Off the top of my head

Plankinton

I’m going to be in Plankinton on Saturday, or at least on the edge. I’m heading off to the Mizpah Cemetery, where Callisons, Frasers and Nagels are buried, and we may actually go into Plankinton if that’s where we decide to take a lunch break.

A rural one-room school was moved into Plankinton. It’s a school where my great-grandmother taught. I’ve wanted to go inside for years, but it never seems to be open when I’m there. I guess there’s a picture of my great-grandmother hanging in the school.

If things had been a built different, I’d be visiting the Grain Palace in Plankinton. That’s right, according to Pamela H. Simpson’s book “Corn Palaces and Butter Queens: A history of crop art and dairy sculpture” Plankinton once attempted to rival nearby Mitchell’s Corn Palace.

The book states that Plankinton had Grain Palaces in 1891 and 1892. In fact, the Corn Palace’s creation was spurred by the news that Sioux City wasn’t going to have one in 1892 and Plankinton had had one the year before. Mitchell businessmen Louis Beckwith and Lawrence Gale said it was insupportable that Plankinton have a grain palace and their community have nothing.

That irritated Plankinton merchants, who called for a boycott of Mitchell shops.

Wrote the Plankinton Herald, “Any one of our citizens buying a bill of goods at Mitchell hereafter should be boycotted at home by all c itizens having an interest in the prosperity of our city. A Grain Palace city is as good as a Corn Palace City.”

To make amends, Mitchell’s organizers gave Plankinton a day of its own, and two days after the Corn Palace closed, seven coachloads of Mitchell residents traveled to Plankinton’s Grain Palace opening,” the book states.

That ended that battle. The book doesn’t say why Plankinton gave up its Grain Palace so easily. All I know is, Mizpah Cemetery borders what used to be the state training school for wayward youths, and that was a scary place when I was a kid. Almost as scary as the fear of stepping the wrong way in the cemetery and being told you were standing on someone’s grave SO MOVE!

Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars, which began on the WB (remember it?) and ended up on the CW, had the most amazing first season any show could ever have.

Ever.

Evereverever.

The subsequent two seasons weren’t as good but still were better than most things on TV. It had such a small viewership, even for the new CW, however, that it was canceled.

I own the first season on DVD. But I was delighted when flipping through the too-many channels I get on cable TV to find it was re-running on the Soap Channel. (And that is the only reason I would watch that network.)

I stumbled across it in the middle of Season 2, and we’re now in Season 3, two hours a day. I, of course, am recording it and watching in the evening. I think it holds up fairly good, even the weakest third season. (My main objection to the third season is that Veronica and bad-boy Logan kept breaking up and making up. And I LIKED bad-boy Logan, or ‘Logan the loser’ as the only other person I know who watched Veronica Mars always called him.)

On weekends, Soap airs three hours of Veronica Mars, from the first season. And, yes, even though I own that season, I’ve been recording those and watching them again. There’s just something about watching a favorite show the way God intended it to be watched, irritating commercials interrupting it all, that can’t be topped.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

I watched the 1996 Disney version of the Victor Hugo classic last night with a group of kids. I’d never seen it before, and I kind of hope I never see it again.

I thought it was just bizarre. In the first place, you knew it was going to have to be radically altered so it could have a Disney happy ending.

And in the second place, it spent a LOT of time dealing with lust. Not the usual theme for a children’s movie. And even if you throw in stuff for the adults in the audience, the way Pixar does so adroitly, it’s a strange emotion to confront in an animated movie.

But the villain is Frollo (I spent part of the time thinking it was Frodo, then realized it wasn’t quite “Lords of the Rings”), a cruel man who hates the gypsy Esmeralda but also lusts after her. Explicitly lusts after her. It was creepy. Luckily the 3-year-old sitting next to me didn’t ask any questions.

I looked it up on IMDB.com, and of course according to the reviewers I am wrong in my opinion. I read the first 10 reviews, and people were raving about the movie. I have no problem being deeply shallow, and I can live with the fact that apparently I missed all the wonder that is Disney’s “Hunchback” and got caught up in the weirdness.

Butter sculptor

Who knew that a South Dakota native once was world renowned for his  butter sculpting?

According to the book “Corn Palaces and Butter Art: A history of crop art and dairy sculpture,” author Pamela H. Simpson did.

In her book (which of course contains information on the Corn Palace in Mitchell, but you’ll have to wait for the bloy post on that), the butter scuplter was Gilbert P. Riswold (1881 - 1938),

According to the book, the South Dakota native “received his professional and sculpture training at the Chicago Art Institute and is best known for his bronze memorial statues in Illinois, South Dakota and Utah; but he also made the occasional butter sculpture.

“One of his impressive pieces was A Study in Nature for the 1916 Springfield, Mass., National Dairy Show. Sponsored by the Blue Valley Creamery, it featured a tableau of a cow, woman and child in a rural setting complete with flowers, fence and landscape.”

Free O. Henry, sort of

O. Henry, the noted short story writer, was convicted of embezzlement at one point in his life.

Now, there’s a push to have his conviction overturned. Way, way posthumously.

Letters of Note

I always mean to visit the Letters of Note website daily, but I forget. I was catching up today and was struck by this letter from Ronald Reagan, giving advice to his son Michael just before his wedding.

Doug Dillard

If you grew up watching weekday reruns of “The Andy Griffith Show,” the way I did, then you’ll know the Darling family.

They made several appearances on the show. Usually the episodes focused on Mr. Darling and his daughter, Charlene, but Andy and the Darling boys would get to play a song or two. Otherwise, the boys just stood there like lumps while their father attributed human emotions to them.

I don’t know which “Darling” Doug Dillard was, nor can I find a photo. But his passing shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Good read

I know nothing about this case, this family, even this columnist. But I thought it was an awfully good read, and a sad story about a father’s pain.

Exercise

An American Cancer Society survey shows that women are more likely to exercise if it feels like play.

Wouldn’t that be true of almost anything in life?

Motorcycle safety

I have not been on the back of a motorcycle for years, and I really miss it on warm days when it would be so much fun to go down the highway, safely tucked behind someone else doing the driving.

But I have to admit, it also would be scary to be on a motorcycle again. There is so much bad driving going on out there, and people have an animosity toward bikers that I don’t always understand.

So, here’s a reminder about safe driving, now that spring may actually be here for good:

Since MidAmerica MotoPlex opened its doors over 11 years ago, company president Jeff Johnson has been a proponent of motorcycle safety.

 ”When you sell motorcycles, safety has to be an integral part of it,” said Johnson. “There are numerous ways for motorcycle riders to be safe on the road while having fun. Riding a bike is all about having fun,” he said.   

For Johnson and his staff, promoting motorcycle safety is a year-around effort. With May being Motorcycle Safety Month, the company is stepping up with a series of safety-related initiatives, including providing a training site for the South Dakota Safety Council and Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) motorcycle safety training course.

Johnson is also running a promotion for helmet upgrades; has trained staff on gear and protective attire; and offers safety information (brochures, etc.) at the business, located at I+-29 and Exit #83 in north Sioux Falls. In addition, all the motorcycles for sale include a tag promoting the safety council’s safety course.

For over a decade, MidAmerica MotoPlex has partnered  with the South Dakota Safety Council and the MSF by providing a site to hold the (training) courses. It is one of two sites in Sioux Falls (Department of Transportation in Sioux Falls).

“We give them full use our conference rooms and our parking lot all summer long during the days, evening and weekends,” said Johnson, who is appreciative of the safety efforts promoted by the South Dakota Safety Council and MSF. “It is our way to give back to them for what they are doing to teach people to drive safely and defensively on a motorcycle.”

MidAmerica MotoPlex is also running a helmet “trade to upgrade” promotion, in which motorcycle riders receive $25 off a Snell or ECE-approved helmet. Snell is a U.S. rating system for helmets while ECE is a more stringent European helmet rating system, which is popular in the U.S.   

According to Johnson, U.S. Government safety officials as well as helmet manufacturers recommend that helmets be upgraded every two to four years.

“Over time, the padding in the helmet degrades,” said Johnson, acknowledging that South Dakota does not have a helmet law. “This effort helps encourage bikers/riders who wear helmets to upgrade.”

Motorcycle Safety Advocated by MidAmerica MotoPlex, P. 2…

Another motorcycle safety measure, advocated by Johnson, includes informing customers about proper attire and riding gear. MidAmerica MotoPlex apparel staff has been trained on the value of protective gear, which Johnson knows can save lives.

He noted a case of a Sioux Falls man, who was in an accident in Washington state. The area biker was able to walk away from the accident with minor injuries due to his helmet and protective gear. In a glass both at MidAmerica MotoPlex, the man’s story, along with the helmet and riding gear, is showcased.

“Unquestionably he was wearing the proper attire,” said Johnson. “All it took was spending about a $1,000 to properly outfit himself.”   

Motorcycle safety involves a number of factors, including gear and  “smart” as well as defensive driving from both motorcyclists and motorists and others on the road.

“Everyone operating motorized vehicles must share the road,” said Johnson. “Safety is a two-way street.”

Motorcycle Safety Tips

Through the South Dakota Safety Council (www.southdakotasafetycouncil.org) and Safety Kits Plus (safetykitsplus.wordpress.com), several motorcycle safety tips are listed below. Additional safety information can be found at www.southdakotaride.com, a South Dakota Office of Highway Safety website.

~ Motorcyle riders and motor vehicle operators have the same rights and privileges, as well as responsibilities for safe driving and riding.

~ Motorists should allow for proper following distance and never share a lane with a motorcycle rider. Just like motorists, motorcycle riders need room to safely maneuver.

~ Due to the size of a motorcycle, motorists may find it difficult to see riders, especially in blind spots, as well as determining speed and distance of an approaching motorcycle. 

~ Motor vehicle operators should use their signals when changing lanes or merging in traffic. This allows the motorcycle riders the opportunity to anticipate traffic flow and move into a safe lane position.

~ It is advisable for motor vehicle operators to always check mirrors and potential blind spots before entering or leaving a traffic lane as well as at intersections.

~ Motor vehicle operators should also be aware that seemingly minor annoyances for them (potholes, wet or slippery surfaces, gravel, pavement seams, railroad crossing and grooved payment) may require a motorcyclist to adjust their speed or position in a lane.