A Field Trip to the Lincoln County Historical Society

Today, I took a field trip to the Lincoln County Historical Society.  Andrew  Anderson introduced himself at the fair when he came by the Barnard Banter booth and invited me to stop by.  The visit was well worth my while and more visits are going to be made so that I can see more.  The museum has a fairly extensive collection on Barnard.  These are only a few items in the Barnard collection.

Trint Hall's and Scott Rathbun's Car Makes It To The Feature at the Fair Demo Derby

Trint Hall and Scott Rathbun made it to the Feature A in the Lincoln County Fair Demolition Derby on Saturday.  Saturday morning, Scott and Trint stopped by the house so I could get some pictures of the car before it was "altered" by Saturday nights events.  They also gave me some insight on how a car was prepared for a demolition derby.

There is a great deal of detail that goes into building a derby car.  Scott and Trint explained that there are certain rules to follow when building a derby car.  Those rules differ by promoter and this promoter was pretty consistent with his rules from year to year.  You cannot build any reinforcement into the car, but you can help control how the car crunches.  It is important that the trunk of the car bends upwards.  The transmission needs a special cooling unit as they endure much more stress in derby use than they would as a highway driver.  Even details such as tire stem protectors are important.

Trint wanted me to take this picture so everyone knew he was driving.












The following pictures are from the derby.  I managed to get the car's first hit.

The first heat.

The consolation heat and then the Feature A.

The "after" pictures weren't so pretty.

 Driver's door hits are illegal and highly frowned upon.  The only shadow cast over the event was the driver of car 55 at the derby.  They were sure that car 55 did this and was quite active in doing it to other drivers as well.  The crowd was so worked up over it that chants of "DQ 55!" (disqualify 55) were heard throughout the stands.  However, car 55 went on to get the third place prize to the dismay of many in the audience.

Wyatt Wallace examines the damage to the car on Sunday morning.

From the picture of the compacted trunk above you can imagine the effect of crunched metal on the rear tires.  This was the tire from the driver's side rear.  The metal was so crunched that it wore through the outer tire and started on the inner tire.  All tires on the car were double lined.  There was a tire on the outside, a tire inside of that tire, and a tube inside the second tire.




Scott and Trint will spend the next couple of weeks working to repair the car.  They plan to enter at least one more derby.

A Betty's Place Memory From the Fair

One of the people that stopped by the Barnard Banter booth at the fair had a Betty's Place memory to share.  He shared that he lived a little ways west of Barnard and used to work for the state.  He recounted how the state guys used to argue over who got to drive the trucks into Barnard.  If they drove the morning trucks in, they made it a point to stop in for Betty's cinnamon rolls.  If they drove in around lunch time, they got some of Betty's chicken. 

Since I've been involved with the Barnard community, many have told me how legendary Betty's Place was.  You can still find some reviews from national publications online.  Betty's Place has been closed for a while, but it made quite an impression on people.

Lincoln County Fair BBQ Competition

A team of four made up of Trint Hall, Scott Rathbun, Michael O'Hare, and John Kollhoff took First Place at the Lincoln County Fair BBQ competition. Be sure to catch Trint's and Scott's car (DV8) in the demo derby tonight.

Lincoln County Fair

Today was a great day at the fair.  People shared some great memories of Barnard.  Several commented how inventive it was to promote Barnard on the Internet with the Barnard Banter.  Some were familiar with the Banter and commented how they enjoyed it, but there were many people who did not know about it, but were excited to find out about it.  People shared memories of Betty's Place, Hart's Grocery, and other places around Barnard.  Many people said that they hadn't been to Barnard in years but wanted to go give the new cafe a try.  All in all, a good day.

Speaking of Hart's Grocery...

The windows from the store were in storage until recently.  When removed from storage, the painted signs on the windows were cut from the main bodies of glass.  Those painted window signs will become part of a display of Barnard history that will be built in the south windows of the old hardware store in the next couple of months.

Scott Rathbun and Trint Hall at the Lincoln County Fair Demolition Derby

Scott Rathbun and Trint Hall have been busy building their derby car in the old Blair factory in Barnard. The two plan to enter into the demo derby at the Lincoln County Fair on Saturday, July 28.  Trint will be the driver.  Their car is DV8.

Barnard August Music Jam

Don't forget... On Saturday, August 4, the Barnard Music Jam and Card Party will be held in the Barnard Community Center. The jam will be at 2 p.m. and cards will start at 7 p.m. Pitch is usually the game played but if there are enough that show up, you can probably find others willing to play something else. There isn't an admission charge though Marilyn would appreciate chipping in a few dollars to cover the building rental for this community event. Hope to see you there!

RAIN!!!

It has been a while since we have seen this view from the window...wet pavement.  At 7:35 pm, I checked the weather and it was 78.4 F and we had .18 inches of rain.

Click the "Barnard Weather" link under "Information to Share" in the upper right of the page to get current Barnard weather forecasts and conditions.

The Barnard Banter Goes to the Lincoln County Fair

The Barnard Banter will have a booth at the Lincoln County Fair in Sylvan Grove this week.  Come by and say hello.

Barnard Post Office Receives New Officer In Charge

Megan Houghton is now the Officer In Charge at the Barnard post office.  Today was her first day in this position since the retirement of the previous postmaster.  We wish Megan the best in her new position.

John Deere Mower Blades for Sale

Part number:  B1JD1047

These run about $21-$28 new in stores.

There are several new ones available with a price of $15 and a couple of slightly used ones for $10.

If interested, call Marilyn Switzer at 785-643-8631

Barnard City Council Agenda and Financial Reports July 2, 2012

Barnard City Council Minutes for June 4, 2012

Wanted...Old Ragged Bed Sheets

Marilyn Switzer would like your old ragged bed sheets.  They can be any color or any size.  Give her a call at 785-643-8631.

Card Party Saturday, July 21, 2012

Marilyn Switzer will be hosting a card-playing party at the Barnard Community Center on Saturday, July 21st at 7 p.m.  Bring finger foods if you like and be prepared to have a good time!

Coyote Warning

Coyotes have been spotted in town recently.  They are coming in and eating fallen fruit in order to get liquids.  Monty Fuller had to run one out of his back yard several times on Tuesday night.  Monty's house is not on the edge of town; it is one block off Main Street.  If you have cats or small dogs, it is probably wise not to leave them out overnight.

Kenny Wallace CD for Sale on iTunes

Kenny Wallace, a member of one of Barnard's oldest families, has a CD for sale on iTunes.  All songs are written by Kenny.  The full album is available for download for $9.99 or individual songs are available for 99 cents.

The song tracks are:
1. Cotton Shirts
2. Endless Road
3. Go Out Honky Tonkin'
4. I Think of You
5. Smile on My Face
6. The Mountain Song
7. No Ring No Strings
8. She's Walkin' Away
9. I've Known Love
10. The Drinkin' Song
11. Love of My Heart
12. Remember Me

Kenny Wallace is a featured artist at the monthly Barnard Jams at the Community Building in Barnard.

Salt Creek Cafe Displays Metal Art

Cathy Brockway (left) of the Salt Creek Cafe in Barnard proudly displays a farm scene designed by her son-in-law, Jake Cline of Minneapolis.  Cline used a computer-guided plasma cutter to create the scene.



Photo and caption submitted by a reader.