Vermillion Man O' the People Shares his Booty with the Community (*WINK*)

No, we don't mean THAT booty -he's been sharing that freely for years!!

After much nagging and whining and threats and bribes, A. Fish (Ladies Man - Man's Man - Man About Town) finally agreed to put some of his many pop-cultures treasures on display - Yes, it's "Al Fish's Kitsch-llection!"

And where better to do it than the public library - Vermillion's cultural hotspot!

Already the display has attracted a lot of attention - from the squeal of delight from the library staff to the teary-eyed nostaligia of the Baby Boomers to the fascinated gazes of the under 10 crowd.

This collection is only the tip of the iceberg and further installments are being negotiated.

Precious Moments, or a Beginner's Guide to Speaking Trailergentsia

Last night Renee, Al, Jefe, Jon, and I were at a fire party, and one of our Verm friends was aksing how long Renee and I had known each other. Nee and I always freak a bit when we have to admit it's been almost 20 years. We met in Vermillion in 1989, when she was a rising star in the theatre department and I was a hapless Spanish/theatre/psych major before I fled to the bright lights/big city of the Minneapple. That was also the year I met Mully, Jefe, Al, and Gregg.

Sometimes, when I think of certain Trailergentsia/HIA stories, I must laugh aloud. The other day whilst driving (my students always write "whilst" -- wot up wid dat?) I was for whatever reason recalling the night before Eldora's (Mama Abeln) funeral, when Renee and I were sharing a full bed and I had tried molesting her in my sleep. In the morning, with the covers pulled up to her little nose, big eyes peeping out, Renee said, "Um, Katy? Um....last night you tried to have your way with me."

I recoiled in horror at my own behavior. Clearly my oversexed psyche was trying to take advantage of Renee's vulnerable state. Poor Renee, thinking she would find comfort and succor from her trusted friend, was instead shamed and violated by my nocturnal lasciviousness. But then, I realized, God, would it have killed her to put out a little? I mean, I was stressed and worried too. But that's Nee, always thinking of herself.

T'other day Mike and I were driving in central residential Vermillion when we passed a house that I realized was the original site of the "bepaned portals." Shore 'nuff, I looked at the interesting windowstry on the abode, and there they were, in all their be-glassed, see-through-ishness glory. I told Mike I thought maybe it was a sign that the Trailergentsia/members of the HIA may need to start recording our history for the ages.

Another thing that made me giggle aloud as I was driving on Cherry Street last night was the time a whole gaggle of us were chowing at Cherry Street Grille in the late '90s. Mully and Gregg had recently taken a trip to Belize, and were chatting about their adventures. Gregg was puzzling aloud over one of the features of this tropical community, and Mully attempted to sate his curiousity by saying, "Welll, Gregory, you know how it is on the penninsulahhr..." She sounded like a freaking Kennedy, I shit you negative. And now she and Gregg live in a tropical paradise, and she's in upper management and Europeans have discovered Gregg's art, and well, little did we know Mully was portending of the future.

Vermillion Residents Bogarting Good Blog Material

A weekend trip to Vermillion, S.D., revealed that HIA contributors residing there were keeping excellent blog stories to themselves. The reason for this secrecy was not disclosed.

Information not being shared by the trailergentsia includes:

* A song that features lovely harmonies about an overly friendly dog named Dingus.
* Videos of the regular hootenannies taking place in Vermillion, including a performance of "Stop Dragging my Heart Around"
* An third-place honor taken in the local arts council 2006 Chili Blues contest
* A song about IKEA love
* A taxidermied muskrat and pheasant known as "Muskie" and "Fez" who are regularly dressed in seasonal attire but apparently not photographed for HIA News readers
* Very entertaining videos from YouTube that could easily be linked to, if certain people could be bothered to think of others

As it turns out, a cetain biology-major Vermillion-ite had not even been told about the existence of the HIA News blog.

One hopes that the Vermillion trailergentsia will consider the significant entertainment needs of the HIA readership and correct these lapses as soon as possible.