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Week in Review

July 26, 2010

Editor: Dave Uphoff

For the past nine years the editorial page of this website has covered specific issues and topics. Usually, the editorial will express an opinion on an issue. However, there are usually not enough issues to opine on each week at the local or even state level which partly explains why an editorial is not published every week.

Beginning with this editorial, a new format is being introduced in which events and observations for the week within the Minonk community are presented â€“ sort of a weekly diary. Important issues will still be discussed when appropriate but a weekly diary will be presented from time to time as well. You might want to refer to this format as a kind of Facebook for Minonk. Of course, comments and opinions are welcomed on the editorials.

It has been another hot summer so far in Minonk with the temperatures in the lower 90's and humidity in the 80's since July 4th which makes being outside downright miserable. It is hard to imagine how people in Minonk survived in July of 1936 when the temperature reached 112 degrees and was over 100 for 12 days in a row. Back then no one had air conditioning except the Princess Sweet Shop and my parents didn't even have a fan in their house since they had no electricity.

The corn crop is tasseled out and looks like another bumper crop. Some fields are being sprayed with airplanes. The pilots of those crop dusters are real cowboys the way they dive down over the fields. You can bet they are having fun â€“ just like at an air show.

After having abundant rain this year we hit a dry spell for 10 days but then a half inch of rain fell this weekend to help green up the grass which was just starting to turn brown. The rain also broke the humidity so we can plan on more comfortable weather this week.

Sweet corn is starting to turn up on the roadside stands and I picked my first tomatoes and zucchini this past week. The Japanese beetles are still devouring the linden trees and roses.

Minonk's Fourth of July celebration was again a very successful event and the volunteers are to be commended for their hard work. An MDR graduate from many years ago returned to Minonk for the July 4th celebration and was disappointed to see that the high school band did not participate in the parade. This person played with the Marching Mohawks band in the July 4th parade every year while he was in school.

Speaking of schools I heard an interesting story about a prank played on the Minonk high school superintendent in the early 1930's. A group of high school students actually led a horse up the steps of the old high school into the Superintendent's office and managed to escape right before the Superintendent walked into his office to discover the equine visitor. The leader of the prank became a prominent businessman in Minonk and is now deceased.

If anyone has an interesting story to tell, please let me know. It would be fun to compile a list of stories from the past.

Meanwhile by this time next week, ex Governor Blagojevich should be found guilty at his trial in Chicago. If not, Illinois will be the most disgraced state in the nation.

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