Things to do, places to go, people to meet ... oh-so many

Last Saturday, after awakening with the walking dead (Zombies), and spending much of the day tasting what Putnam County has to offer, we capped it off by enjoying an evening of inspired amateur theater.

Granted, most of it came in the name of reporting, but all of it proved everso enjoyable. Probably things I might have done anyway (except maybe for the running with Zombies part) if I hadn't been working.

Yep, quite a jam-packed Saturday for a place that's too often tagged as having "nothing going on."

Understanding what all I was able to enjoy last Saturday, however, is only half the real story.

For while experiencing all that, I regrettably was unable to partake of a number of other last-day-of-summer activities.

Like the annual feast that is the Fillmore Chicken Barbecue (now 54 years and simmering), or dropping in on the Putnam County Museum for its intriguing exhibit on our small towns or even dreaming of a previously planned trip to Bloomington to watch alma mater Mizzou beat up on the Hoosiers. And all that is without even getting into all everything happening on DePauw's campus that day.

Much of the same thing occurred the first Saturday of the month when the ever-popular Airport Appreciation Days, the barbecue cook-off at the fairgrounds and Russellville's Roundup event all commanded attention.

Honestly, little steams me up as much as when someone complains about there being "nothing to do" around here. It's a respect thing.

Remember when it was hip to call Indianapolis "Indy-no-place" back in the 1970s. Well, look at her now, boys, Indy is a destination spot, fresh from a remarkable run as a Super Bowl host and poised to attract more activity than certainly seemed humanly possible 25 or so years ago.

Don't you just love it when the woefully uninformed let their tongues get in the way of the facts? Have to shake my head every time I still hear someone grousing about how the Colts "let Peyton Manning go." Do we really have to explain that whole scenario again? Do you really not remember he was hurt, missed an entire season and faced the possibility of never playing again?

The misguided notion that there's nothing to do around here has persisted so long you'd think borne of the Internet and proliferated by Facebook fanatics.

That whine has had such staying power that the bottle's covered in an inch of dust and your cheese of choice would have to be limburger.

Let me assure you, there is plenty to do around here.

Take this weekend for example.

Once again there are about a half-dozen places I want to go or need to go to for my job on Saturday alone. (Plus two homecomings on Friday and the Indianapolis Symphony in town on Sunday).

The inaugural Robe-Ann Park Chili Cook-off is set for the afternoon. As is the Fashion Swap at Greencastle Christian Church, where I'm not so much interested in digging through duds from Vera Wang or Victoria's Secret (can't believe I just said that) as I am hearing Becky and Troy Greenlee share their amazing story. Meanwhile, at the same time across town, the Greencastle McDonald's will host Ronald McDonald, which figures to induce some cute Kodak moments.

Then Saturday evening, politicians and ghouls will vie for our attention.

Putnam County Republicans will have their annual hog roast and pie auction at the fairgrounds at 5 p.m., while Sammy Terry brings his creaky coffin and ghostly goings-on to town for a free program at Robe-Ann Park. The rock band Redzilla plays for 45 minutes starting about 6:15 or 6:30, followed by Sammy Terry's "Rock and Roll Nightmare" program for an hour.

All of this reminds me of the time someone complained to me about "nothing to do for the kids" in town. Made the old blood pressure rise faster than a trek up a Turkey Run trail.

That was the summer my daughters kept me running in circles so crazily I thought I'd wandered into one of those plate-spinning acts Ed Sullivan used to deliver on long-ago Sunday evenings. Cue up "The Sabre Dance" and more than my head is spinning.

But nothing to do? Bah, humbug. Follow us around ... or try.

Yea, nothing to do but run from place to place, trooping from summer swim practice to summer reading club at the library to children's workshop at the Putnam County Playhouse to teaching swim lessons at the city pool before returning to McAnally for a summer swim meet that evening, followed by a fast-food pitstop.

Of course, activity like that requires earnest engagement from parents for kids to have access to any or all of those activities. And sadly, it is so much easier to let them just lay around the house, absorbed in mindless TV or video games or messing around on the computer.

Wouldn't mind lolling around like that myself this weekend but I have clowns, ghouls, rockers, bargain hunters and politicians to keep me hopping.

So, we'll see you somewhere.

Just don't tell me there's nothing to do or I'll have Sammy Terry stuff you in his coffin. That would be something to do.