In past we'd be preparing for PPD

I imagine the coming weekend is when we'd normally have Prairie Pioneer Days (PPD) in Morris. It is hard to avoid a sense of loss. The creation of this festival was considered a big deal at one time.
I am getting to an age where my memories are becoming more exclusive. I hope my blogs will someday be seen as having value for preserving the memories. Like of the Centennial in 1971. That event proved that our community could handle a summer festival, could pull it off.
When I began full-time at the Morris paper, we had the Fall Festival which was a precursor to Prairie Pioneer Days. The Fall Festival that I recall is not to be confused with the later event organized by Vicky Dosdall at the fairgrounds. And now I hear that the "new" Prairie Pioneer Days, about which I am skeptical, will be at the fairgrounds.
I admit I could be proven wrong and that the change will be considered worthwhile. We might as well hope for the best. Even in summer there is risk with the weather, so in early fall we can presume the risk is even greater.
We are going through a change of leadership at the Chamber of Commerce. A well-placed source tells me that up until now, the transition has not been good for the Chamber's operations.
Kevin Wohlers made public comments suggesting we should not have pulled the plug on the summer Prairie Pioneer Days. It is true that far fewer people see the drastically shrinking Morris newspaper, but the paper still has enough readers (I hate to admit) that quotes such as Kevin's can make him the spokesman for a point of view.
I do think there are a couple of issues with Eastside Park as the focal point. I would like to criticize the city for having neglected the issue of that big cement or asphalt surface in the center of the park. That surface serves no positive purpose at all. It is a detriment.
Allow me to elaborate: Yesterday (Monday) I did something I have not done in years: brought a basketball into town to shoot some hoops. There are two hoops at Eastside Park. In theory some kids could play a game there. How often do you see anyone using those hoops? How often do you even see a solitary person shooting hoops there? Well, I genuinely tried on Monday.
I don't know if the hard surface is the same as what existed there in the early 1970s. Maybe it's the same surface but it has deteriorated. Weeds are growing from cracks. It is not a smooth surface. Back during my last couple years in high school, enough kids would gather at the park to play a lively game of basketball. I remember showing up alone with my ball sometimes, then getting joined by neighborhood kids like Tom Moldenhauer or Mark Ness. We might play "horse." Fun times to be sure.
On Monday I noticed my ball getting all marked up as a result of the rough surface, making me wonder if the ball was being damaged. I didn't want it to strike the ground any more than necessary. So next time I'll try Wells Park where hoops are found also. But it's too bad if I would have to give up on Eastside Park.
The cement or asphalt seems not just deleterious for basketball, it has been a hindrance for audiences that might like to enjoy a performance at the Killoran stage. If the Killoran stage strikes you as a white elephant, it is because the park was not fundamentally re-designed to accommodate it. People are averse to sitting there whenever the sun is out.
Only once have I been present there when the conditions were really acceptable for people being in the aluminum bleachers: it was a UMM jazz performance in early fall (as I recall) when the temperature was comfortably cool and the sun was under the clouds. If the conditions are not perfect, people will avoid the hard surface at park's center, and I think this has really been an abomination for this community. That's a strong word but I don't think the solution would be that hard.
If the city doesn't want to pay for it, maybe some philanthropic interests could step forward.
As far as PPD was concerned, I have memories of driving on the streets immediately around the park on that weekend, and feeling I had to go extra slow. Cars were of course parked in every available spot. I found it was best to drive a couple blocks away to avoid congestion, because people might be popping out between parked cars to cross the street.
Secondly, where does one park when the nearby spots are all taken? I had a little trick figured out when I dropped off my parents: I'd pull off to the side on the end of an alley where my temporarily parked car was not going to cause any problems. Five or so minutes later I'd move the car to a long-term spot, probably 3-4 blocks away.
And therein lies another issue: what about senior citizens or other people who are not particularly mobile? People who are spry can walk several blocks, no problem. But we have an aging population these days. We have heightened sensitivity about accommodating elderly and handicapped people. This is an important factor to consider.
Maybe it's an unavoidable issue, but I will always have the warmest memories of the summer PPD. I probably abused my position at the Morris newspaper when I promoted or "puffed" it at the time of its creation. And, I was most ambitious covering it over the years. I'd ride my bike out to the halfway point of the 10K run, out along the biking/walking trail by the river. It was exhilarating. There was truly a sense of excitement.
By comparison, what kind of atmosphere are we going to sense this coming weekend in Morris? Maybe 50 years from now, a group of people in Morris, largely out of nostalgia, will organize a mid-July event patterned after the "old" Prairie Pioneer Days.
 
Addendum: One of the banes of my existence has been to struggle with whether it's "Eastside Park" or "East Side." This is the sort of thing where, if I was suspected of the wrong version in my Morris Sun Tribune writing, I would not only be corrected, I'd be insulted as being something of an idiot, at least by certain people. I worked in that environment for years. I have joked with Jim Morrison that if God intends to punish me in the afterlife, He will have me type "Holstein" over and over. No matter how I typed it, the editor would put a blue pen marking over it. Is the "e" before the "i" or vice versa? Capitalized or not capitalized? One big change today: In seconds one can consult with Google to resolve anything.
 
Addendum #2: This is unrelated but let me just postulate: If Trump himself were found to be guilty of having sex with the underage human trafficking victims - the whole Epstein thing - would his "base" even care? Would the local Apostolics care? I don't think they would.
 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com