Out and About – Week of August 3rd

     KA-PUTTA, KA-PUTTA, KA-PUTTA.  If you haven’t already figured that out, that’s the sound of an old Allis-Chalmers tractor warming up. It could also be a John Deere tractor just getting started, but then the sound would be green. Anyway, that’s something similar to the sound you’ll hear this next weekend at  Boot Hill Ranch near Jones. August 7, 8, and 9 are the dates for the 49^th Annual Antique Tractor and Engine Show. This year IHC Equipment will be featured, along with the Vintage Garden Tractor Club display. Do you want live entertainment? Lisa and Mark Woolever will perform Saturday afternoon, and Deadwood will provide the music Friday and Saturday evenings. There will plenty to see and do for the entire family including farm machinery, a sawmill, a 65-horsepower stationary boiler, plenty of steam engines, gas tractors and engines, a thresher, several flea markets and, of course, plenty of parades. So, put on those bib-overhauls, grab that straw hat, slip on those cowboy boots, and take the entire family out to Boot Hill Ranch this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The ranch is located on Bair Lake Road, one and one-half miles east of Jones. Gate donation is $3 per person and the parking is FREE.

     I’ve mentioned numerous times that I am not a food or entertainment critic. I am, however, someone who believes that if you experience something great, you should pass it on to your friends. Some may consider it to be free advertising, but I look at it as sharing an experience. If someone benefits from it, it’s a good thing. Anyway, this past week, I took my own advice, and my wife and I had lunch at Uncle Rhemus’s. We both had a sandwich, which comes with fries, and a large soft drink. The service was fast, the food was very good, and the restaurant was very clean and homey. We got all of this for just a little over $10. If you want a Chicago-style sandwich, you can either go to Chicago or walk on down to South Main and check out Uncle Rhemus’s. We will go back again.

     Tickets are now available at Beam Sound and Video for the Three Rivers Community Players production of SQUABBLES. This two-act comedy opens Friday, August 21, at the Players Theatre on Millard Road, just behind Dairy Queen, in Three Rivers. Show dates are August 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, and 30. Curtain times are 8 P.M. for the Friday and Saturday performances and the two Sunday matinees begin promptly at 2 P.M.. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $9 for senior citizens and students. Beam Sound and Video can be reached at (269)279-6251. Call now for tickets before you forget. Seating is limited, and the tickets are expected to go fast.  You may visit the TRCP website at www.trcommunityplayers.org.

     The Three Rivers Circle Line, operated by the St. Joseph County Transportation Authority, is still up and running Monday through Friday, from 7 A.M. to 5 P.M.  The only change you might see is that the big green bus might not always be used in this capacity. Just look for one of the regular white buses with the “CIRCLE LINE” sign in the windows. Whether it’s one of the white buses or the big green bus, the CIRCLE LINE is still the best way to get around town, and it’s only $1. You can’t even buy a can of pop for one dollar these days.

     For the next several weeks, I’d like to share with you some of the laws of ultimate reality. LAW OF MECHANICAL REPAIR – After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you’ll have to go to the bathroom.

     Have a great week, and I’ll see you Out and About.

Submitted by Norm Stutesman