YESTERDAY, CLOUDY ALL DAY WITH VERY LITTLE RAIN. MOST JULY 4TH
ACTIVITIES COULD BE HELD AS SCHEDULED. SATURDAY NIGHT, WAS A
BEAUTIFUL NIGHT. PERFECT WEATHER FOR THE JULY 4TH WEEKEND PARADE
AT DEWITT WHICH I BROADCAST ON KMAQ-AM. NICE PARADE AND LASTED JUST
UNDER AN HOUR.
TODAY,CLOUDY AND LOOKING AGAIN LIKE RAIN, BUT NOT A LOT EXPECTED.

YESTERDAY, ONE OF THOSE DAYS AT KMAQ I WILL NEVER FORGET. I WAS ON THE AIR FROM 5:30 UNTIL 10 A.M. AND THEN I WENT OVER TO NANCY'S TO READ THE PAPER AND LISTEN TO LEIGHTON HEPKER DO THE PARADE BROADCAST ON KMAQ-AM FROM DOWNTOWN BELLEVUE AT 10:30. LEIGHTON HAD A CLEAR PHONE LINE FOR THE BROADCAST AND HE WAS DECRIBING A GOOD, HAPPY PARADE WITH A LARGE TURNOUT. HE HAD HIS BROADCAST TABLE SET UP WITH THE KMAQ BANNER ALONG THE EDGE OF THE CURB DOWNTOWN, IN FRONT OF THE CHAMBER OFFICE. CINDY HEPKER WAS SITTING NEXT TO HIM. ALL OF A SUDDEN, LEIGHTON STARTED TALKING
ABOUT SOME HORSES ON THE LOOSE GALLOPING DOWN THE STREET ALONG THE PARADE ROUTE. THEY WENT RIGHT PAST THE KMAQ TABLE, JUST MISSING IT BY INCHES. LEIGHTON WAS STUNNED BUT KEPT DESCRIBING THE ACCIDENT
THAT I'M SURE MOST OF YOU HAVE SEEN, READ OR HEARD ABOUT. IT WAS ON NATIONAL CNN NEWS AND ON THE "TODAY" SHOW THIS MORNING.
TWO COUPLES WERE RIDING IN A BUGGY PULLED BY A TEAM OF HORSES.
THE OWNERS HAD BEEN IN PARADES BEFORE AND THE HORSES TOO.
IT IS SPECULATED THAT THE HEAD OF ONE OF THE HORSES BUMPED THE HEAD OF THE OTHER HORSE KNOCKING THE BRIDLE LOOSE AND THEN THERE WAS NO CONTROL OF THAT HORSE AND THE TWO WENT DOWN THE STREET, STRIKING PARADE WATCHERS, MAINLY CHILDREN. THE BUGGY THEN HIT A SIGN POST AND THAT FLIPPED THE BUGGY AND OCCUPANTS. THE HORSES STILL KEPT RUNNING (UP TO 35 MPH) AND STILL CONNECTED TOGETHER BY A HARNESS. THEY GALLOPED PAST LEIGHTON GOING SOUTH AND AT THE CORNER WHERE THE
PARADE TURNED WEST ON HIGHWAY 52, THE HORSES RAN INTO A MAQUOKETA
STATE BANK VAN THAT WAS IN THE PARADE AND THE HORSES FELL TO THE
STREET WHERE THEY WERE CAUGHT AND LED DOWN TO THE RIVERBANK.
THE TOTAL DISTANCE THEY RAN WILD WAS ABOUT SIX BLOCKS.
THERE WERE LOTS OF RESCUE UNITS IN THE PARADE AND THEY ALL WENT
INTO ACTION IMMEDIATELY TWENTY FOUR PEOPLE WERE RUSHED TO FOUR HOSPITALS WITHIN AN HOUR. SEVERAL WERE IN CRITICAL CONDITION. THE SPRINGBROOK WOMAN WHO WITH HUSBAND OWNED THE HORSE, DIED LAST NIGHT FROM HER INJURIES. MANY HAVE BEEN RELEASED AND SOME ARE STILL IN SERIOUS OR CRITICAL CONDITION. THE REST OF THE PARADE WAS OF COURSE CALLED OFF, BUT OTHER ACTIVITIES FOR BELLEVUE'S BIG ANNUAL HERITAGE DAYS CELEBRATION WENT ON IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. I'M SURE THERE WILL BE LOTS DISCUSSION NOW ABOUT PARADES AND IF HORSES SHOULD BE ALLOWED IN THEM. MOST OF THOSE INJURED WERE KIDS ALONG THE EDGE OF THE STREET WAITING TO PICK UP CANDY THROWN FROM PARADE ENTRIES. I HAVE LONG THOUGHT CANDY THROWING SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN A PARADE. IT IS DANGEROUS, AND DISTACTS FROM THE PARADE. PARENTS MAINLY GO TO A PARADE SO THEIR KIDS CAN
ENJOY IT. ENDS UP, THE KIDS DON'T EVEN WATCH THE PARADE! ALL THEY END UP DOING IS FILLING THE BAG THEY BROUGHT ALONG WITH THE
FREE CANDY. IF CANDY IS ALLOWED, IT SHOULD BE HANDED TO THE KIDS
BY PARADE WALKERS. AND....TALKING TO LEIGHTON HEPKER AFTER THE PARADE....LEIGHTON SAID..."NO LONGER WILL I SET UP MY TABLE
ON THE CURB. I'LL SET UP FARTHER BACK WHEN DOING PARADE BROADCASTS IN THE FUTURE". AND I WILL DO THE SAME!
THE NEXT BIG PARADE IN JACKSON COUNTY WILL BE WEDNESDAY NIGHT,
JULY 28TH...THE JACKSON COUNTY ANNUAL FAIR PARADE.

HAVE A GOOD JULY 5TH!

DENNIS VOY