Pulled pork in Rockford, unselfies in Greene and a Blockbuster alert

By Chris Baldus, cbaldus@charlescitypress.com

If you were to write the scene in a movie script, it would say something like this: Against a deep blue night sky, stadium lights reflect on yellow goal posts. Rows of corn are silhouettes behind the posts and the visitor’s bleachers. The white gridiron pops out from the deep green field as if electrified.

I love the ambience of the Rockford Warriors football stadium. It’s also the best smelling stadium on Friday nights because of its concession stand, which has really good food.

I got to thinking about that when I saw the note about Friday night basketball games on the school district’s website. The Lions Club will be serving pulled pork starting at 5 p.m. at the Friday games.

Rockford knows how to enjoy its sports.

Kaylee Michael, the Charles City High School senior who will be performing in February at Carnegie Hall in New York, could use your help getting there. An account to help with trip expenses has been set up at First Citizens National Bank.

The North Butler School District is being thanked by Butler County Emergency Management for hosting “Volunteer Emergency Services Night” last week at the Bearcats’ home basketball game against Northwood-Kensett. The Bearcats thanked the volunteers from the Allison and Greene fire departments and emergency medical services, and the Bristow Fire Department for all they did during the tornado and flood response and clean-up in September.

Speaking of the Bearcats, their After-Prom Committee is raffling off a set of North Butler Bean Bag boards with bags. Tickets are $5 apiece or three tickets for $10 through Jan. 13. Contact any North Butler junior or the North Butler Junior/Senior High School office.

Do you know what an unselfie is? In the North Butler School District, unselfies were part of the promotion to get donations for the Salvation Army last Tuesday.

At its core, the unselfie is a way to encourage donations to people and causes that need them the most. The phenomenon began as a campaign to get help for typhoon victims, but has spread to other causes. You post a picture of yourself as you would  in a selfie — taking a picture of yourself with your cell phone — but with your face covered by a sheet of paper with the web address of a cause needing donations. Many notes are just statements of support.

Beating the same old drum

I’ve been trying to figure out how to explain why Charles City needs to hit the accelerator on school district improvements, why we need to spend more money on our schools now.

The short answer is so Charles City has a future.

But that doesn’t seem to be enough to rally people to action, and by action I mean to start talking to each other, to the elected school and city officials, to this newspaper (by which I mean writing letters to the editor).

Don’t think your voice doesn’t matter. It will matter one way or the other. Silence is your vote for the status quo. Our elected officials are unlikely to take action without a push, your push.

So, here is my most recent metaphor: Charles City might be the next Blockbuster Video.

Remember that?

Blockbuster Video was the 900-pound gorilla in the video rental business. The stores were social hubs. Chances are you would meet friends when you went because everyone in town went there Friday and Saturday nights.

Then, Netflix started mailing DVD movies. Then, DVD movie vending machines arrived. Then, movies began streaming on the Internet.

The stores became quieter and quieter as others innovated. Blockbuster was tied to its stores. It could not or would not innovate.

The stores withered. The company died.

I’m not sure how they would know this for certain, but CBS News reported that the last film to be rented at a Blockbuster store was “This Is the End,” at a store in Hawaii, according to an International Business Times report.

Charles City has been an innovative place. When the movie theater was going to close, Charles Citians saved it, made it a volunteer-run venture.

When the 2008 flood ripped through, Charles Citians took hold of the opportunity to make the whitewater course — which is a pretty good fishing hole too.

Charles City’s High School facility needs help. Charles Citians are the only ones who can come to it’s rescue. Push for something — classrooms that are not caves, an auditorium, a joint high school-YMCA facility, something.

Standing pat only leads to a Blockbuster future.

OK, bad joke time

I heard this one from a judge, so don’t judge me.

What did the mama cow say to the baby cow?

It’s pasture bedtime.

Ok, bonus joke. My 10-year-old daughter shared this one

How do you know the ocean is friendly?

It waves.

I still have a little room, so I’ll fill it with a Star Trek joke.

A young man was applying to join Starfleet:

“Where were you born?” asked the recruiting officer.

“Earth, sir.”

“What part?”

“All of me, sir.”

Contact Chris Baldus at cbaldus@charlescitypress.com