Social Column 3 Well, here goes week 3 of my column.....

I like a town that blocks itself off to party.,,and that is exactly what the town of Berlin did at their 9th annual Spring Fling party last Saturday. I lived in the Detroit metropolitan area for the past 8 years,and I admit my initial draw was the grand finale of the festival, the Pig Races. I just couldn't fathom pigs being raced on a downtown street. Was it the American version of the bull run of Pamplona? Was it a slick imitation of rural Mayberryism for the tourists?
Curious, I just had to go and see for myself.
I found the answer, and a whole lot more. The weather was sweater cold and gray, but that didn't stop the press of people downtown. My first stop was The Waterline Gallery. I knew they were having an exhibit honoring 4th grade artists, so I wandered inside. Aside from some truly stunning art, I realized genuine community spirit at work. A huge paper canvas covered one wall of the gallery, and black-smocked youngsters painted away with abandon. Perhaps the experience nudged a budding Patrick Henry or Van Gogh to uncover their talent? At the very least, the look on their faces proved that art is fun,and that children will create, given the opportunity.
I walked on, enchanted by a trio of little girls in their Easter bonnets, getting their pictures snapped on the steps of the Atlantic hotel.I watched as kids rock-climbed a cliff wall sponsored by Extreme Entertainment. Arts and crafts vendors were set up on both sides of the street, and the smell of french fries and grilling sausages filled the air.

My eye caught a delicious display of pies, and turkeys, and cakes. Wow! Someone must have been cooking for weeks to offer such an array of goodies! Then I read their sign, "Fake Sale." The artist, Dallas Hewitt, had crafted everything from materials bought at Home Depot.He got his start 12 years ago, just to keep busy after retirement. His wife, Joan, rang up purchases, while Dallas cracked, "Made for the eyes, not for the thighs."
At the other end of the spectrum, I met young local entrepreneurs Megan Fulton and Matt Center, whose booth," Lots of Knots" featured delicately woven hanging bottles and hemp jewelry. Megan explained that her artistry started with "just keeping my hands busy". The result is a thriving business, proving the old adage, do what you love, and success will follow.
Past the petting zoo, with little ones snuggling bunnies and petting lambs. I followed the haybale fence to the mobile truck pen holding...you guessed it, the PIGS! Cute little critters, all under a year old and weighing about 25 lbs, with racing numbers painted on their backs. If pigs can look bewildered, these did. I imagined their conversation went something like this, "what are we DOING here? What's it say on my back?" And the reply, "I dunno,just as long as it's not a BBQ."
Strains of music filtered in from the north side of town, where the band "Country Grass" played down home music. The crowd went wild when a tiny cowboy, 2 year old Devon Pursel of Berlin, walked in front of the stage in his boots and black cowboy hat. He was a drama unto himself,dancing and clapping to the beat.Others joined him, and soon people were literally dancing in the street. People talked to one another, people knew each other's names. You sure didn't get this in Detroit.
The pig-calling contest was next. Two categories, children and adult. The winners were chosen by the crowd, with Justin of Berlin, screaming "PIG, I SAID, COME PIG",in first place for the children's division, and Skeets Z. of Libertytown, claiming the adult title, with his longwinded, almost operatic call.
The air turned colder, but I wouldn't have missed the pig races for the world.The crowd lined the street in anticipation. Two by two, the squealing pigs were led out of their pen, to the starting line 20 feet away. It was no mean feat, and I was amazed to see the local president of the Chamber of Commerce, Earl Conley, shooing and herding and even PICKING UP the protesting porkers. You don't see that in Detroit, either. Representatives from local businesses and private sponsors were positioned next to their contestants, with instructions of "no pushing, no touching, just hollering and foot stomping" their pigs to the finish line. The winner? Truthfully, I walked my numbed feet and frozen nose home as the last three pigs were about to race.
I had come to see what I wanted to see. Gone was my smirking perception of a "hokey" small town festival. What I found was a cherished gem of American culture and values, where a closeknit community came together for the common enjoyment and education of all.
Is this an endangered way of life? Next week I will introduce a guest writer, Dr. Robert Poli, who has some very thought provoking ideas on the subject.
See you next week!