Donkey Basketball 1979

In 1979 Indian Creek hosted a donkey basketball night.

That is my Mom, Emmalea, in the picture above.

I remember the posters in the school that advertised the event the donkey's name my Mom was supposed to ride that night was Rigamortis.

The donkeys were trained to run and stop all of a sudden. Then the donkey would lower it's head and make a slide for the rider to exit the donkey's back.

Pretty fun night for those of us watching.

At half time they had husband and wife teams race to put diapers on the donkeys and a few other things I don't remember.

I do recall that donkey basketball teams had an extra member on the team. The pooper scooper.


I see Joe Parks was announcing the event that night. I also see Mr. Sturgell sitting behind him.

This donkey looks like a possessed calf cow to me. Did they have cows too?

Barger Reunion

We recently had our family reunion with my wife's side of the family.

Elaine's parents hosted the reunion.

Here is a taste of the day.





The Farmers Daughter
The Farmers Daughter Cooks






That is just a sampling of the day. We had fun and plenty of good food.

See ya next year.

Down on the Farm

Chad and I playing in the back of Uncle Georges truck.

I think the name of the dog is Sargent. (I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong.)

Our green station wagon is on the right.
The slide is dated Nov. 1973.

Swimming 1973

My cousin Sherri and I in the middle of the shot.

We are at Longacre Pool again.

Wooden Bridge on 44

Here is that old wooden bridge on 44.

We visited it the week before they tore it down. (1986/87?)

It was a bridge that you either loved or hated.

••••••••••••••

One thing that no one would argue about was that it was dangerous.


You can see that as you were about to cross the bridge you could not see on the other side and it was only a one lane bridge.

So you were supposed to go slowly and yeild the right of way to the driver that was higher up on the bridge.

Sometimes two stubborn drive would meet and would stay there until one driver bullied the other one into backing off the bridge.

My Father law is a farmer and he said it was especially never-racking to take heavy equipment across but heavy equipment often helped win the right of way.


He said one time he was crossing the bridge slowly with a combine when another driver pulled onto the bridge.
He said they sat for a minute while he waited for them to back down.

No one moved.

He had the soy bean head on so he turned on the reel and proceeded to move forward.
They promptly backed down.



It is hard to imagine there was a bridge at this spot at all.

It wasn't for a river or a creek. It was for a train crossing.


Glad my Mother in law wanted to explore it before they tore it down or I wouldn't have these pictures of it today

Photo Booth

My brother Brett, cousin Sherri and me.
I have no when or where it was taken though.

Mom and Dad's 25th Anniversary

For Mom and Dad's 25th Anniversary we went for a retro 60's theme party.

Elaine's family pitched in to help us as we spearheaded the event. (We means Elaine did it)

Elaine borrowed a maternity dress form the 60's from her Aunt Ann.

Elaine's sister, Diane, is wearing a bridesmaid dress from their Mothers wedding.

Elaine's Dad, Gary, is wearing his letter jacket for Mount Auburn high School.


We put some of Mom and Dad's old pictures on to slides and had a slide show narrated by me.
I mostly made fun of them.

My parents 47 anniversary was Monday.

Mine anniversary was Monday too. (We share it!)
Elaine and I have been married 24 years.
I wonder if our kids will do a retro 80's theme party for our 25?

Man time flies.

Mom 1973

Sweet Sixteen

Hoosier hysteria was alive and well in 1982.

It wasn't for the pro or college teams either, it was for high school basketball.

A little school from Trafalgar Indiana had done what hadn't been done since the little Miland team, that had inspired the movie Hoosiers, had done it.
Indian Creek had made it into the sweet sixteen of the State finals.

Hoosiers came out in 1986 but I remember the news media making the comparison to the team back then.

This was when basketball was basketball. Best team won.
No classes. A little school had the same chance as the big schools to win it all.

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Sadly I can't name all the players in the picture now and of the ones I can remember I have no idea how to spell their names. (Ken K.) The back of their warm up shirts are nicknames so that doesn't help either.


I think class basketball has severely hurt basketball in Indiana.
I see empty gym's when I watch the news now.

It wasn't that was then. Packed gym's were expected. Get there early or stand up for the game.
Sectional and regional tickets were fought for. (I am sure I still have mine somewhere)

Sadly we didn't win this game and I don't remember the final score but I remember it being close.

Mom took these pictures and had them mounted.


I found it while cleaning out the garage the other day.

I wonder if the new library would hang it up?
It is Trafalgar history.

Joel's Last First Day

Joel started his senior year today.

Well practice started a few weeks ago and he has already had a scrimmage soccer game but school started today.

He is a team Captain.


They sure grow up in a hurry.

To prove it Elaine sent me this from her phone.

We have a spot on the wall where we mark the kids heights at the beginning and ending of each school year.

Elaine and I 's heights are on the wall too so the kids to compare our heights.

Mine was always the highest mark.

Until today.

Longacre Park 1973

Mom, Aunt Laura, Brett, Chad and cousin Sherri at Longacre Park.

Me and My Mom

1979 in front of the house.
That tree is huge now.

Indianapolis Zoo 1973

My brother Brett and I playing on a playground at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Looks like it was also a waiting area for the train ride.

I remember the playground equipment at the zoo always being melt your skin hot.

Metal slides and things baking in the sun was always good for a burn to an uninitiated kid.
You only got toasted once or twice before you figured out how to slide on your pants only or go down on your shoes. It was always hot enough for rubber soles to slide on metal or you had to use the shuffle slide method.

Looks like Brett and I are looking for a patch of Chad's skin that got stuck to this solar hot plate.

Rookie.

Mushrooms!

Looks like it was a pretty good year for mushrooms in the spring of 1980.

I noticed that I am wearing my "Mr. Bill Show " shirt too.
Oooooh Noooo!