December 20th…“WHAT CHRISTMAS EVENT, IN YOUR TOWN, WAS A FUN ONE FOR PARENTS?”
Every Saturday at 9 PM, the town fire siren would blow for “Lucky Bucks”.
POEM – “Lucky Bucks In The Christmas Snow” by N. Elliott Noorlun
With our world covered in a blanket of snow, a trip to town was the place to go.
For Lucky Bucks, In the Christmas snow,
Our dear hometown, Was the place to go.
For Saturday fun, To fill your quota,
T’was found in Kiester, Minnesota.
At 9 PM, on Saturdays, you could step into any store that you were near at the moment. By the way…..notice the Christmas bells in Jim Hanson’s windows? 😉
The merchants in, Our humble village,
Had ideas, While Winter’s tillage,
Saw farming land, ‘Neath blanket of snow,
So town was the logical, Place to go.
Old and young enjoyed Christmas shopping in our village of Kiester.
The family could do, Some Christmas shoppings,
In hopes they’d win, Some dollar green “toppings”.
Even though our town was small, we had some grand Christmas lights on our streets….similar to these.
In evening round, The time of Nine,
Jovial holiday, Lights did shine,
From lampposts on, The festive street,
Where friends and family, There did meet.
The loud, wailing fire siren, in our town, was used to tell everyone that it was 9 PM and time to step into a store for “Lucky Bucks”.
A fire siren, On top of tower,
Told us all, The “drawing” hour,
Had come for us, To find a store,
And see who’d won, Fifty dollars or more!!
Flogstad’s Bakery was one of the many stores Elliott’s parents could step into at 9 PM to see if they’d won the “Lucky Bucks” for that week!!
Stepping inside, A business close,
The crowd went opposite, Of verbose.
Each merchant announced, The lucky farmer,
Whose name had been picked, To be the charmer.
“Ohhh shucks!!!, guess I should have been in Kiester last Saturday night!” 😉
If that weekly winner, Was not present,
He must’ve felt, Like lowly peasant,
Cause fifty more “buckohs”, Went into the pot,
And after some weeks, It grew to a LOT!!
It all made the season, Much more exciting,
To see winning smiles, Under Christmas lighting!! 😉
There at least nine businesses in this painting of the Main Street of Elliott’s hometown. Parents could step into any store at 9 PM, each Saturday night, to hear if they won the Lucky Bucks! I will always LOVE my childhood hometown!! 🙂
I may be only one oat seed in a field of millions, yet I have a story to share of beginnings on our beloved farm in southern Minnesota and beyond to life as I've seen it to this point. Famous? No. Gifted? Unlikely. Yet, I want to leave a legacy to my children and grandchildren of who this gentle Norwegian man was. My happy times, sad times, successes and failures. Someday, those who are tiny now, will have this volume to come to and get to know this Norwegian Farmer's Son.
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Norwegian Farmer's Son 