From Thursday to Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, I took about 800 shots. I'm done processing photos through Saturday 5/23 at 1pm... I went home for my favorite annual party, a big bluegrass event in Cherry Flats, Pa., but my dear Uncle Dudley begged me to come off the mountain and photograph the Coal Festival parade Saturday morning. She and her new company, Coal Country Iron Works, had constructed a float and she needed to be on the float to throw candy. So I groggily made it to the parade, unshowered, begged my hairdresser for some gum because I hadn't connected with my toothbrush... and took pictures of the parade and a little of the 17th Annual Blossburg State Coal Festival at Island Park after (where I shot the not-Basra collection (
(e:heidi,48783))). The pictures are probably not very exciting for people not connected to Blossburg, Pa., but some of you might be amused by them, hopefully to appreciate the small-townness and not pick on the hicks too much. ;-) The parade features lots of tractors, fire engines and kids, but no curly-wigged Irish dancing girls.
Keith Lindie, town historian & eligible 80-something bachelor, used his beloved John Deere tractor to haul the Red Hat Society float.
My dear Uncle Dudley with her authentic miner's hat. Miners filled it with oil and lit it so they could see in the tunnels.
She has an authentic miner's lunch bucket, too. Her bf Bernie has an extensive collection of mining antiques. (I'm sure she's going to yell at me for posting this!)
But her float won the prize for Best Appearing Float. It features Mabel, a mule considered to be the last of the mine animals. The mules and ponies would bring the coal carts to the surface to be unloaded.
Here's the link to the full album if you're interested:
(official Blossburg Coal Festival website:

)
(More photos below)
"Uncle Dudley" is her online alias. She picked it back when she felt like a dud and it amused us both so we've kept it. It has no Pennsylvania-specificness. (See also (e:heidi,46397))
(e:Jenks) asks a good question. But that brings up another one. There is a wrestling Tag Team (first saw in ECW) Called The Dudley Brothers (yes I liked all of them they had a good gimmick and could wrestle and have good mic skills) But is there some meaning to the Name Dudley or how it is used that might have some meaning that people not from PA wouldn't know about.
silly little irrelevant question, but why do you call her Uncle Dudley?