Heave-Ho!

The Midwest is well known for its fairs and festivals and one of the most interesting aspects of our Midwestern sightseeing this summer has been the people watching. For instance I have always understood tug-of-war to be a game of skill and effort that usually died out with the last high school field day. I had no idea that in some parts of the country tug-of-war is a league sport with teams and hardcore coaches.

My daughter, husband, in-laws and I were riveted for about an hour by the motley group of men (and even the occasional female) who competed. The teams usually wore matching uniforms often emblazoned with their Union and team name and special boots that appeared to be hockey skates made especially with a reinforced sole exclusively for tug-of-war. I was amazed to note that some had traveled from 5 hours away just to compete. The yellow team, the clear dominator, had a set of lumber jack/Neanderthal throwback twins who caused a shudder of fear and a sigh of resignation in each of their opponent teams.

What an odd world we live in! I take great comfort in all of this weirdness. There is an unlimited font of experiences from which to drink. Sometimes it is fun to be an anthropologist and just watch people. I realize that people watching can take on a tone of condescension, but if it is done with a joyful heart, I have found that it can restore some of the wonder of childhood.

I think it is interesting to see people who grew up playing bocchi ball in the backyard, or twirled their batons in all of the games and parades--I didn't know that people still twirled batons. Whether it is roping a steer in the south, or canning blueberries in Maine, there are a lot of interesting cultures swirling around if only the time is taken to watch.