The Lincoln Highway National Museum & Archives 102 Old Lincoln Way West Galion, Ohio 44833 (419) 462-2212 Voice (419) 462-2214 Fax (419) 566-0790 Cell

Dear Friends,

Well,
there was only one thing
you could do.

Play for broke
and hope for the best.

Then it happened...

Instead of rain,
I got Manna from Heaven...

Iowa Governor Vilsack's Office
called and said he would issue a
Lincoln Highway Proclamation.

Ah Ha...
The Silver Bullet!!

The Chief,
said he would
make the case,
so I called the paper,
gave them the heads up
and hopped on the Bus.

Since everything was still
up in the air,
it seem foolish to
haul the Firetruck back
with Los Angeles
still looming on the horizon.

When I arrived on the 28th
the Proclamation had yet to arrive,
so it was still idle speculation
if the Health Dept would relent.

The Chief
greeted me with open arms,
and we moved forward
with the idea
that things would work out.

First on the list,
check out
Golden Spike Park
and other possible sites.

The original site at...

Pearl and Main
was under construction
and didn't make a whole lot of sense.

So it was off to
Door Number 1.

The Golden Spike...

was the most logical,
short of a spot on
The Lincoln Highway,
but would require
digging a fire pit.

Chief said that was cleared
with the Parks Dept
and was a non-issue.

Keeping that in mind...

it was off to
Door Number Two
and the Bluffs.

Great view but,
not the smartest
due to high winds
and under brush.

And finally there was,
Door Number 3...

Abraham Lincoln High School.

While fitting...
short of the 50 yard line,
there really wasn't a
suitable location.

We stopped in just to say Hi...

and met with the principal.

On the way out,
we passed the gift shop
and one thing led to another...

What a handsome gift,
and it's reversible!!

The Statue is a St. Gaudens.

So it was back to
Door Number 1
and the Golden Spike.

With that decided,
Firewood was the only remaining issue.

While the Boy Scouts looked good early on,
with things up in the air
things fell through.

What to Do??
What to Do??

That night on rounds,
I mentioned the dilemma
to one of the fellows
and he said,
"No Problem,
I work for a firewood company
and we'll donate all you need."

Easy enough...
Checking back with the
First Nebraska...

The Canon fell through
but a rifle volley
might still be possible.

So that left only one minor detail,
we still didn't have permission
to build the fire.

I called the Governor's Office
and they sent a fax of...

The Iowa Proclamation.

Unsigned mind you,
but still,
you get the idea.

With the event
just over 24 hours away
we still had no permission
and nothing concrete for the paper.

Which meant...
No story...and no big crowds.

Warmest Regards,

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