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7/31/2007
Those Catholic summer picnics

I’m not a Roman Catholic and I can’t say I frequent those great community picnic bashes that parishes host throughout the summer months. Support your parish – drink lots of beer – or something like that.

We’re mostly into the Baptist gatherings… except once a year we anxiously accept my mother-in-law’s invitation to the greatest chicken dinner ever – a Wauwatosa parish where those spit-roasted chickens are succulent and to die for. Their luscious aroma wafts for miles. It’s an enticement not easy to refuse! And German potato salad and polkas. What could be any better than that?

I suppose a rock band or two performs in one of the other tents on Friday or Saturday night. But it’s that polka band we’re there to hear!

This is how life was meant to be. How can it get any better than polkaing to “You Are My Sunshine?” Man, that’s living. The accordionist looks like State Rep. Tom Nelson in about 10 years (of course, Tom looks like he’s about 16 at the moment…). I think it’s the glasses – and also the slightly receding hairline with just the right cowlick and an impish smile. The tenor sax guy was in shorts having a heck of a good time, the guitar/banjo player and drummer a bit older, a little plumper, but still the same great smiles.

You could enter the band’s lottery and win $50 off your cruise cabin next spring, joining the fellas on a polka trip to the Eastern Caribbean. Could you ever ask for more?

The dance floor is older women in various stages of spinsterhood, some dancing with each other (how do they decide who does the backward thing?) and still others really into their line dancing.

Do you know the line dance “look?” They are sooo serious; counting steps and remembering the pattern. And of course, always one or two of the women will be looking at the footwork, trying to master a pattern they don’t know. Various stages of concentration and various states of hip-swinging.

And of course, the couples. You dance together, you advance together. Great waltzes, swings, even a rumba or two. Great, great stuff, over my head and feet!

Ok. It’s not politics, it’s not news. Just the great old summer church picnic. Fun and games for hours and hours. Unless you count the cream puffs at the State Fair and the big stage at Summerfest, there’s just not much that says summer in Wisconsin more than a polka and a beer at the church picnic.

COMMENTS

Jo,
Lorie and I always look forward to the St. Pius X parish picinic.

St. Bernadettes always throws a good picnic too, plus their giant rummage sale. Lorie is anxious to go there and I am too. Last year I picked up a couple of CDs (Brahms & the soundtrack from Amadeus both for $1.00) and an electrical engineering manual (I was interviewing for a electrical engineering type of job at the time).
I love it! JE

Mark A Framness (Tue Jul 31 08:04:50 2007)

Jo this prose was a refreshing change of pace. Thanks for the shift and the memories! Bob

bob pedersen (Tue Jul 31 08:06:31 2007)

How about those summer organ concerts organized by Appleton's "treasure" Frank Ripple. The concerts are free of charge and wonderful.

Expecially exciting was the 4th of July Concert. Ripple led the attendees in patriotic songs and played organ solos from the period of independance being declared.

The patrons at the concert filled "All Saints Episcopal Church", with many standing in the back. The concert ended with a rousing standing ovation.

Bravo to Frank!

Dale (Tue Jul 31 08:09:06 2007)

Hi Jo!
Here's your open invitation to the St. Mary's of Stark annual parish picnic next July in Maribel. The beer tent is the single, biggest money-maker and there's always a line at the dunk tank. We upgraded from a polka combo to an actual rock trio and they were pretty good this year. Of course, the biggest attraction is the Booyah and people bring ice cream buckets to fill as soon as Father puts an "amen" on the outdoor mass. It's not fancy, but it's fun and you get to visit with just about every family in the tiny parish. Long live the picnics!

Mary Schmidt (Tue Jul 31 08:42:47 2007)

In 1999-2000 I was an alderman for the City of Appleton. I had the privilege of serving on the License and Ordinance Committee. One of the things our five member committee was charged with doing was to consider approving liquor licenses, licenses for tatoo parlors and massage establishments. Another function was the approval of permits for functions that would take place at City parks where alcohol was to be served.

Three of us on the five member committee agreed that approving such permits for church picnics was really dumb. Dumb? Is that politically correct? I don't really care. It has nothing to do with politics. Yesterday's local newspaper covered stories of three persons killed in a car crash in Green Bay. All had been drinking heavily. In another incident, one person was killed just south of Appleton when she stopped along side of the road to care for the ravages of having consumed too much alcohol, i.e. to relieve herself. Then, a young man of 23 swiped her, killed her...and he had been drinking. There are stories everywhere of this type of behavior and the devasting consequence of death that goes with the behavior. I call such incidents car crashes...not accidents. An accident is unavoidable. Incidents involving alcohol that kill people are crashes. Avoidable. Preventable.

Now, back to the issue of church picnics and alcohol. The two others on the License and Ordinance Committee in 1999 who agreed with me that approving licenses for serving alcohol at church functions in Appleton parks was a dumb idea voted 'no.' The 3-2 votes over a period of several months to reject the licenses brought the ire and contempt of the news media, including radio, TV and newspaper. The three of us were branded 'beer Nazis'on radio talk shows and in the newspaper. Hmmm? Where was 'political correctness' then? Would the wrath of those who thought our opinions far right conservativism, out-of-step with societal trends, pure horse-pucky be considered a hate crime? I wonder. Who cares?, you ask. What do you mean, who cares? We did! Three of us. We cared that we not smear the name of our God with such a hideous idea of serving beer at a church picnic. (Please don't use the argument of the wine at the wedding in Cana...it was different. Study the Good Book. I'll write about that a different time.)

And we cared that some inebriated fool not drive away from the church sponsored picnic and plow his motorized vehicle into some unsuspecting individual's auto causing death, destruction and life-changing/life-altering consequences to someone's beloved family member. And all for what...to raise money for some new chairs for the fellowship hall or a new roaster and dishwasher for the church kitchen? Look. Serving alcohol at church functions is dumb. It sends the wrong message to families and undermines and sends mixed signals about our Christian values. Go back to your church with a clear message that alcohol doesn't fit at the picnic. That's true for Catholics, Baptist, Presbyterians and all the non-demoninationls, too. Call me a 'beer Nazi' if you choose. I'm proud to be persecuted for His sake. 'Bottoms-up' to those who have rejected the nonsense idea of alcohol at church functions. What are you drinking. I'll have an RC Cola, thank you very much. Bottoms-up!
Ooh Dick. Great stuff. Beer does not belong at the church picnic. I'm with you. I was one of those beer nazis that served with you on the common council and voted as you did. Thank you, thank you for your words. JE

Dick Kendall (Tue Jul 31 08:55:45 2007)

Dick, I'm a beer Nazi too. And I think it has colored my appreciation of the local summer events to the point that I rarely go.

This does not diminish my love of accordions and polka.

Check the remaining Waterfest events in Oshkosh for a warm up band called "Those Darned Accordions." It's a novelty act.

Then there's Carl Finche's Brave Combo who've played the casino on free entertainment night. I discovered Brave Combo 25 years ago and they have had had international awards for original polka compositions. But still my favorite has to be the "People Are Strange" polka. It's BC's tribute to the Doors.

As to line dancing, the first time I saw that it looked like a rehearsal for Oklahoma!
Cheers...

Lon Ponschock (Tue Jul 31 12:25:57 2007)

I do not need beer at a church picnic. I do not need a "dreaded" phone call in the middle of the night saying a loved one has died because of a drunk driver. However as of late many have died during middle of the day from drunk drivers.

Question Jo-----If we had a serial killer out there taking as many lives as drunks do we would have special task forces etc. to catch him/her? Do we have the same thing as a serial killer out there? Or am I just stupid?

David (Wed Aug 01 10:30:17)

Regarding daytime traffic mayhem:

It's a well-known statistic that early morning is a common time for traffic fatalities.

This is from shift workers going to those joints that open up at 6 AM (some of them advertise it on their signs.)

While the rules are clear as to when taverns close, the truth is that some are only closed for a couple hours to clean up the nighttime debris. This puts the label of 'enablers' on the bar owners who practice virtual round-the-clock "service".

On a similar topic, I wrote this a few days ago. It said, in part:
"Before any legislation is enacted at the state level to even more enhance Wisconsin being the bartender to the nation, I would suggest the following: Make it a felony to serve anyone liquor until they become incapacitated. This would include bar owners, bartenders and restaurant proprietors alike. If such legislation were enacted there would likely be less need for any increase in liquor license levels: many would become available either due to prosecution or getting out of the business."

Lon Ponschock (Wed Aug 01 14:57:43 2007)