Untitled 1

Has it been cold enough for you this past week? It was so cold up in Washington D. C. that congressmen and senators had their hands in their own pockets. It was so cold that Al Gore is rethinking this whole "global warming" thing. It was so cold in Atlanta that liquor store robberies decreased but theft of firewood and propane tanks went through the roof. It was so cold that hate groups wore thermal blankets instead of sheets. I can remember January of 1985 when the temperature dropped to zero in Montgomery. I also remember a January in 1977 when the wind chill factor hit 60 below in Asheville, North Carolina. My radio career took me to some marvelous destinations. I went to Oslo, Norway for the winter games of the Olympics in '94 and saw a lot of snow. In February of 1998 I went to the winter games at Nagano, Japan and saw bunch of snow but the most snow I ever saw was in March of 1993 and I was in Marietta. I was the most popular guy in the neighborhood for a few days because I had a Jeep with 4-wheel drive and none of my neighbor's Volvos and BMWs could get to the store. Why is it when the weather people on television predict snow people rush to the grocery store for milk and bread? How is it that schools in Buffalo, Minneapolis, and Cleveland have school the day after a 30 inch snowfall the night before but in Georgia and Alabama a dusting of snow will shut down the school system? My memory of hearing Lee Williams on WWCC in Bremen declaring "no school in Bremen, Tallapoosa and Buchanan" was music to every kids ears. Where did we go play in the snow? Tallapoosa Elementary School on Robertson Avenue. My neighborhood in Marietta has people from Boston, Chicago, New York City, and Des Moines and they laugh out loud at me sanding and salting down my driveway anticipating ice and snow. I keep telling them that Delta is ready when they are. I wonder if Home Depot sells snow blowers? Does the building supply store where classmate Pee Wee Evans works sell me a snow shovel if I need it? My friend Ken Cook of Fox 5 sent me an email saying that temperatures will moderate by July. What a great time we all had at the Possum Drop. Kate and the gang did an excellent job in organizing the event on New Year's Eve. I know that the deal with Buchanan was that the Possum Drop would be an event held every other year. I propose that the Possum Drop be an annual event because of the positive media coverage it had for the city. I was talking to a friend who said why not have a 5 K run and call it the "Possum Trot" on the morning of January 1st of every year. I think the Possum Drop has some buzz going on and we should take advantage of the opportunity to make it even bigger. We should have it in 2010 because of it being our town's 150th birthday. Being crowned Possum King along with Jackie Roberts being named Possum Queen in the waning minutes of 2009 was something we'll never forget. As "monarch of marsupials" I would like to declare this year that the Possum Drop be held again on New Year's Eve on Head Avenue. Bring back the vendors with the five dollar funnel cakes and three dollar corn dogs and ice tea. Bring back Dana and the band made up of doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs. I know my declaration doesn't carry much weight but remember friends it got attention on WSB TV and WSB.com and from other media outlets. It is a way to show everyone that Tallapoosa is a place where everyone is welcome and we know how to have a good time. My daughters have not taken their Possum Trot wool hats off since New Year's Eve. The family feel of the event makes it something the town needs to consider as an annual event. I had a nice conversation with Mayor Pete Bridges on New Year's Day and he agreed that the Possum Trot was a great success and that everyone had a terrific time. What do you all think?