Another Trip to the JP or How to Score a Free Murray State Ticket

Had a pleasant Southwest flight to Nashville and picked up my Enterprise Rental.  A brand new Ford Focus.  Nice looking and nice driving style.  Oh 90 mph on I24 was a bit much for its handling and weight in the wind that night, but it handled 75 well.  Only downer on the drive to Kentucky was a federal licensed car tried to slow me down, speed up, pass, and slow down from Cheatam to Clarksville.  Dadgum government always messing with you...stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Hoptown for a light dinner of beans and greens washed down with sweat tea.  Ah, sweet tea the pop of my youth.  I don't drink much sweet tea at home and very rarely drink pop, but when back in the JP I enjoy my sweet tea.  Unless of course the wife is with me.BTW, when did the state police decide to stop enforcing speed limits on  I24?  I am very happy they don't but remain surprised that I never see any troopers.

The purpose of the trip was simply to see how mother and father are doing.  Dad has had a couple of brain injuries and mother is the primary care giver so you don't want too much time to pass without checking in and evaluating the situation. Given it was basketball season I also thought I would go to some local games.  So on Tuesday morning I checked and the Murray State game Saturday was sold out.  SOLD OUT! WOW.  That is just great.  Then I learned my high school was playing in the State A Classic tournament, so I wouldn't see them.  I settled on a Mid Continent University game scheduled on  Thursday night. Mid Continent is the old Mayfield Bible College which is really the old Clinton Bible College founded in 1947.  I actually had forgot it existed until sometime in the 80's when I drove by their new campus in Hickory.  Very nice.  Very nice indeed and the skylight that shoots up to the heavens is a nice touch as well.

So Thursday night rolls around and I time the drive from Concord to Hickory to arrive just at tip off.  When I got there, this is what the gym looked like.

Mid Continent Home Floor

What is going on I wondered.  I wandered around and found out that, Mid Continent normally plays its games at Mayfield High School, but that a roof leak had forced the game to be moved to the Mid Continent campus.  (Have I ever mentioned mother was once the Homecoming Queen at Mayfield High School.  Have a photo of it down the hall.  Lovely photo.)  Anyway, I bet the roof was leaking because it was raining buckets outside.  It was wet, gloomy, and foggy.  It was miserable. How lucky could I be?  If the roof had not leaked I would have missed the game because I would have arrived at the college when the game was being played elsewhere.  Here is the seating available at Mid Continent.

There isn't much seating at MC

So I watched the game or at least the first half since it didn't start until nearly nine pm.  Enjoyable game.  The opposition was Blue Mountain College from Mississippi.  I had never heard of them and they apparently are far and away the worst team in their conference and it appears MC is the next worse team.  Oh, did I mention who coaches MC?  Well here is a photo.

Do you recognize this man?

I failed to mention that I remembered who coached MC while driving with dad through Barlow and the Baptist Church had a sign announcing he would be speaking the following Sunday.   Who is it?  Why it is Winston Bennett.  For you youngsters, here is his Wiki link.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Bennett

One other thing about this game.  As the players were warming up I looked at a kid and thought wow he looks familiar so I grabbed a program.  This is the kid.  

This kid caught my eye.

I looked at the program and then the kid again and thought yes, I played against his father or maybe grandfather.  Lone Oak High School, the last name is right, the way he runs is familiar, the hair is right.  No doubt about it.

Next day we read about this ship smashing into the bridge on 68.  Great photos in the Sun.  Wow.  Dark rainy foggy night.  There had been issues with the navigation lights.  What a mess.  I bet the bridge is taken down.  We drove to see the accident that day but couldn't and stopped at Broadbents where they gave me a tour of the meat packing and smoking areas.  Very nice. 

Saturday afternoon we watched the Cats and at halftime I left to drive to South Fulton to see a 90 plus aunt and uncle and their youngest daughter who I had not seen in 33 years.   We are about the same age and while I would not describe her as beautiful, I have described her as the most pleasant looking person I have ever known.  She is pretty, but mostly she just pleasant to look at.  Anyway she has lived in eastern Tennessee all the years I have lived in Colorado so our paths didn't cross. and I wanted them to. I wanted to know if she was as pleasant now as she was when we were kids.  

To go to South Fulton from where my parents live, one drives to Mayfield to get on the Jackson Purchase Parkway and this route takes one right by Chow 45.  Chow 45 is a fabulous restaurant ( as far as I know the only restaurant in the JP worthy of that description) and has great desserts so I thought I would get some cake to celebrate my aunts upcoming 91st birthday.  

Upon entering the restaurant this is what I saw.

Murray Fans Inside Chow 45

After placing my order I wandered on over and chatted with these fine folks.  About Murray, how I had wanted to go, how they got their tickets and so on.  A right nice chat. Then another guy walked up and started to talk with me about UK and stuff.  Another nice chat.  As I was fixing to leave, a guy hollered at me to come over. and the lady second from the left asked if I wanted to go to the game.  I said sure and asked if I would get to sit by here and was she married and if so where was her husband.  The guy in the gray shirt stood up and side no, I could sit by him, yes she was and right here.  When everyone stopped laughing she gave me a ticket.  Wow.

So I asked a few questions about parking and headed off to South Fulton.  My cousin was there and we spent a very short 45 minutes catching up on the last 33 years. I hectored my uncle about being such an Obama fan (he isn't , but he did have cold and I told him he got it from tearing off his clothes which watching the SOTU earlier in the week because of all the free things he was going to get) and told him how much I admired him.  Which I do.  Then I left.  

I drove from South Fulton on State Line Highway, to Dukedom, then north to Water Valley and Pilot Oak, then to Tri City, Lynnville and then Murray.  Parked at the stadium and walked to the arena .  I never found the folks that gave me the ticket, but I did find some other folks from Chow 45.  Murray is really good and I had a great time.  Here is a photo.

Murray with the ball attacks EIU

 After I left I drove home through Brewers just to see the sign.  The next day I drove to Nashville and flew home.  Another great trip to the JP.