The Fall Festival and Halloween party is today. The guys are already down there helping to get the two sides of beef and the two pigs roasting. The rest of us are going there at 11 am. We have to load up all the stuff we made before we can go.
We charged up the batteries to John and Dave's power chairs so they can ride down there. Other wise they would have to stay home as neither of them can walk very far. Since some of the farmers are bring their tractors and hay wagons so the guys left our lawn tractor and wagon here so we could use it to haul all the stuff we are taking.
Yesterday four of us made 10 dozen cookies, 100 peanut butter cups, 4 different colors of rock candy, a bushel of candy apples and 50 popcorn balls. Julie and Nikki made costumes for the kids. Amy is going as a Christmas present. Julie took a box and cut out arm holes and a hole for Amy's head to go through. Then she wrapped the box in Christmas wrapping paper. She made a big bow for Amy to wear on her head. Nikki found a white sweat suit in the clothes my neighbor gave her so she cut out black spots and sewed them on the sweat suit then she took a white stocking hat and sewed more black spots on it and made ears. Maci' is going as a Dalmation puppy. They got in to my clean tin cans and found enough to make a tin man costume for Kyle. They used one of my kitchen funnels and foil to make him a funnel hat like in the movie of The Wizard of Oz. He has a pair of grey sweat pants and a long sleeve black sweat shirt he is going to wear under his costume.
It is a beautiful fall day and the temps are in the low 70's right now but we know it will get cooler after dark so we are taking coats for every one plus blankets for the kids. Every one is suppose to bring their own plates, cups and eating utensils so I pack a basket with enough for all of us and the two neighbors across the street. I made my big Nesco roaster full of baked beans and we are taking some plates of mixed pickles. Tammy made a huge bowl of pasta salad using one of my 5 pound bags of spaghetti I had in storage, some of the fresh vegetables still coming on in the garden and she made a homemade Italian dressing to put on it.
Once we got everything loaded on the trailer Nikki drove it down to the school while the rest of us followed behind. It's early still, the party is not suppose to start till noon but there are people every where. It took us some time to find our booth for giving out treats during trick or treating. Some of the elderly ladies have volenteered to keep and eye out on the treats while the rest of us get to join in on the fun.
We took the rest of the food over to the big food tent some one had set up. One of the people who runs the county fair was able to borrow the tent. Then Tammy, Julie, the neighbor lady and I walked around and enjoyed the games that were going on. Steve, JR and Mike were playing soft ball. They were on the town team. John, Dave and our neighbor were playing washers. Jen and Nikki had taken the 3 kids to the kid games and were watching them. At 3pm they called to line up for food. The lines were long as most of the town was there and so where a lot of rural folks. Julie, Tammy and I were working the food table so we were able to get John and Dave's food fairly early and let them eat. There was no way they could have gone through the line in their chairs. The guys helped Nikki and Jen bring the kids through the line so they all got their food at the same time.
None of us could believe all the food that had been brought. Long tables were lined with all kinds of pies, cakes, cookies, salads, fresh fruits, vegetables, loaves upon loaves of home made bread, dinner rolls, biscuits and the meat. After the past year we have been through no one could believe there was that much food in the whole town let alone for one party. After eveyone had went through the food line they were marked with a red marker on their hand and no one was allowed to go back through the line until we knew for sure that everyone had gotten at least one plate of food. Once we were sure everyone had gotten one plate of food we let people come through the line as many times as they wanted. Some were coming through for the third time. It had been so long since many of them had had a decent meal. By the time everyone was done eating there was nothing but empty dishes up and down the tables. I had two small helpings of the roasted beef and pig. Oh did it taste wonderful! We have not had any beef in months.
The townies beat the farmers in the soft ball game. Dave won the washers game after competing in 15 games. All the kids got a prize for the pumpkin decorating contest. Maci won for best costume and she got a home made stuffed dog which she would not let go of. Some one had parked a big hay wagon on the street and after all the contests were done and the kids got to go trick or treating at the booths people started pulling on instruments can getting on the wagon. When they started playing a lot of the young adults got out on the street and started dancing. After about an hour of listening to the music the older members of our family decided to take the kids and go home. We let, Steve, Nikki, Tammy, JR, Jen and Mike stay at the party and have a night of fun. They all needed it after all they had been working hard for months.
The kids were wore out by the time we got them home so we got them in their pjs and put them to bed. Since the party was only a block away I opened up a window and we listened to the music while we played Yahtzee. The party broke up a little after midnight then the rest of our group came home. We had brought back everything with us when we came back so they just had to bring themselves. We all sat around for awhile talking about how well the party went and how much fun we had. When the first ones got up to go to bed I told everyone to sleep in a couple of hours and we would only do the chores that had to be done tomorrow. Other than that we were taking the day off from work. I am so tired I know I will sleep in late.
We charged up the batteries to John and Dave's power chairs so they can ride down there. Other wise they would have to stay home as neither of them can walk very far. Since some of the farmers are bring their tractors and hay wagons so the guys left our lawn tractor and wagon here so we could use it to haul all the stuff we are taking.
Yesterday four of us made 10 dozen cookies, 100 peanut butter cups, 4 different colors of rock candy, a bushel of candy apples and 50 popcorn balls. Julie and Nikki made costumes for the kids. Amy is going as a Christmas present. Julie took a box and cut out arm holes and a hole for Amy's head to go through. Then she wrapped the box in Christmas wrapping paper. She made a big bow for Amy to wear on her head. Nikki found a white sweat suit in the clothes my neighbor gave her so she cut out black spots and sewed them on the sweat suit then she took a white stocking hat and sewed more black spots on it and made ears. Maci' is going as a Dalmation puppy. They got in to my clean tin cans and found enough to make a tin man costume for Kyle. They used one of my kitchen funnels and foil to make him a funnel hat like in the movie of The Wizard of Oz. He has a pair of grey sweat pants and a long sleeve black sweat shirt he is going to wear under his costume.
It is a beautiful fall day and the temps are in the low 70's right now but we know it will get cooler after dark so we are taking coats for every one plus blankets for the kids. Every one is suppose to bring their own plates, cups and eating utensils so I pack a basket with enough for all of us and the two neighbors across the street. I made my big Nesco roaster full of baked beans and we are taking some plates of mixed pickles. Tammy made a huge bowl of pasta salad using one of my 5 pound bags of spaghetti I had in storage, some of the fresh vegetables still coming on in the garden and she made a homemade Italian dressing to put on it.
Once we got everything loaded on the trailer Nikki drove it down to the school while the rest of us followed behind. It's early still, the party is not suppose to start till noon but there are people every where. It took us some time to find our booth for giving out treats during trick or treating. Some of the elderly ladies have volenteered to keep and eye out on the treats while the rest of us get to join in on the fun.
We took the rest of the food over to the big food tent some one had set up. One of the people who runs the county fair was able to borrow the tent. Then Tammy, Julie, the neighbor lady and I walked around and enjoyed the games that were going on. Steve, JR and Mike were playing soft ball. They were on the town team. John, Dave and our neighbor were playing washers. Jen and Nikki had taken the 3 kids to the kid games and were watching them. At 3pm they called to line up for food. The lines were long as most of the town was there and so where a lot of rural folks. Julie, Tammy and I were working the food table so we were able to get John and Dave's food fairly early and let them eat. There was no way they could have gone through the line in their chairs. The guys helped Nikki and Jen bring the kids through the line so they all got their food at the same time.
None of us could believe all the food that had been brought. Long tables were lined with all kinds of pies, cakes, cookies, salads, fresh fruits, vegetables, loaves upon loaves of home made bread, dinner rolls, biscuits and the meat. After the past year we have been through no one could believe there was that much food in the whole town let alone for one party. After eveyone had went through the food line they were marked with a red marker on their hand and no one was allowed to go back through the line until we knew for sure that everyone had gotten at least one plate of food. Once we were sure everyone had gotten one plate of food we let people come through the line as many times as they wanted. Some were coming through for the third time. It had been so long since many of them had had a decent meal. By the time everyone was done eating there was nothing but empty dishes up and down the tables. I had two small helpings of the roasted beef and pig. Oh did it taste wonderful! We have not had any beef in months.
The townies beat the farmers in the soft ball game. Dave won the washers game after competing in 15 games. All the kids got a prize for the pumpkin decorating contest. Maci won for best costume and she got a home made stuffed dog which she would not let go of. Some one had parked a big hay wagon on the street and after all the contests were done and the kids got to go trick or treating at the booths people started pulling on instruments can getting on the wagon. When they started playing a lot of the young adults got out on the street and started dancing. After about an hour of listening to the music the older members of our family decided to take the kids and go home. We let, Steve, Nikki, Tammy, JR, Jen and Mike stay at the party and have a night of fun. They all needed it after all they had been working hard for months.
The kids were wore out by the time we got them home so we got them in their pjs and put them to bed. Since the party was only a block away I opened up a window and we listened to the music while we played Yahtzee. The party broke up a little after midnight then the rest of our group came home. We had brought back everything with us when we came back so they just had to bring themselves. We all sat around for awhile talking about how well the party went and how much fun we had. When the first ones got up to go to bed I told everyone to sleep in a couple of hours and we would only do the chores that had to be done tomorrow. Other than that we were taking the day off from work. I am so tired I know I will sleep in late.