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,

Like I said...

"The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men."

Near as I could tell,
there were maybe 10 people in town
who knew about this
Monumental Event.

October 30th came
and still no permission.

With the clock still ticking,
the Chief finally got word around Noon.

We could do the fire at Midnight,
but the all night burn was out
and so was the second
ceremony on the 31st.

As last resort,
the Chief said,
I could appeal to the Mayor.

So,
with Proclamation in hand,
I marched over and left it with his secretary.

By now it was 2 pm and
the Fireman who offered wood
stopped by,
but rescinded his offer
since he could not provide wood
for an illegal fire.

By 3:00 pm,
the decision came down
from the mountain top.

One Fire.

So,
From here on out,
it was pretty much
fast and furious.

The Fire Prevention Trailer...

was brought down as a
Command Post.

The Bell,
Flags,
and
Lincoln Highway Wreath
soon followed
as well as
a stop at the local hardware store,
for Tiki Torches.

With the last minute reprieve,
the wood was scheduled for delivery
sometime after 7pm,
but by then it would be too late.

So,
with only 2 hours left till dark,
I arrived on site
armed with only a shovel.

First,
The Fire Pit...

Let's see,
about 5 feet square
that should do it.

Then one of the fellows
stopped by,
so quick grab the picnic table,
then break out the
first aid tape
and tape up the flags.

Whew...that was close!!

But there was still something missing.

The Table need to be jacked up...

and I needed a table cloth.

But,
as luck would have it,
the Union Pacific Yard
just behind
The Golden Spike
provided both.

The rocks,
from an old junk pile
and
the table cloth,
an electric blanket
left by some Hobo
in a small outcropping of trees.

And speaking of trees,
what about the firewood.

What to Do??
What to Do??

Luckily,
there were several
dead trees
near the Hobo Camp,
so after maybe 10 trips
back and forth
got that done.

So,
by 6:30
and some of my best
Boy Scout Tricks...

not to mention
half a gallon of diesel fuel,
everything was ready to go.

Warmest Regards,

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