Two Steves and a Paddy

 

   I'm always looking forward to the next holiday. There used to be a huge gap between New Year's and Valentines Day. Fortunately Martin Luther King was born in mid-January. That may have been a small part of the reason he was given a holiday. If a holiday doesn't give us a day off, at least it encourages merchants to offer us good deals. Presidents' Day is the best time to buy a car.

  From Presidents' Day we jump right to St Patrick's Day and then on to All Fools' Day. Let's back up to St Patrick's Day. St Patrick's Day is a proper reason to party in green. Nestled on either side of St Patrick's Day are two holidays that go unnoticed by most of the world-- March 16th is "Steve McDonnell Day in Palmville Township, MN", while March 18th is "Steve Reynolds Day in Hull, MA".

   Back around the time of my sixtieth birthday, my brother Steve, who lives in Hull, MA, rented a car in Boston and drove to Palmville Twp where I live to help me celebrate. He came early enough to be present at our St Patrick's Day party which is exactly nine days before my birthday. He has a car of his own but didn't want to put a lot of miles on it.

   On his way west, Steve picked up our Aunt Mary in Chicago and #2 son Joe at college in Duluth. Steve offered to help with party preparations, so on Saturday afternoon before the party we sent Steve, Aunt Mary, and young Joe up to Wannaska to borrow an industrial size coffee maker from the church. After securing the coffee maker, Steve wanted to call his wife Jean. 

   Back in those days, the best cell reception was at the end of Steve Reynolds's driveway. As Steve my brother was talking to Jean, Steve my friend happened to come along and invited the threesome in for a toast to Saint Patrick. "Well, maybe just for a minute," someone may have said. "They'll be wanting the coffee maker back at Party Central." Steve Reynolds is a benevolent host and poured his guests tall tumblers of the finest Irish whiskey. Aunt Mary is not a big drinker but she's always up for a challenge, as you'd expect of a retired PE teacher at an inner-city Chicago high school, and so her tumbler of the good stuff went down the hatch.

   I don't know how Steve and Joe handled their drinks, but during the visit, Steve M. made a generous donation to The Raven, the magazine Steve and I were putting out. In gratitude, Steve Reynolds declared March 16, Steve McDonnell Day in Palmville Township in perpetuity. It's been a glorious day in the township ever since. School is closed and no one goes to work. The mail is delivered but it goes unopened and there's an incredible parade. If Steve is available back in Hull, MA, we put him on speaker so he can hear the bands.

   A few years later, Steve R. did a deeply researched story on the sinking of my father's oil tanker in WWII. Steve even found the number of the Japanese sub that put my father in a lifeboat. Steve's story featured prominently and an issue of The Raven. In gratitude, my father and Steve my brother declared March 18th Steve Reynolds Day in Hull, also in perpetuity. There's a bit more red tape in the town of Hull, pop.10,108, versus Palmville Twp, pop 44. Steve has to get permission to hang banners and he submits his request for a parade permit 90 days before the big day. And school continues as usual, though the students are given an extra five extra minutes of recess in Steve Reynolds's honor.

   Steve McDonnell still remembers his visit to Palmville Twp fondly. He says it was well worth the drive. He did not hang around for my birthday. He and his passengers took off Sunday morning after the party. There were classes to attend and work to go to, and Aunt Mary needed to catch up on the Chicago papers.

Typical Steves' Day parade (file photo)