Whacking the bushes

Hi neighbors. This is the big Bushwhackers Days week! I hope you have plans to take in the sights, sounds and smells of this annual hometown celebration.

My granddaughter was impressed with the carnival rides. There seem to be a large selection this year.

We took in the dog show and got to see all the cuties in their finery.

The Square was permeated with the smells of cooking hot dogs and hamburgers. Lots of folks we knew passed by in the crowd, or got close enough for some chit-chat.

My daughter and her friend spotted some classmates they hadn't seen in several years.

There was lots going on and lots of people going from one thing to another. I hope you get out and share in the fun this year.

Whether you get there late, or get there early and stay late, you'll find lots to see and do.

We visited the Bushwhacker Museum and saw some new exhibits and found things in some of the older exhibits we had missed before.

The museum is never a place to plan on a short visit. There is just too much to see. It is certainly not your typical small town museum; and is well known and respected throughout the area.

If you get too involved in partying at the carnival -- remember the Bushwhacker Museum is open all summer. If you want to be a part of this unique landmark for travelers, stop in and volunteer to work as a docent at the museum four hours a week, or even four hours a month. Volunteers are trained in-house so you don't have to know all about it before you apply.

My ever patient son gave a sigh of relief when he was relieved of cemetery duty while my daughter was here.

My granddaughter opted to join the guys in some target practice, while her mom and I journeyed across the border into Cedar County. Part of our tour even included Polk County.

The cemeteries here in Vernon County we decided to "save" for the next visit.

My daughter (who lives out of state) even listened with interest while I told the stories of ancestors she didn't know about.

Bitten by the genealogy bug, she wrote down some of the stories, who they were about and how they were related to each other and to her. She's hooked now! It usually only takes one toe dipped into the pool of genealogy research to stir the fevered brain into wanting to know "more"!

Fortunately, we didn't have to dodge any bulls, run from any skunks, or even jump over any snakes on our adventures. We did encounter a large rat in one rural cemetery's "outhouse" which we declined to enter despite his scurrying around to make things ready for our visit.

Genealogy seems to be everywhere these days. When the family was here, history and genealogy mixed in a nice way.

They were invited to my daughter's grandmother's home to collect some family heirlooms and the stories connected to them. That was a fascinating part of her family's history that I'm glad she got to experience with her grandmother. It was doubly nice that her daughter could be there to witness the "handing down" of her family's treasured stories through four generations.

Bushwhacker Days should be a time to remember family stories. Whether it is stories about events you shared with school chums you meet up with after many years; or stories about how the town and area have changed in your lifetime. Until the next time friends remember getting together on the square with friends and family, new and old, to celebrate the things we hold in common -- this is the real joy of Bushwhacker Days. I hope to see you on the Square!