Dollar General: Good location

We will never know how much effect the results of the poll had on the changing of the location. However, I think I can safely say that it there was no public outcry the store would have been built in the city parking lot. In my mind, this was a perfect example of why this web site has been created. To give people a voice in city affairs. All of you who responded to the Dollar General poll can take pride in the fact that you helped shape public policy in a democratic way.

When I presented the results of the Dollar General poll to the Minonk City Council, they responded in icy silence. The only response I received was a smirk from one of the younger members of the council who probably thought that I should have my head examined. I had received reports that indicated that since it was not a statistically designed sample, that the results had no merit. I would agree if the results were close. However, an 85% negative response is statistically sound regardless of what you are sampling.

I would hope that the city council would give some credence to polls since it gives a good indication of what their constituents want. After all, the council is elected by these people to represent their views. The city belongs to the people, not the council.

I wish to thank all of those who responded to the Dollar General survey and hope that you will participate in future surveys. I also welcome the Dollar General Store to Minonk and hope that everyone will support the store.

The Dollar General store is somewhat similar to the old 5 & 10 or variety stores. I remember back in the 1950's when Minonk had two variety stores, The Ben Franklin variety store and Hornsby's. I used to buy all of my 45 rpm records of Elvis and Chuck Berry at Hornsby's. I wonder if the Dollar General sells Britney Spears CDs? Not that I would buy any of her records but I sure don't mind watching her.

Vanity hair

I have been bald for 35 years now. But I wasn't always that way. When I was in high school Elvis became popular and many of us grew our hair long like Elvis. That included the duck tail hairstyle which meant that you combed your hair straight back on the sides until both sides would meet in the back of your head and form a ducktail type curl. Of course to complete the greaser look we had to glob on tons of Wildroot Cream Oil (Charlie) or Vaseline Hair Tonic to hold the hair in place. Women thought twice in those days before they would run their hands through a guy's hair. Those who did, didn't have to use hand lotion anymore.

We even had hair tonic for short haircuts. The other day I ran across a jar of Southern Rose butch wax that I had stored away somewhere. It still had that same sickening sweet smell. It was used to hold the hair stiff for flat top haircuts. Whenever we get a Minonk history museum started, that is going to be the first item that I donate. I bet no one else in Minonk has a 45 year old bottle of butch wax.

You paid the price for having long hair in those days. You teetered on the edge of being considered a juvenile deliquent. I have to admit that I and other long haired dudes were vain about our hair. And the upperclassmen knew how to handle vain underclassmen. I remember countless times when I would be sitting in study hall and Jim Kapraun would walk by my desk when the teacher wasn't looking and proceed to mess my hair with a quick, violent shake of his fingers in my immaculate hair. The guy across from me could hardly keep from laughing when he saw me after Kapraun had done his job.

So I guess the price for juvenile hair vanity is a lifetime of baldness.

Me as a 20 year old long haired greaser in front of Johnnies DX at Seventh and Chestnut in 1960.