About Town by Joyce Coulson

​There was so much to do on Saturday at Crazy Days this year that even two Virgos with a spreadsheet couldn’t get to everything…but we tried! Our first stop, after we checked in at the LGMSD office for any new developments, was to head over to Merlyn’s Over-the-Top breakfast.  One has to keep one’s strength up for the day ahead!  Omelets, with a handpicked choice of fillings, were the order of the day, which where stylishly prepared in front of you.  Utterly delightful, generously portioned, and reasonably priced.
 
Properly fueled for our endeavors, we cruised around Depot Street to take in the various vendors and their unique offerings. Top of our list was Two Country Design out of Seattle, with colorful and beautifully-made baskets and other items from sub-Saharan Africa.  There were lots of lovely jewelry offerings and even a bookseller (Yuri’s Books).  Rising Tide Soulpothecary, home of small-batch soy candles and wild and regionally-sourced botanical remedies, was a delightful stop.  

We made note that Becky’s Burgers was there for a lunch stop and carried on up Adams Avenue to Farmer’s Market, which had a Kid’s Market just for Crazy Days.  My sister purchased a chocolate brownie from an earnest young sales lady and we carried on, checking out the sidewalk chalk art, the sales, and the entries in the window decorating contest.  Rosewood Cottage had some fantastic Fiesta Ware on sale and we popped into Fitzgerald Flowers to check out the socks.  Community Kindness hosted footie soccer training and a British photo booth.
 
The Timber Cruisers had cars lined up in rows on Adams, which made easy to view all of the incredible vehicles spanning motoring history from the Model T era to now.  It was a journey through our childhood and teenage years for my sister and me, including the 1956 and 1957 Chevy Bel-Airs that everyone in our hometown seemed to have, the 1966 Impala from driver’s ed. in high school, and the early iterations of the Corvette that were the epitome of cool.

​And OMG, the windows!  Our merchants and professional services really went all out for LGMSD’s Window Decorating Contest with gorgeous art, whimsical designs, and incredible creativity.  The winner was Lush Boutique and Salon with Red Cross Drug Store coming in second and Adams Avenue Barber Shop placing third.  A special shout out to Connected Professional Accountants, who made the best use of an entry door to a second floor office with an inspired and resourceful design. 
 
Along the way, we checked out the demonstration by Copperhead Jiu Jitsu and watched a bit of the cornhole competition hosted by Tap That! Growlers.  I’ve always been impressed with skills that involve coordination and depth perception, since I have neither.  Throughout all of our meanderings, there was music provided by Direct Music Source, Peter Wordelman and Justin Gardner, capped off by Phillips Bluegrass Band, throughout the afternoon. 

​There were a lot of things we missed—the So You Can Dance event, the Fly Fishing Casting Competition, the Paper Airplane Contest, the Pie Baking Contest, and the Shower Tower, to name just a few.  The Shower Tower was a little late getting to Crazy Days because the La Grande Fire Department had to fight two fires, but the young people I talked to later really enjoyed it. Also, to my regret, I just didn’t have the legs to go down to Birddog Glass, but I am told that it was a lot of fun.
 

​There was so much to do that we just ran out of time.  Everyone I have spoken with since gave this Crazy Days rave reviews.  A standing ovation to the Crazy Days subcommittee and our Executive Director, Monica McLaughlin, for putting on a Crazy Days like no other that I have seen in my almost 20 years of residence in La Grande!