In his 3rd and final Pinewood Derby, Tyson placed 4th out of 12 Cub Scouts Friday night. Sneaky Snake ... as his car was named ... was sleak and fast but not fast enough to beat Tyler Jensen's Lightning McQueen. All of this was preceded by a trunk-or-treat in the church parking lot. What better way to enjoy a Pinewood Derby than with kids jacked up on sugar! On Saturday, we picked up our family pumpkins and Indian corn from a local farmer outside of Lawrence before joining the Fletcher family for an evening of Halloween activities over at the Tonganoxie Historical Society. Spooky hayrides, old-fashioned Halloween games and of course, hot chocolate & hot dogs! How festive!
Tonganoxie is a small town. Our tallest building is only two stories (although our fire department ladder reaches four). But we're a hop, skip and a jump from the big city, which is where Cody and his friend Nate spent a good chunk of a beautiful Saturday riding their bikes. With skyscrapers looming over head and the smell of barbecue in the air, they cruised from one end of the city to the other. It wasn't an easy ride though - there were marathon runners to contend with and tourists to out maneuver. But when all was said and done, it was a great time with some cool pictures (click here) and it ended with some good ol' original KC barbecue at Winslows. As for small town Tonganoxie, local politics surrounding the 4th Street project continue to dominate the headlines - this time with Cody being quoted rather than Paige.
The Friday Night Lights were on in Tonganoxie and we were there at Beatty Field to watch the Tonganoxie Cheiftains take on the Perry-Lecomptan Kaws. From the opening kickoff the Cheiftains were ... well ... let's just say the 
band was more entertaining to watch. But the atmosphere was fun ... the cheerleaders were spirited and of course it wouldn't be a football game in the Midwest without a little barbeque. Final score was something like 33-20. See photos from the night's events here.
When Columbus Day keeps Tyson in school and provides Cody with a holiday day-off, it creates an automatic date for Cody & Paige. After the morning rain moved out, a beautiful fall drive ensued along the Glacial Hills Scenic Byway en route to Atchison, KS (pop.10,000) where they visited the following sites:
NOTE: Pictures included ... click here!
In a couple more decades, Paige and Cody will fit right in with the rest of the crowd at Annie's Country Jubiliee. By all accounts even Grandma Shirlene seemed like one of the youngins on hand. Entertainment on a Saturday night in Tonganoxie means heading down to Annie's Country Jubilee, a Branson-style show of entertainment 
and country music. One can see a variety of country acts every Saturday night, including Bart O'Neal and Johny Hudson from Rogers, AR! Okay so no one's ever heard of them but it didn't stop all the old-timers in the crowd from clapping and having a great time ... and even us youngin's joined in for some hoopin' and hollerin' ...
In his 3rd and final Pinewood Derby, Tyson placed 4th out of 12 Cub Scouts Friday night. Sneaky Snake ... as his car was named ... was sleak and fast but not fast enough to beat Tyler Jensen's Lightning McQueen. All of this was preceded by a trunk-or-treat in the church parking lot. What better way to enjoy a Pinewood Derby than with kids jacked up on sugar! On Saturday, we picked up our family pumpkins and Indian corn from a local farmer outside of Lawrence before joining the Fletcher family for an evening of Halloween activities over at the Tonganoxie Historical Society. Spooky hayrides, old-fashioned Halloween games and of course, hot chocolate & hot dogs! How festive!
