It was a family crisis of sorts that took me home to Gordo, Ala., last weekend, but the entire weekend wasn't spent at the hospital.
For the first time in three years, I had an opportunity to spend part of my weekend at Gordo's 15th Annual Mule Day/Chicken Fest.
No, your eyesight is not out of focus. You read the sentence correctly. Gordo does indeed have Mule Day/Chicken Fest.
For country folk, watching mules parade down the street is big entertainment, especially in a town that lacks a movie theater or any other means of entertainment.
Since I moved to Greenwood, the title of my hometown's annual festival has been the butt of many jokes at the Commonwealth, especially from retired Production Manager Ed Billings. No one around these parts had ever heard of such a name for a festival, he would say.
When he retired more than a year ago, I couldn't resist presenting him with his very own Mule Day T-shirt and cup. That brought a round of laughter from the staff as he opened the gift.
The festival started after a man from Gordo visited another Mule Day event in Winfield, Ala. There are many such festivals in Alabama and Tennessee, as I would always point out to Ed.
But the first Mule Day in Gordo was a very small affair. Boy, how things have changed through the years.
From meager beginnings of only a few mules, horses, buggies and spectators, there were at least 2,000 people downtown Friday night, and as many as 8,000 to 10,000 on Saturday. It was the biggest crowd I've ever seen in Gordo at one time.
After visiting one aunt in the hospital Friday afternoon, I returned to Gordo and joined my parents at their usual spot along Main Street. Another aunt also was there, selling fried apple pies for $1 each.
I also noticed a food vendor selling alligator and shark. I didn't venture over to that booth. I try to stick to more typical festival foods, like barbecue, hot dogs and lemonade.
Friday night was much like a big family reunion and street party. With a population of just under 2,000, everyone in Gordo knows each other. And the Friday event gives people a chance to sit along Main Street in their lawn chairs and catch up on the latest gossip and see friends and family they haven't seen in a while.
All rared back in our chairs, we were entertained with music, mainly local. It's amazing how such a small town can have so many talented people. But the style of music ran the gamut, from classical violin to country to gospel.
The entertainment also took on other forms. Possibly the most interesting spectacle of Mule Day was Dr. Happy LeClair and Blaze, the balloon-blowing goat.
I spotted Blaze in the crowd as I was making my way toward the children's area with my brother, Ken, my sister-in-law, Jessica, and my nephew, Jamey.
I think the three adults in our group were more fascinated than was the child. All he wanted to do was get on the rock climbing wall.
As I marveled at the goat and his exceptional talent, all I could think about was how everyone in Greenwood would laugh when I told them about a balloon-blowing goat at a festival with such a backwoods name as Mule Day. What a picture that would paint of my hometown.
I called it a day just before 10 p.m. Friday, but some people stayed around until the wee hours of Saturday morning enjoying the atmosphere. They were back up at the crack of dawn, ready for the big festival.
For the past seven or eight years, one of the highlights of Mule Day has been Barney Fife impersonator David Browning. There also was a guy who plays Floyd the barber.
With Gordo being a small, Southern town, I'm sure many people thought they were actually in Mayberry.
I'm sure Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman felt the same way as Barney stopped his wagon in the middle of the Mule Day parade to present him with a ticket for speeding.
I could almost hear Andy saying in his slow southern drawl, "Now Barn, you shouldn't have done that to the governor."
With Mule Day just days before Democratic and Republican primaries, all the politicians took advantage of the opportunity to ask people for their vote.
The parade was representative of life in Gordo, where a chicken hatchery is its largest employer. It was the local Chamber of Commerce's decision several years ago to salute the poultry industry that brought about the addition of Chicken Fest to the Mule Day name.
The parade started off with dozens of tractors - most of which were antique.
I had to laugh when I saw the tractors, because I remembered that my 3-year-old nephew, Brayson, already knows the difference between a John Deere tractor and all the other brands.
At Christmas this past year, he went on a hayride at one of the area churches. As they loaded people onto the wagon, he asked his mom, "Why can't we ride on that John Deere tractor over there?" That brought a chuckle from everyone on the wagon, or so I've heard.
I guess knowing your tractors comes naturally when you grow up in Gordo.
Next in the parade came the horses and wagons. Some of the wagons were led by mules, and a couple of those obstinate animals decided to show their stubborn streak in the middle of the road.
One mule turned sideways and refused to cross the railroad track, while another mule just laid down in the road and had to be pulled up and led across the tracks. Needless to say, it held up the parade for a few moments. At least the incidents provided a little comic relief on a very hot afternoon.
As I left town shortly after the parade, I thought to myself, life is good. I had just seen family, friends, John Deere tractors, Barney Fife and a balloon-blowing goat all in one day. Plus, I had plenty of good food. What more could a girl ask for?
I can definitely say I had a "mule kickin', finger lickin'" time in Gordo, Ala., at the 15th Annual Mule Day/Chicken Fest.
It was much better than watching a rerun of the Andy Griffith Show on television.
