An ode to 2004

The school district kept getting deeper in debt;
While the governor and legislature slept;
Ignoring the looming crisis for all of our schools;
The State of Illinois appeared to be run by fools.

While the school was making cuts in its staff;
Minonk's ambulance squad cut its response time in half;
Which was due to the hiring of a fulltime crew;
By the city council who finally thought things through.

Main street was repaved from one end to the other;
Including the parking lot which looked a lot better;
Moran street was finished and opened up the north end;
Although it has not yet been paved causing axles to bend.

The big event was the sesquicentennial celebration;
Planned and carried out to near perfection;
By a tireless committee who organized and put on displays;
Of pictures and artifacts from Minonk's bygone days.

The Westside Park pavilion was dedicated on the last day of the event;
With an ice cream social, a swing band and much merriment;
Constructed with the money and work of volunteers;
It will be a fitting memorial to our vets for many years;

The farmers brought in record crops in very good weather;
Followed by plenty of rains to carry us through the winter.
The school referendum to raise taxes was defeated;
The aversion to more taxes is very deep-seated;

Superintendent Stagliano resigned from his stint;
Rather than waiting on the school board for a hint;
To see if the board is going to make a decision;
Or just delay things again to everyone's derision.

A new building was constructed for the food pantry;
And a new grain terminal popped up 5 miles north of the city;
The annual Parade of Lights was better than ever;
That saw friends and neighbors getting together;