The Skinny Tie Report: The Skinny

Welcome to Gravette y'all, please sit for a spell whiles we show 'ya how special our little piece of God's country really is. (colorful townsfolk and twisty Ozark language free of charge).
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EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE
The highlight of Gravette Day is of course the parade down Main Street. It obviously has a starting point somewheres else but those in the k-n-o-w watch from their coveted stoop on Main Street. Oddly, no parade/audience control, no taping, ropes or stanchions....Shangri-la!!!
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The Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie of Gravette, Arkansas show off the latest in designer candy bags. That's hot. Literally, it was 98 degrees.

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I WANT CANDY!!!!!

If the highlight of Gravette Day is the parade, the free candy is its neon peacock feathers. The great equalizer is either getting a bag full of Cinnamon and Butterscotch discs or a fist full of Blow Pops.

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The BSOA take to the street roughing up anyone who doesn't stand for the pledge. Those without kerchiefs are also on notice.
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If you thought pageant queens only existed in Little Rock or Dallas....

(I've seen drag queens with smaller crowns)
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Ladies and Gentlemen.....Miss Beef.

Yes, Miss Beef. Also, riding on the hood of a truck.
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Nothing too special here. Just some kids who got into the parade by accident. John Deere is a common form of transportation into town.
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Class of '91...WHOOOoooo!!!...Hooo???

This was my class float that absolutely no one knew about. Well, except for these kids. Luckily they didn't see me standing over by my mom and dad's office. Being seen on this float would have definitely put me in a locker later.
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The beginning of the end.

Everyone knows that the horses signal the end segment of the parade. It's like the moralistic Springer speech at the end of the parade...you just know it's coming. And then it's over.
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Not candy. But on the same playing field.
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The fairest of them all.

My niece Kentley and her dad walking their horse Pokey Jack in the Gravette Day parade. Kentley actually won "Best Horse and Rider" later that afternoon during the award ceremony in the park!!!
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The entry gates of Gravette's Field Kindley park. Beyond these gates deep fried nirvana awaits. And if Kurt Cobain was still alive and visiting Gravette, the same would still be true. EVERYONE goes to the park after the parade.
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They may be death traps but Gravette Day is only once a year people!! I SO wanted to ride the kiddie Octopus (not pictured here).
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Foot Long Corndogs....and no line?????? WTF!!!
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This suddenly made MY "Here for the Party" shirt lamely ironic. But at least I still had my cut-off shorts and spandex.
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Homegrown watermelon.
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This is the best damn lemonade you will ever have. EVER!!! What you see here will be mixed with sugar and the best Gravette tap water a garden hose can provide.
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This plane was installed and dedicated on my mom and dad's wedding day 40 years ago. Commemorating WW1 war hero Field Kindley, a Gravette native, and namesake of a thousand schools across the midwest. You haven't had your right of passage unless you've gotten burnt trying to climb up on one of its wings in the middle of the summer.

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GRAB BAGS!!!!!!

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As all the cool kids know, $2 grab bags from Austin Drug are where it's at!!! Okay, maybe not ALL the cool kids know but they should. These puppies are chock full of, well....you'll see. But they are chock full anyway and for $2, a plain paper bag full of mystery junk is about as cool as it gets!
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