We've had a cooler, wetter summer than normal, which we've appreciated, but temperatures have risen to more typical levels the last few days. The vacation season is winding down, the grandkids are back in school and fall events are beginning to fill our calendar. The opening high school football game is just around the corner. With the flurry of activities surrounding the annual Decatur Barbecue and our Gravette Day event, I didn't even find time to write a Susan Says for a couple of weeks. Now it's time to update readers on our activities.
I've enjoyed participating in the Gravette library's summer reading program for seniors. It's encouraged me to read several books I've had on my waiting list and I've enjoyed each one. Each book read earned us an entry in the weekly drawings, and I was fortunate in late July to have my name chosen. My prize was a gift certificate from the Cotton Patch Cafe in Siloam Springs, so we're looking forward to dining there soon. Several friends have told me their food is very tasty.
We had the field around our house cut again late last month and our young hay man came, raked and baled it on July 31. As I drove away to attend the town hall meeting at Sulphur Springs, I met him and his family coming to haul away more than 40 bales he'd wrapped up. A few days later I attended a program on the eclipse at the Gravette library. I was covering the event for a story in the paper but became part of the news myself. The TV cameraman present captured me on film and the segment aired the first of the next week.
I drove to Decatur on the first Saturday of the month to purchase barbecue chicken dinners for our lunch. I arrived shortly before parade time, so I strolled down the row of vendors and visited with a few folks I knew, including the evening's entertainers. My sister Nancy joined me and we returned to Decatur for the Reeves Brothers concert. We ran across our sister Mary Alice and friend Teresa and all sat together to enjoy their country tunes. The next evening I joined friends at Old Town Park for a going away party for the Valdez family, members of our congregation who have moved to Fayetteville.
Even though it's been quite some time since I was a teen, I joined members of the younger generation for the last Teen Tuesday program at the library. It was movie night and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening's showing of "A Dog's Purpose." Munching on goldfish crackers and eating M&Ms were part of the fun too. I saw another good show just last Thursday when I participated in pizza and a movie night at the Billy V. Hall Senior Activity Center. That evening's showing featured the charming film, "Secondhand Lions."
Gravette Day was a busy day for me, with activities to cover from morning to night. I started off with some of those giant Kiwanis pancakes and good sausage and went on to photograph Dutch oven cook-off contestants, parade entries and opening ceremonies in the park. I enjoyed a couple of slices of that juicy watermelon from the Arvest booth and soon continued to photograph art show exhibitors, car show winners and Dutch oven cook-off champions.
I saw sister Nancy and her husband Marlin at the museum and enjoyed a brief visit with them. I'd arrived too late to sample the entrants' dishes, but the novice winners scraped the bottom of the pot and gave me a taste of their yummy calico potatoes. I was fortunate to win one of the Museum Commission's raffle baskets, so I took it home and took Jim a burger before returning to Kindley Park for the evening's pageants. A Subway sandwich and a large refreshing lemonade got me through the evening. When I went home, I enjoyed a bowl of ice cream and a look at the "Country Sampler" magazine that was a part of my gift basket.
My friend John took me out for a delightful evening last Friday night. We joined his friends Craig and Linda for a delicious German meal at Euro Bistro in Rogers. I ordered a big glass of German beer, a jaeger schnitzel entree with potato croquettes, then apple strudel for dessert. The meal did not disappoint as everything was very well-prepared. Because there was a slight mixup on my order, the proprietor gave me a big piece of carrot cake to bring home. We stopped at Petco to shop for a few pet items and dropped by Starbucks for coffee before returning to Gravette.
Susan Holland is a longtime resident of Benton County and a reporter for the Westside Eagle Observer. She can be reached by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 08/23/2017