming up soon? you betcha!

Today (09.06.10) the Calhoun Chowder is going on (south Richland County); this coming weekend, Dundas in north Richland, Wynoose in north Wayne and Lancaster in north Wabash cut loose with their chowders. Our junior team will likely be at one or any of them, so say hi if you see em, and get yourself some chowder…it’s awesome.

This year despite there being no big-name draws, the crowds have been huge at Grayville, located in northernmost White County (and partially in Edwards) for those not familiar with the area. The festivities kicked off with the crowning of Miss, Little Miss and Mister Grayville Days royalty Thursday night; opening ceremonies Friday evening; and the parade Saturday, some of which is featured here (the rest will be filling up several pages of the print version, on stands next Monday, 09.13.10!)

Color Guard

Above, the Color Guard, provided by the various Veterans’ groups in the area (who are commendably very active in Grayville and surrounding communities), leads the way. In the background can be seen the historic Wabash Theatre, where events including Miss Grayville Days are held throughout the fest.

Below are some of the floats and scenes from the parade:

Engine Float

Beauty on parade!

Impressive cycling!

The scramble for that parade candy being thrown from the floats….!

Kids loved the costumed characters, even this tall and somewhat imposing Tigger!

More beauty, this time from Edwards County:  Albion’s Pork Day Fest (Makayla Clore) and West Salem’s Prettiest Baby, Jayce Clore

Grayville Cheerleaders pausing in front of the judges to show their moves.

Grayville Days’ Baby Derby Contestant Lydia Fisher: what a doll! (even if she doesn’t look very pleased to be there…)

Antique tractors are all the rage in local parades…

Awesome floats…this one, the “Hillbilly Roundup”

Horses are last, but not least, in the parade!

Grayville Days continues today, and the Junior Team (who is doing an AWESOME JOB covering area fests!) will be there for everything from Bessie Bingo (you gotta see it to understand it) to the Fireworks Display tonight…we’ll get coverage on here as soon as we get the pics, and don’t forget to pick up your copy of the print version next week at Grayville Casey’s, Gone Bananas and Liquor Barn so you can have even MORE Grayville Days scenes to keep for yourself!