Maxi Grats on the Cal City Mini

Yo fellow ingesters of Aunt Jemima's finest and swiggers of jug-tested alligator aid.

I, firstly and lastly, wanna thank everyone who helped our club [Park Forest Running & Pancake Club] yesterday make a lasting impression on the citizens and denizens, media and mediums, officials and unofficials, and of course the runners and walkers of Calumet City.

We had a blast, didn't we?

I've received rave reviews and thanks from Prez Cass of the Cal Striders, her predecessor Sue Brown, and lately I see we even scored a "hit" with the local newspaper: Running through Calumet City.

But here's a few "necessary" notes relative to the "Times Correspondent" of the above hyperlinked newspaper piece: I used to work with that guy (Martin Zabell) in an earlier occupation that shall remain nameless. After yesterday's race, he called out to me from the very steps of the Calumet Memorial Park District fieldhouse. I looked out amongst the crowd... and looked... and LOOKED for just who the heck was calling me... and didn't recognize him. Then he yelled again and reintroduced himself. Yowza! The dude had gained some weight!

And STILL he got my quote wrong. What I said was, "This is OLDER than the Chicago Marathon." [Meaning "this race" (the Cal City half-marathon) which just completed its 34th running, making it in fact older than the original Mayor Daley Marathon which started all this local 26.2-mile nonsense back in September of 1977. OK, so who remembers THAT?]

Martin also got Joe Wenckus's name wrong and also (I'm strongly thinking) misquoted my Strider buddy Bill Moylan. (You'll have to read for yourself what Mr. Zabell says Mr. Moylan said. ;-)

And, sure, I'd love to tell you also that my old co-worker got both my age and finishing time wrong as well, but no. I can't say that (no matter how much I'd like to ;)!

For more info on a pretty cool event you just missed--if you weren't in fact there--click on this: Cal City Mini.

And finally, I'd like to personally & publicly thank the following TWELVE (!!!) volunteers for all their help in making our Pancake Club such a special group we can all be proud of, and one that lots of other fine folks are also starting to notice:

• Bill Hare and Teresa
• Debbie and Dave Jones
• Danyel Thompson
• John Kotash
• Uncle Fred Mazurski
• Barb Macikas & her daughter & friend
• Our Bratmaster Dick Macknick
• and of course Beth, my long-suffering bride of (yes) fewer years than either the Chi-Town maxi- or the Cal City mini- (marathons) have been in existence. Hey, let's hear it for YOUTH!!!

Yours forever in the syrup,

Rich ("Uncle Jemima") Limacher

TheTroubadour@mcleodusa.net