Hey y’all,
I made a new acquaintance in West Plains today.
Quiet fellow. Didn’t interrupt me once.
The Ozarks Heritage Festival kept me in West Plains a little longer than planned, and then there was the three-hour drive home. Tonight’s Along the Way is coming to you in writing. The video will have to wait.
But as you can see, I found time for a little foolishness.
That’s part of what I enjoy about getting out to these festivals. There’s history, imagination, and people who put a considerable amount of work into giving everybody else a good Saturday.
I like being there. I like asking questions. And I like bringing you along to see what I find.
Tomorrow, I’m headed to a jamboree at the lake. Another place to visit, more people to meet, and probably another reason to leave a little extra time for getting home.
Meanwhile, somebody else has been trying to get away for an afternoon.
Next week in Coffman’s Landing
T.C. Redford wants to go fishing.
He isn’t particularly worried about catching anything. A quiet cove, some water around him, and enough room to let a thought finish would suit him fine.
First comes a stop at the Minnow Bucket, where Vern Pruitt runs the place and Rusty knows considerably more about fishing than T.C. does. Then it’s over to Bell’s Marina to take the boat out.
But there’s a telephone call at the bait shop. Two worried fathers on the dock at Coffman Beach Resort. And, a few coves away, two boys whose boating plans have come to a stop.
You’ve heard Mitchell and Dudley’s side of that afternoon. This week, we follow the fellow who brought them home.
By the next morning, Coffman’s Landing has started telling its own version.
Help me bring the next story home
If you enjoy coming Along the Way, I hope you’ll consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Your membership helps cover the miles, the gas, and the time it takes to visit these festivals and jamborees, meet the people there, and bring their stories home to you.
It also helps me keep writing and producing a new Five Minutes in America story every weekday.
As a paid member, you can hear all five of next week’s episodes tonight. Each Saturday, you’ll get the coming week’s complete story before it unfolds one day at a time for everyone else.
If a paid subscription fits your budget, I’d appreciate your support. We’ve got more places to go and plenty of people left to meet.
Your free weekday episodes begin Monday. I’m glad you’re coming along, however you listen.
What’s a festival, jamboree, or hometown gathering you think I ought to visit? Hit reply and tell me about it.
And if you see the fellow in the picture somewhere, tell him I enjoyed our visit. I did most of the talking, but he seemed agreeable.
Stay free,
Tony
Five Minutes in America is presented by YourPocketConstitution.com. Because every citizen should own the instruction manual.