Labor Day (Day 5) campaign pics

Art called a little before I left to greet folks at the Labor Day Picnic at the Lakefront Festival Park. He’d just read the post about the Trib’s editorial snub and thanked me. He hadn’t wanted me to much write about him or his campaign but he appreciated what I wrote. I didn’t write it for him. I wrote it for me.

Art reminded me that four years ago when he attended the Labor Day picnic without the Labor endorsement, Alan Netland told him he couldn’t come in or pass out campaign information. He told me he ignored Mr. Netland. Its a public park after all. Then Art told me what his attorney’s told him about how the Christian zealots sued the City of Duluth for denying them access to Bentleyville and won court costs and attorney’s fees a couple years ago. I didn’t want to have a confrontation so I was grateful for that heads up.

After I arrived a nice young couple did explain to me in the nicest way possible that it was a Labor Picnic and that it was requested I not join the actual Labor endorsees in passing out campaign flyers. I just as politely declined to which one of the not-so enforcers apologized, “I’m just the messenger.”

I laughed and told her that as a member of the school board I was a messenger too and had plenty of sympathy for her. Later Al strolled by and gave me a friendly hello. Its amazing what Christian zealots can do.

I passed out flyers and chatted folks up for almost two hours. Everyone was extremely friendly and most knew who I was and many told me they liked what they knew about me. My trading cards seemed to be a hit too.

I paused to listen to the Labor endorsed School Board candidates speak. That was more than most of the people chowing down under the tents did. My pic of the day shows candidate Jill Lofald speaking. I told her later she gave a “spirited” speech. Josh Gorham stands next to her looking the part of solid candidate.

After I ran out of people I decided to spend an hour on Park Point to see if I could pop up some signs at the Ariel Lift Bridge end to catch all the traffic as it entered and left the point. I was so into the Labor theme I found myself singing the song I used to put my grandson Jake to sleep with. It was the old Labor song and 1970’s ballad, “Joe Hill.” I used to sing it to an ISD 709 school administrator of the same name too. I sang it between doors a Capella.

Listen to me sing the first two verses if you dare:
file:///C:/Users/Owner/Documents/2017/School Bd Election 2017/Trading Cards/Joe Hill.wav

Oops. I can’t figure out how to upload this sound wav. Just as well. Jacob liked me to sing songs about dead people. He always requested Hang down your head Tom Dooley too.

Oh, and I put up five lawnsigns – in less than an hour.

Order your own set of 50 snow sculpture trading cards here: http://www.weltyforschoolboard.com/

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