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Show T Page A10 Thursday, June 22, 1989 Park Record Wlhaidldl9ya 0s CiDQD)W? BY RICK BROUGII f MT.::::: v.v.v.v.va jpv.v.v.v.v.v.v.'?k tit I I Jv Jrf Is Ronnie ready for Rushmore? The administration of George Bush is more than 100 days old it's still more fun to talk about Ronald Reagan! So far, President Bush has received high marks for being more accessible to the news media. But his press conference are becoming famous for the amiable, scattered answers he gives to pressing world concerns. It's like phoning up Ozzie Nelson at the Oval Office! Of-fice! Vice-President Dan Quayle is quotable but he doesn't slip his muzzle every day. Up to now, his most famous statement is the speech he made during dur-ing a swing through the Pacific. At that time, he told a group of Samoans (and I'm not making this up) : "You look like happy campers. You always have been happy campers. And happy campers you will always be!" But a former-president Reagan is still in the news. Did you know a group of conservatives is proposing that Reagan's face be added to the carvings car-vings at Mount Rushmore? Picture it. Reagan's head, with its wavy hair, bright eyes and easy-going grin loom above his constituents, gazing out into space with an empty, but noble stare. (Well, he did it for eight years ! He can do it for perpetuity ! ) Republicans argue that Reagan belongs on Rushmore because it is essentially a GOP monument. monu-ment. Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt were Republican presidents. George Washington has the same first name as our current GOP president. presi-dent. Thomas Jefferson is closer in spirit to the Democrats. But if Lee Atwater can find something kinky in his background, Jefferson might willingly step down. The Democrats, meanwhile, are demanding equal time. Wayne Owens has proposed a bill that a monument will be carved in southern Utah sandstone sand-stone called Mt. Also-Ran, to feature Hubert Humphrey, Hum-phrey, George McGovern, Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis. Below each face, famous sayings say-ings would be inscribed from each Democratic statesman. The Democratic National Committee met to discuss the proposal, but feel asleep before plans could be finalized. While plans are still under way for Mt. Reagan, the former president has already received a high honor from the Queen of England an honorary knighthood! An honorary knighthood does not require the recipient to kneel. (That's to reassure you members of the DAR who were concerned about a former American president kneeling to a British sovereign.) Mr. Reagan also would not be addressed as Sir Ronald Reagan. Since it's honorary, he would be called either Quasi-Sir Ronald or Psuedo-Sir Ronald. His wife would be addressed as Almost-Lady Almost-Lady Nancy or Sort-of-Dame Nancy. Actually, Ronald Reagan is not the first American politician that Queen Elizabeth II has offered a knighthood. For instance: Former president Gerald Ford was invited to Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, he dropped his hankie, backed up into the sword and required emergency medical treatment. Jimmy Carter accepted the honor, but arrived at the Palace with 85 helpful suggestions for Britain's Bri-tain's "dreadful human rights situation" in Northern Nor-thern Ireland, as he put it. The Queen was not amused. The Reverand Jesse Jackson refused any honors from the Queen. "I'm concerned with human rights, not British knights! It's time we talked about callous attitudes instead of Palace platitudes." The Queen was going to knight Richard Nixon, but the sword turned up missing. "Golly," said Nixon. "Can you imagine that. What could have happened to it?" P.S. How about a monument called Mt. Mediocre? It would feature the faces of James Monroe, Franklin Pierce, Benjamin Harrison and CalCoolidge. Visitors would be greeted by a tape-recorded message from Vice-President Dan Quayle. "Hey! You look like happy campers. As a matter of fact, you always have been happy campers..." by TEftI ORR Placing your bets "The-horses-are-in-the-gate.. .aaaaaaand.. .they're off!" For me, a lot of summers hearing the announcer call the ponies was was the equivalent of some camp counselor blowing the whistle for water sports. Growing up I remember buddies of mine going off to to summer camps where they would gather tales of sleeping in tents with bugs and eating ickky food in the rain while having to hike at the same pace as the fat kid. I spent the same time with my grandparents in Southern California who had a home on the ocean, but of equal importance they had their own box at the Del Mar race track. My friends would return at the summer's end with stupid stuff they had crafted out of popsicle sticks and covered with a rash of poison ivy. I came back with a fistful of para mutal tickets, a tan and an autographed picture pic-ture of Willie Shoemaker. Sunday, when a couple of us went to Wyoming Downs in Evanston for a day at the races I admit, for a couple of hours, I felt like that summertime kid again. I think it's been, oh, at least 25 years since I wagered a bet on a horse. I've been to Vegas, lived at Tahoe and played the slots, cards and the wheel but I haven't been to the track since the days when I saw Lucy and Desi in the box next to my grandparents grand-parents and I was as starstuck as any 10-year-old kid would be. A lot of entertainers used to hang out at Del Mar and I remember with all the childhood pain-of-the-moment my grandmother insisting I do my Jimmy Durante imitation for Jimmy Durante. I don't think Mrs. Calabash or anyone else wherever they were that day was impressed. Up in Evanston when we got to the track Sunday there were no boxes but my friend who owns a horse did manage to reserve a table. The cocktail waitress was pushing something called a Lyn-chberg Lyn-chberg Lemonade featuring Jack Daniels and well, lemonade and the betting windows were within shouting distance of the table and the cheeseburgers were hot and greasy and with thick white onions. The horses were parading on the field for the third race of the day and fine folks in straw Stetsons and real Wranglers and white shirts with snaps instead of buttons were discussing discuss-ing jockey's weight and the horse's legs. It had all the makings of a fine day. My son and I bet on the number three horse and the number seven horse based on such studied reasons as the colors were blue and purple and we liked their names Folly's Honey and Patton't Fox. We each bet a very tentative two bucks in hopes the horse would come in first, second or third a show bet as it were and sure enough, both horses finished in the money. We got our four bucks back and together we made $1.50 on the combined winnings. We were hooked. In the next race I liked the looks of the number two horse named Legs Like Garbo with a mother named Frenchy's Bar Miss (you get to find out stuff like parent's names in the program) and the color of the silks was white. I felt good but I still only put down a show bet. Randy, feeling flush, placed two bucks to win on a grey horse in pink silks named Weaves Night Train. My horse won and I collected $3.60. Randy's horse came in dead last and paid off in laughs only. It went like that all afternoon we'd bet, win some ,lose some and wish we'd bet on others. By the 11th race we were down $9.60 for the day but we knew to be polite we'd need to bet on our friend's horse. Randy bet to place, I bet to win and we headed down for the first time all day to watch the race from the rails. The horse came out of the gate strong and one of the top three contenders. Around the far turn it was too close to call and when the horses passed us for the finish line where I stood it looked like the grey horse in the white silks with our four bucks riding on it had come in third. But the announcer was calling it a photo finish and the jockey wasn't coming out of the saddle. sad-dle. In fact, the horse won. It paid $6.80 to win and $3.20 to place. We made back our losses for the day with forty cents to spare. Our group was jumping up and down, carrying on when a man in one of those straw Stetsons and a pair well-worn Wranglers said gruffly, "Harrum-ph "Harrum-ph horse only won by a nose, Nazrl Storm was a better horse. Shoulda won. Harrumph." I looked at Nazrl Storm the number five horse in black silks and he looked real pretty too. Maybe he was a better horse, maybe Bobby's Summer had just won by a nose, but it struck a vein with me, that's what makes a horse race a jockey gets thrown, a horse gets spooked and won't go into the gate, the favorite gets beat by the longshot. And even though I hadn't been to the track in years, I realized my grandparents had shown me in a metaphor for life at very young age. A recent high school graduate Randy learned in one day at the track a number of lessons. There is no such thing as a sure thing. The longshot pays ever-so-much better than the favorite. Good looks and fine silks don't always guarantee a winner. Something tells me his Irish great grandparents, who I suspect were looking down on his graduation, gradua-tion, are pleased at this latest chapter in his education. Sitrfilke sn V5im THE FIFTH ANNUAL GRADUATION TRANSPORTATION would like to report another successful graduation night shuttle service. The generosity of these people made the service possible: DAVE NOVELLE of Park City Transportation who sacrificed four vans: SALLY WILKINSON of Park City Printink who donated the call-in cards' DANIELLE BEAN, FLORENCE LONG & JAN WILKING who guaranteed insurance on the vans; GINNY SMITH & SUZANNE MCMILLAN who provided the gas money. The people of Graduation Transportation: Jay Bundy Lloyd Evans David Hampshire Mark Heiss Gary Hurlbut Kim Leier Mike Moss Teri Orr Debbie Reid Dale Snyder Ed Snyder THANK YOU Summer's here. , ncladei riw Mtm. tea! Ertrtt mi Gscst Guidei. ' ' I SammrlMf ' I TrSST" " I 'I ' I f iTTn . . , J 1 ' - I f? I ' 1 1 1 """"IT"""' m&&6liA.f. 1 Park City's own award-winning magazine is now available at the following retail outlets: Albertsons Bahnhof Sports Circle K Cole Sport Destination Sports Dolly's Book Store Food For Thought Homestead Gift Shop Jan's La Niche Leger's Produce Mountain Rose Packaging Store Paper Case Park City Dry Goods 7-ElevenPark Ave. 7-ElevenPark West 7-ElevenProspector The Adventure Center Top Stop Treasure Mtn. Trading Post Village GiftsStore White Pine Touring The Yarrow Gift Shop Park City Lodestar, P.O. Box 738, Park City, Utah 84060. Phone 649-5806. |