Mayor Paul Becker and Mrs Becker
A Few Minutes with the Mayor – by Paul Becker
That was quite a picnic on July Fourth! Five hundred hot dogs purchased, five hundred hot dogs served. Interestingly, the line for the food was never long… just steady and without a break for two hours and forty-five minutes, fitting within our three hour picnic time-frame. And yes, although the hot dogs ran out, I was made aware that only two people missed out. I only wish everything else we do at City Hall would pan-out as well.
No mention of the picnic can be made without thanking every one who helped… and it’s a long list. Starting with Jerry Mathern and his classic Model “A” car club, whose members parked their wonderful automobiles on the Courthouse grounds for close-up viewing. And, the kid’s games provided by our Fire Department were outstanding—going non-stop for three hours was the very popular dunk tank plus an irresistible game with high-pressure hoses forcing a ball across a high wire. And an old-fashioned Fourth of July isn’t complete without old-fashioned sack races for the young-at-heart. City staff arrived early to set-up tables and chairs, cook and serve the hot dogs and chips, chill the water, and watermelon. City staff and the fire department personnel devoted their own July 4th holiday to make all this happen. What a crew!
Additional thank-you’s go to the Rotary Board and members who loaned their large cook-top unit to the City, without which there would have been no way to cook the hot
dogs. Thanks also to Ray’s Market who donated the water and marked-down the price of the watermelon, two very necessary picnic items. A BIG thank you to both the Rotary and to Ray’s and to the Presbyterian Church for loan of their over-sized coolers, and to Terry Erdmann for the loan of his amplifier and public speaking system.
As icing on the cake, the Jacksonville Trolley gave free tours to any and all who wanted to “climb aboard,” making for a special attraction and the perfect touch! The only thing missing was Judy Garland and company singing The Trolley Song.
The hot dogs, the buns, and the chips were purchased with money from the Mayor’s Fund. This was the only expense for the entire event, further illustrating the importance of every contribution mentioned above.
At this point, I would be remiss if I failed to acknowledge my sincere thanks to all those who stopped-by, or sought me out, to express their thanks to the City for sponsoring the picnic. Their appreciation is the reason I hope that our July 4th picnic becomes an annual event.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of the summer!
Photos: Jan Garcia
Posted July 30, 2013
Paul Becker is the current Mayor of Historic Jacksonville, Oregon.