A Spectrum

Fall is my absolute favorite season. As you know I love football, I love that the trees change color, that it gets cool enough that you have to wear a sweatshirt. I grew up on a farm and fall is harvest time. It's when all your hard work pays off. (Not that I ever contributed to that hard work.) Fall is also the time for the Spoon River Drive. The "Drive" as it is known by locals is actually a multi-town, multi-county craft/fleamarket/amazing food festival. A dozen or so little towns near where I grew up come alive with thousands of people browsing, shopping, and eating for the first two weekends of October every year. I think the "Drive" portion refers to all the fall colors you take in when you are driving from town to town, but seriously who cares about that "Gimme the FOOD." My mom and I have been attending the "Drive" for so long that we have our own little routine. We hit four stops between two towns and always take the back roads. (The traffic is insane.) We even go the same direction through the maze of stands every year. Pathetic isn't it. Personally, I go for the unbelievable. scrumptous, to-die-for food. However, I must admit that I do enjoy looking at some of the crafts in the "primitive" catagory much to my chagrin. (Mom it's all your fault I like that crap.) There are five food items that I must partake in every year. First I must have a butterfly pork chop sandwich for lunch. Not any pork chop sandwich mind you. It has to be from the London Mills Volunteer Firefigher food stand. After that it is Carmel Apple Slices with Pecans at this booth shaped like an apple on one of the side streets in London Mills. Before we leave London Mills, it is imperative to buy approximately 3 large bags of Kettle Korn. Of course from a specific Kettle Korn stand as well. Next it is on to Farmington and the Methodist Church Ladies apple dumplings, at least eight. Finally, a newer stop on the "Drive" is a pioneer shed at someone's farm where I split with my Mom a piece of Spoon River Mud Pie. .....Heaven. Alas, now it is a whole year before I can indulge again. Yet hope remains, it's time for my last apple dumpling,...Mmm.