WESTWARD
HO! HO! HO!

by Betty Bryant

Being a cowboy is sure fun, even for this pre-schooler.

Anybody can have a Western style, overnight camp-out in a camp ground, or in a forest preserve, or on a stretch of prairie, or in a field . . . or even on a beach. But how many people have tried to hold one in their friendly, neighborhood park? The PARK RIDGE PARK DISTRICT for one, and it was a rip roaring success!

Eyebrows shot higher than the "Strawberry Roan" when the idea was first presented to the staff, but they pulled it off . . . complete with tents, camp fire, ponys, medicine show, chuck wagon, roasting steer and raiding Indians.

Newspaper stories, flyers and spot announcements on a community minded radio show advertised the event and reservations were taken for twenty-seven tents and sixteen campers. On the first morning, people in Western attire began arriving around ten A.M. and by noon everyone was set up and ready for fun and games.

Groups of people sat on lawn chairs, camp stools or blankets in the grass. Guitars, accordians and banjos materialized and voices could be heard harmonizing and laughing from one end of camp to the other.

Lemonade, coffee, hot dogs, potato chips and watermelon was sold from a "Chuck Wagon" made of two empty cable spools, boarded together and covered with a hooped frame of yellow "canvas." The Rotary Club had a beef hindquarter roasting on a spit which they served with baked potatoes, Sage Brush Salad and Bunk House Beans. Scraps of old, weathered wood, effectively "branded" with brown spray paint, were used as signs to identify the CHUCKWAGON, "TRAIL BOSS'S TENT," "STEER ROAST" and "THE O.K. CORRAL" where three rented ponys carried young cowboys and girls around from 1:00 to 3:00.

Organized games were interspersed throughout the afternoon ... a Tug-of-war . . . Three-legged Sack Races and a wild balloon game titled CUSTER'S LAST STAND.

At four o'clock, judging of costumes was held. There were prizes for the oldest cowboy/girl, the youngest cowboy/girl, the most Western looking family, the most authentic outfit, the most novel outfit, etc. Prizes ranged from a free pony ride ticket to a family season Pool pass.

Immediately following the judging, the instructors for the PARK DISTRICT'S "Square Dancing" Class presented two squares of dancers who sashayed around on the grass and finally invited everyone to join in.

The highlight of the evenings entertainment was the arrival of Dr. Cutaquick and his Medicine Show. A sudden downpour drove the good Doctor inside the field house but, while it may have diluted his product, it failed to dampen his spirits. The campers followed him in and squatted on the floor to watch his performance.

After telling of the curative powers of his liquid panacea, he introduced Princess Red Wing (a student in the PARK DISTRICT'S "interpretive Dance" class) who gave an exhibition of Indian dancing. Then he made his one and only sale to a member of the PARK DISTRICT'S DRAMA GROUP. A woman in a grey wig and sporting a cane, made her way painfully to his side, bought

Illinois Parks and Recreation 4 September/October, 1974

a bottle, drank it and "tap danced" her way out into the night.

Puppets sang of the WIDE OPEN SPACES, two young ladies performed a Clog Dance from THE SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK and four young dancing girls on their way to the "Red Dog Saloon" demonstrated the CAKEWALK. A gentleman from the PARK RIDGE PLAYERS, accompanied by an accordian player, led the group in a community sing.

By then the rain had subsided enough to light the camp fire and people returned to their tents, just in time for . . . INDIANS!!!!! Twelve young bucks in feathers, fringe and warpaint tore through camp and around the fire to the delight of squealing children who crouched in the protective shadows of the tents.

After the raid, before bedding down, everyone was served coffee, hot chocolate and cookies. New found friends chatted, inspired by the feeling of camp comradery, but slowly the fire died down and people began crawling into their bed rolls.

A die hard cowboy gently strummed a guitar and somewhere a mock-wolf howled. By ten o'clock, the camp/park was quiet . . . except for the soft voice of a woman in one of the tents, crooning to her over tired child. The rain beat softly on the canvas and soon, even her voice was stilled.

"Wow that steer roast sure looks good enough to eat," said a Park Ridge youngster.

In the morning, hungry campers were at the kitchen door by 6:30, ready for the PANCAKE BREAKFAST. By eight, well over 150 people had been served pancakes and sausage, orange juice and coffee and by noon the tents had been folded and the last trailer was being hitched to the car.

As the man climbed in beheind the wheel, his wife, with a baby straddling one hip bone, jumped out the other side. Calling to her husband to wait, she marched, scowling, across the grass towards a rather startled recreation supervisor. She planted her 120 pounds firmly before him, shifted the baby and wagged her finger in his face . . .

"If you people don't do this again next year," she said . . . "you'd better have a darned good excuse!"

Illinois Parks and Recreation 5 September/October, 1974