I love a parade

Yes, your old columnist loves a parade, and our neighbor Culbertson has the best! For years I have driven my Model T and observed the crowd from the inside, but this year Grannie Annie and I elected to watch from the sidelines along with our five great-grandsons and their parents.

We, the elderly, sat in chairs, but the boys chose the curb. The two-year-old twins quickly learned to pick up the candy thrown their way by the parade units. Their older brothers ensured that they brought their loot back and placed it into a sack for later. Well, once in a while, they slipped a special piece to their old grandpa. So much fun to watch! Then, toward the end of the parade, the Fire Department came by, spraying the crowd generously with their fire hoses. “Wet! Wet!” exclaimed Ezra. Not so much fun for him, but we old grandparents rather enjoyed it.

Yes, the people on the parade units at Culbertson can throw candy and other special favors to kids and people along the route. Evidently, those more rural kids have enough sense not to get run over, unlike the McCook kids, where throwing candy to the spectators along the way is strictly prohibited. I also noted an abundance of unlicensed four-wheelers running around the streets, many driven by young kids too young to have a driver’s license. All seemed to be having a good time and enjoying the freedom. Actually, my understanding is that the only place where golf carts and such are restricted is along Highway 17, and then only if a highway patrolman catches them.

That brings me to the McCook City Council, which is presently considering allowing unlicensed golf carts and other such private vehicles to use the city streets. Great concern! Maybe “we” should require that those handy units have headlights, turn signals, safety belts, and only be driven by licensed drivers? After all, the City would be liable if someone has an accident, so “we” have to make rules to protect them. After all, the City might get sued and have to pay your tax money for an accident. Hogwash! Let them go and enjoy the ride. Handy, too, and make people responsible for their own mistakes.

Recently, this old guy has been involved in a pretty horrific accident where I drove into the side of a semi-trailer that had run a red light at one of our more difficult-to-see intersections. No changes to the intersection, and I didn’t even consider suing the City. More recently, I was involved in a minor fender bender where, at another rather blind intersection, I missed seeing an oncoming car due to blinding obstructions one way and a bushy tree the other way that obstructed my view of oncoming traffic. My fault when the lady ran into my left front wheel, causing minor but expensive damage. I wrote up a summary of the obstructions to traffic and delivered it to the street department. We’ll see if improvements get made. Still, I suspect that a judge would have no sympathy for me if I attempted to sue the City and have them pay for fixing up my automobile. What is the difference between my situation and what the City is considering with unlicensed vehicles roaming the streets at will? Maybe some bureaucrats just love being in control?

As many of my dear readers know, your columnist has been a long-time pilot and true aviation aficionado. If it flies, I love it. It has saddened me of late to go out to our once dynamic McCook Airport. The parking ramp used to host many private airplanes coming and going. Most needed a few gallons of fuel on their way to wherever they were going. Many came to do business in town, like farmers in a hurry to get machinery parts, for example. Not so anymore. Most times the ramp sits empty except for our FedEx and UPS carriers. The feeder airline Denver Air is prompt about keeping their scheduled times. Sadly, it is mostly quiet.

Sunday afternoons used to be a happy time with many local pilots out enjoying flying or just stopping in to visit our nice airport. Not anymore. Sunday traffic is especially dead. Perhaps it is due to a practice initiated by our current FBO (Fixed Base Operator), which demands a $100 call-out fee on Sundays. Imagine going to your local filling station to get gas for your car and having to pay $100 before even pumping a gallon! For a corporate jet that might buy a thousand gallons at $5.20 a gallon, it’s not too bad a difference, but for a plane like mine that only holds 23 gallons maximum, I’m not doing it. Small wonder our traffic numbers have suffered compared to years past when we were known as a friendly airport.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail