Sunday, September 17, 2006

I've Never Been To McCool Junction.....














(Stephanie Thomas Clark, McCool Junction born and raised.)

Continuing north on 81, and passing the infamous Fairmont State Airfield where 80's pop sensation Charlene of "I've Never Been To Me" fame died in a fiery plane crash, I have made my way to McCool Junction. You may not realize that the classic song "The Day The Music Suffered a Mild Health Related Setback" was written about Charlene's untimely demise. Even today a small memorial stands just 20 feet into the brush near hangar B. The crowds may have thinned but the memories of her loss remain for all of us.

McCool Junction was established near the turn of the century by settlers searching for fertile land on which to grow hemp and turnips, one of Nebraska's staples. In fact, nothing beats a tall glass of turning juice on a cold(or hot) Nebraska morning. Personally I like mine with extra grit so no rinsing for me please.

McCool Junction's only blip on the radar of social conciousness is it's proud distinction of being the birthplace of the mullet, which is to my understanding a popular style of wearing one's hair amongst the younger generations which I find so troubling due to their lack of respect for senior citizens and overall sassmouth. Hairstyle Anthropologists have theorized that the hairstyle might actually date back to the early mesolithic period however carbohydrate dating of present day samples puts the original mullet in McCool, or The Junction as it is known in the popular press. The first person, at least in recorded history, to fashion herself a "Mulleteer", not to be confused with the popular Disney Channel variety show of the same name which starred a young Annette Avalon Funichello, was Stephanie Thomas Clark who is pictured above.

I don't plan on staying long in The Junction as it is entirely inhospitable to outsiders. There is a park here with a bench and there are some squirrels. I might take a moment to feed them. There is a frame shop here which carries various sundry items. I sure do miss Grandma's back in Belvidere. Maybe I'll stumble upon a town where I feel as at ease as I did back there while on this odyssey of mine. Somehow I doubt it. Sure is nice not having to worry myself with the day to day paper work and stress involved in running a bustling town though. And I haven't seen an irregular sheep once since leaving Belvidere so I guess it's not all that bad. Well, time to keep on keepin on.

Sincerely,
Spooner Jenkins

2 comments:

Dr. Rob said...

You are now officially Tagged

Anonymous said...

Yes, I'm interested in what kind of music a former mayor in Nebraska listens to.

I bet one of them will be that song Willie Nelson sings...What's it called?....."On The Road Again"

Where are you now, and what exactly happened with your personal business in Strang?

I do like your beard, even though it looks like it might need a trim and a wash. You also know sign language. I use it alot also. I don't know why we even bother to talk anymore. Everyone understands what those finger signs mean.