Apple Festival 2009 Seymour MO 65746

Apple Festival 2009 is coming up. I am wondering if the town gummint has learned anything from the past two years. In 2007 there was a lovely booth featuring little dog clothes on the north side of the square. The lady had a little tiny pocket chihuahua in her pocket, of course. Her little dog was to be used to try on the clothes to show people how adorable they were. She was a happy and entrepreneurial lady.

But she was told that there was an ordinance prohibiting any dogs during park functions. So she was to take the doggie home and not bring her back on opening day (Saturday). They refused to give her her money back, so she sat there on Saturday feeling misused, exploited and unhappy. Needless to say she never came back to a Seymour Apple Festival after that. The next year 2008 there was a dog competition (forget what on) in the park during some function and dogs were allowed . Someone should have complained to the police because the best way to get rid of a poor law is to enforce it.

In 2008 Apple Festival but wait let me give you some history. Apple time started in the mid 1970's. Some booths have been around since the beginning. The two church booths on the southeast corner for example. The rent was $250. They were told their rent would double to $500 since they were selling food. I guess the Lion's Club didn't want any competition. It was finally negotiated back down to $250 if they only served one kind of food. I think it was kettle popcorn but am not sure. People were talking about how the two churches were treated all weekend.

Are these people crazy! Or just plain greedy? In a recession (since turned into a depression) they raise prices by doubling them? Those churches brought lots of people to Seymour to help, set up, buy and just generally to be there spending money. If I were them I wouldn't come back and my congregation and I would go somewhere else that appreciated us and our contribution past and present to Apple Festival. Didn't your mom tell you not to play with mean kids. Just come on home and don't play with them?

There was a new booth there in 2008 selling home made root beer. They served it in glass bottles. Your refills were less so they had lots of repeat sales, were gentle to the environment and very successful. They had a horrendous time setting up just off the northwest corner. It was a mother and son, and he was deaf. They were all set up when policewoman Miller came and told them they would have to move back beyond the yellow curb line. This required about two hours of repositioning the truck and was a difficult thing to maneuver. The rules have to be followed. Unless you have scheduled a dog competition and are a Seymour power broker, then the rules can be set aside. As Orwell said, Some pigs are more equal than others (Animal Farm).

So it will be interesting to see what happens in 2009 in a few weeks. There were lots of disgruntled people last year. But some were quite pleased. The usual. I will not be eating there as it is still all fried and greasy and heart unfriendly. The usual.

This is the way Seymour is so comment away on this. I am sure you will have your own stories to tell. Remember swearing is OK but calling names is not. If you have a disagreement just say so and state why. Name calling will be erased.