Hats Off To Our Animals

The past few weeks have given us a chance to talk about the human side of the century-old tradition we now call Waits- burg Celebration Days.

Of course, I would be remiss to pass up one more opportunity to praise every- one who made the centennial a success, from Mayor Walt Gobel and Mrs. Mayor Gwen Gobel to Karen Mohney, who spearheaded Sunday's very enjoyable family day at the fairgrounds.

There are many others to thank, but the list is simply too long. It's probably hard to find Waitsburgers who were not somehow involved in keeping this town's fine third May weekend tradition alive.

But enough about our two-legged volunteers and celebrants for a moment. How about the unsung heroes of our spring weekend: our animals?

Of course we have to start with horses, for that's how it all began. Of the 50 some entries in the Main Street parade, possibly the longest in history, many included horses.

Harking back to the early, early days when Main Street was still unpaved and filled with horses and riders like the 1909 horse show we featured on last week's front page, the pageant of mounts seemed endless.

From ponies to mustangs and everything in between, horses were central to the opening display of Waits- burg's proud riding and rac- ing history. They were on display again on Saturday afternoon when those willing ranch horses and their owners made a bid to be the fastest in the first non-betting con- test of the new annual event (which is not to say the barn door is permanently shut on the return of its pari-mutuel counterpart).

And on Sunday, the Waits- burg court walked and gal- loped their steeds past the grand stand, led by Queen Emily Adams bearing the Stars & Stripes.

But there were many other critters who patiently partook in the festivities. There we the goats who let organizers tie ribbons around their tails to be gleefully retrieved by the youngsters who chased them around the grandstand corral.

And what about those sheep who did everything to resist being clad in panty hose by the teams that scrambled after them in a cloud of dust and mayhem before adorning them with a lei of fake blue flowers?

Did I mention those tireless border collies who showed off sheep-herding skills in the Time and Point trials in the infield? Of course, animals being what they are, not all of them signed off on our agenda.

Many a Celebration vol- unteer was called upon to chase errant sheep who escaped the fairgrounds during the trials and took off down the highway before spread- ing across creation. It took some rescuers hours to get them back.

The bleating, naying and general beastly ruckus in town must have piqued the interest of some critters in the wild. One Main Street resident had her home invaded during the weekend by a curious and hungry raccoon who found his way into the kitchen by sneaking through the dog door.

This time of year, you nev- er know when and how you'll come across the animals who surround us. A farm family on Whoop Em Up Hollow road reported the sighting of a red fox mother and her six kits whom they saw playing near a culvert in the corner of a wheat field.

Our life here is rich because of animals whose territory and lives we share. Some of my favorite stories to write or edit for the Times were those that involved animals, like the owls who squatted in the Loundagin Building during construction or Dian McClurg's tale of the goose who chased the school bus on the outskirts of Dayton.

I still marvel at the way they surround us. A simple evening walk near the end of Main Street near the Touchet River bridge and I can get lost watching the swallows flit against the sun setting behind the grain silo.

City dwellers may have their pets and urban birds, but we here have farm animals and our wilder friends who put up with our strange ways. They're our way of life and that's something to celebrate.