New Book - Hometown Celebrations

Liberal, KANSAS!!!!

Liberal, KS - The town was founded in 1888.  Water was very scarce in the 1880’s but S.S. Rogers had dug a well on his homestead and offered free water to the visitors and their livestock who passed through the area.  This was unusual because water was not free.  The surprised visitors would comment to Rogers that “this was mighty liberal of you”.  The name caught on and was known to travelers as Liberal.  Kansas has always been considered a conservative state.

Britt, Iowa - Hobo Convention

The Hobo Convention has been going on in this community since 1900. In 1899, the town leaders were able to convince the leaders of Tourist Union #63 to move their convention permanently from Chicago to Britt, Iowa. You see, Tourist Union #63 members were real hobos. In the 19th century traveling migrant workers were often arrested for vagrancy when not employed. However, if you were a member of a union, you were given free passage on a train to your next destination. These workers used this loophole, created a union, and were able to travel free across the United States to find work. These types of union workers became known as hobos and there was a very large number of them. So for the town of Britt to land a big convention from Chicago was a big deal. In the late 1890’s, it was estimated there were over 500,000 hobos in the United States. Today, the tradition is more of a family affair which is held in August. This weekend event includes a parade, crowning of a Hobo King and Queen, and serving mulligan stew in the city park. Real hobos still come here to celebrate and exchange stories with the locals. If you venture downtown, you can even visit the one and only Hobo Museum!

World's Largest Penny - Woodruff, Wisconsin

Woodruff, Wisconsin
1n 1954, Dr. Kate Newcomb had a dream about building a new hospital for this community.  She became a surprise guest on the television program "This is your Life".  During the program, she asked the listeners to send in just a penny to make her dream come true.  Over $106,000 came in and Dr. Kate's dream came true!

What is a Hodag??

Rhinelander, Wisconsin

What is a Hodag?  The people in this town know.  It is a legendary creature with horns and was finally captured by a local lumberjack in the late 19th century.  According to legend, they grow here to be over 6 feet long and are pretty scary.  When you visit this community, you will find the town is covered with statues of this creature.  They take their Hodags seriously.  By the way, if you believe in Jack a lopes you should believe in Hodags!

The Wurst City in the World

Sheboygan, WI

Bratwurst Days

This community is the county seat of Sheboygan County. Sheboygan County has been famous for its brats for a long time. Sheboygan County is home to Johnsonville brats and the Old Wisconsin bratwurst company. The community is host to “Bratwurst Days”. This is a three day event held at the end of July and sponsored by the Johnsonville Company. Most connoisseurs of bratwurst consider Sheboygan the “wurst” city in the world!  If you have ever visited this city, it is one of the most beautiful too.

Largest Coffee Pot in the World!

Stanton, Iowa was the birthplace of Mrs. Olson. Mrs. Olson became famous from her ads as the Swedish host serving coffee. Stanton is also the home to the World's Largest Coffee Cup. It can hold over 2.4 million cups of coffee. (That is if you tried to fill it up!)