Hello Larryville from a Lawrence-phile

[eowyn_of_rohan]

Had the good fortune to spend a week in your great city last month. What a dynamic, vibrant community !! Knowing your progressive nature, I've been thinking of you since election day, as you look so lonely--a little blue dot in a sea of red . Everyone ok there? A fan from Madison, WI

[Mabus]

1. Everything's fine here

We did really well on the local level with several Dems unseating some Republican office holders.

It's great to know someone thinks we're progressive. There's a group, from all parts of Kansas, that is putting together a Democratic Progressive Caucus. Here in Lawrence, the Dean-Clark-Kucinich branch of the party is holding together and planning a series of events. We just keep plugging away and try to help spread the love to other parts of the state.

You should check out the local forums. http://www.lawrence.com/forum/community_forum is the one the local paper sponsors. Larryville community forum is the other. It is located at http://larryville.com/forum/

larryville is a lot more civil than the paper's forum. the paper's forum is pretty much controlled by a few people who seem to post constantly day in and day out. Stop by either and keep up on what's happening.


I'm curious. Which of our restaurants did you eat at? Did you stay with friends or a motel?

[eowyn_of_rohan]

2. Lawrence visit

Glad to hear from you. We actually were traveling in a motor home, and stayed at Clinton Lake. Weather was very nice (cicadas were loud though!) HAd a wonderful meal at the Eldridge Hotel restaurant, also Free State Brewery, a barbecue place, a couple nice bakery/delis downtown, and several GREAT coffee houses and pubs. Sorry I can't think of the names...

I was doing some work on campus, which is really a beautiful one. People told us about the resistance to expanded development on the historic east side, and the overdevelopment and commercialism on the west side (which we saw). I sure hope you can keep "them" from infiltrating too much and destroying the character of the city. That is what has happened here. My ancestors were original settlers in Lawrence, and one died in Quantrill's raid. Will quit writing now or I wont be able to stop.

[Mabus]

3. Way too cool

Yes, the cicadas can be deafening around here.

Sounds like you may have gotten to sample the Vermont Street Bar-be-que on Massachusetts Street (they moved a block over earlier this year). Free State beer is about the only I drink I don't drink much. We had some friends over the other night and one of them brought a jug of FS beer. Oh man, that is one beer I will drink.

My family also arrived early on. Part of the Massachusetts Emigration Society. My great-great grandmother was born shortly after her parents arrived here so my roots are long in this community as well. I love to hear about other people who love this city as much as I do. So never stop typing.

We've kept up the fight and continue fighting. Last year we got a super majority on the city commission and they have appointed a lot of good people to the planning and other boards. Other than getting our own people in we're working on "recruiting" others. For example, I was involved with Friends of the Kaw and we reached out to sportsman groups. It has benefitted everyone. They understand that we aren't trying to stop their activities (mostly fishing) but what we really one is clean water, keeping native populations up and providing/maintaining green areas for recreational purposes of everyone. Sometimes this process takes a lot of work and there is mutual mistrust at first. But hey, we keep plugging away. We've got some Franklin County (Ottawa) farmers who no longer look at us as NIMBY tree huggers. So, all the small victories lead to better support from the "opposition" in the bigger ones.

And, I might add, we are one of the two blue spots in Kansas (the other is Wyandot County).

My beloved Jayhawks are playing or I'd type forever.

Let me know the next time you swoop through the area and we can try to meet up.

On edit: You probably hit (coffee houses) Henry's on 8th, La Prima Tazza (next to Free State Brewery), and my favorite Java Break. Those places, as you know, are just a sampling of life in Larryville. OUr oasis in Kansas.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

4. Rock Chalk!

I have only read about the legendary cheer, and I long to hear it done! If you know of a KU game that is going to be on tv (I heard the cheer is often done at the basketball games?), please let me know! ... Hope the Jayhawks did well yesterday!

I think you are right about Vermont St BBQ, and Henry's too! My favorite all purpose coffee shop was on about 8th or 9th St., within a block east of Mass. St. It was sort of like an old, comfy living room, with writer and scholar types ... and I also enjoyed sitting outside the Bourgeoise Pig one evening!

I am glad to hear you are making good progress with environmental issues, and winning the farmers over--THAT is an accomplishment to be proud of!

I can't right now, but will send you a private message so we can talk about our ancestors!

[Mabus]

5. So, you want to hear the chant

Before the chant though, it is traditional to sing the "Crimson and Blue" (alma mater song). I found a link to the words and music (audio) but not the two together. (http://www.ur.ku.edu/KU/Traditions/songs.html) After the "Crimson and Blue" is sung we go directly to the chant.

Here are links concerning the Rock Chalk chant. The first is from the athletic history page http://kuathletics.collegesports.com/trads/kan-rock-chalk-chant.html and the chant itself http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/kan/multimedia/rock-chalk-chant.mp3 there's nothing quite like hearing it ring from the rafters in Allen Fieldhouse before a basketball game. You can also hear it at the end of KU basketball games as the clock winds down and we're ahead. If it is a home game the song rings out. If it is an away game you can still generally hear it. There are proud Jayhawks everywhere and they do come to games.

On the first link you'll find another KU classic, one which I sang drunkenly through the first few semesters at Big Mo's bar on Massachusetts is "I'm a Jayhawk" in 1979 and 1980. As you might be able to tell, I'm a Jayhawk through and through. It's one of the qualities that my husband finds endearing. When we moved in together his eyes about bugged out of his head when he realized the big box of VCR tapes were mostly old KU football and basketball games. What can I say, I was indoctrinated at an early age.

You're best beat to see games is ESPN Monday night games. We've got one coming up on Nov. 29th at 8 p.m. central against Nevada. They're playing it in Allen FH. You can find their complete schedule at http://kuathletics.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/kan-m-baskbl-sched.html

Yeah, Henry's is a great place to hang out. I've meet a lot of great people there.

Most of the time it is converting/reaching out to one person at a time. It's time consuming but well worth it.

I look forward to hearing from you. I hope you enjoy the links.

[justinsb]

6. I used to be from Lawrence

I was actually born in Topeka, but Lawrence is where I left from to come to Canada. I used to go to Henry's pretty frequently.

[Telly Savalas]

7. ditto

[Fitz_G]

8. The Alamo

community of Lawrence, Kansas continues to hold. Last year we weathered a shot from the neo's deadliest weapon: a pedophile projectile from the O'Reilly cannon at KU's most distinguished sexuality professor. Tried to kill funding for the school of social welfare over that one, but Dem Gov Sibelius (spelling?) killed the bill. Didn't do too much damage, but it did allow the zealot Senator from Wichita who launched the legislation to claim a (symbolic) victory.
Other than that, developers who come in here to make Lawrence "the next Johnson County" (ritzy republi-ville) get laughed out of town. We could use some help though. It would be nice if the left took more notice of the blight of our non-existent family farmers and overall rural blight in the state. In some towns in western Kansas, Wal-mart is only business now. farmers have been pushed off their lands and hired back on corporate farms as 21st century indentured servants, while major corporations extort tax dollars from our dying towns. I think people here feel left out of the progressive movement. Might not hurt to include them.

Thanks for the concern:hurts:

[daydreamer]

9. Arn't the farmers mostly Republican?

Why do we want to help them if they overwelmingly voted against their own interest and when they hate liberals?

[Mabus]

10. Yes, but a wonderful thing happened

at a Nancy Boyda event last year. A friend of mine and I went to check out Boyda. This was back in November, 2003 at her announce-a-thon. There was food and speakers. My friend and I ended up sitting at a table with an elderly farm couple. They had voted Republican all their life and had become disillusioned with the party. They were trying to convert their family and friends. They had both recently re-registered as Democrats. It gave me hope.

[justinsb]

11. Hate has to stop somewhere

If you won't support them because they won't support you and vice-versa it creates a cycle that will never be broken. Farmers really aren't looking for much. How about a sliding scale where farm subsidies are highest (higher than now) for the first 5000 acres, take a step down for the next 5000 acres, a few more steps down and you get to 0. Start giving higher subsidies to single family farms and take a big fat chunk out of subsidies for the giant farm conglomorates.

[Telly Savalas]

12. Great ideas.

These ag policies may not turn red states blue, but they'd make the GOP have to work harder. Furthermore, if they ever got implemented, they'd be a start towards breathing some life back into rural America.