re: Congrats Finneys of C-town on winning ABC's, 'The Great Christmas Light Fight'

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Now I want to go to Crossett just so I can cross check all of that.

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SWhog, every bit is true, and much, much, MUCH more!!! Girl I could/should write a book, but the statute of limitations might still apply to some things ... not to law enforcement, but to parents, including mine, which is much worse!!! ... I probably need to wait a few more years until mine & my friends' (partners in high school crime) parents are too old to care.

Honestly, Crossett was a blast growing up, MUCH different than present day, as I mentioned, and strategically located in the perfect place, 9 miles from LA border, which made it just close enough to haul arse to the nearest beer joint across the state line (Community Grocery) on our 55 minute lunch break on football game day Fridays to grab a case or 2 & some Malt Duck (my personal fave) for the party(ies) following the game (no time to go after school, before having to get ready for game), then get back to town, stash it at a friend's house with "cool" parents, & get back to school for afternoon classes app. 2 minutes before tardy bell.

Obviously, none of us were legal to purchase alcohol, but we never had a problem getting an older customer at Community get it for us - sometimes we even lucked up & had someone take pity on us who offered to literally purchase it for us, without our having to use our own funds. And I suppose no one, including us, found it a bit awkward that we MIGHT have stood out, just a tiny bit - 5 or 6 high school girls, wearing our cheerleader & Eaglette (drill team) unis (we wore them to school on Friday game days), crammed into one of our small cars, handing over our pooled allowances (much of it in coins dug out of car seats, consoles, & off of floor boards) to some random patron (usually an older 'gentleman' there for the same items as we), then stuffing our loot into the back of usually a hatchback vehicle (T/As, Camaros, 300ZXs, Celica Supras & similar vehicles we mostly drove were all hatchbacks back then),frantically covering the alcohol as best we could with sweaters, books, & anything we could find to hide it since it could be seen through the back glass, then all piling back into the car, usually having to sit in laps (stupidly, seat belts weren't even considered back then), and flooring it, slinging rocks in the gravel parking lot back onto the hwy. hauling arse back to Crossett.

We didn't do this every Friday, but often enough, usually when the majority of us in our 'besties' group were broken up with our boyfriends at the time, and also because we were a bit particular, even at that age, about our libations, and didn't much care for the usually cheap swill, or even worse - Miller products - that were generally at parties. We were Bud Light & Corona girls, & on special occasions, that incredible "grape juice" that gave the best buzz, Malt Duck. .... And I think probably the main reason we played 'Bandit' on gameday Fridays was definitely for the thrill of it, no doubt. We truly had a blast back in the day growing up in Crossett, and we knew how to make our own fun. We'd go to the mall & to movies & out to eat & the 'normal' things teens did & still do, but those were the boring events for us. Growing up in a small town made us creative. It was MUCH more fun to go to the Wren Drive-In on Sat & Sun nights in the Spring & Summer, with lawn chairs & ice chests, and have one big outdoor "dinner (from the concession stand or Ro-tel & guac & chips from home made especially for the event) & a movie" party than to go to Monroe & sit in a boring theater with a bunch of strangers where you couldn't socialize!!!

So, considering my teen years were filled with events such as these, I think I probably need to hold off on writing my 'growing up in Crossett, AR, my teenage years back in the day when Crossett was "cool"' biography until my child is grown & cannot throw any of my shenanigans back in my face in an attempt to make them ok for him. We, as parents, get to be hypocrites - it's part of good parenting.

Hope you & yours have a very Merry Christmas!!

Eta - Forgot to answer your original question after I got to "talking" lolol. Idk who downvotes me all the time. I'm so used to it, I forget to look unless someone mentions it. ... I just look at it as if I get under someone's skin enough for them to stalk me, and even know when I'm posting after I haven't in months, I must be doing something right because apparently, they're bitter, sad folks.

Eta 2 - There were many bootleggers in Crossett when I was growing up. If you read Barry Switzer's book, you'll see his dad was one. That's a really sad story, but obviously, he did well for himself. He's a long time friend of our family's (is my 2 uncles good friend from hs & they've remained friends all these years. He's also my late great-uncle's, Judge Switzer's, nephew, so I guess kinda related by marriage, but that's ANOTHER story. This is what happens when you're from Crossett - one thing leads to another & you can go off on a million tangents. LOLOLOL) ... ANYWAY, lol, since Ashley Co.has always been dry, there have always been bootleggers. My friends & I had our personal favorite (bc he stocked & sold Bud) for when we ran short on Sundays. Neither LA or Willie's Oasis in the Woods just west of Crossett, past the Ouachita River, just over the county line in Union Co., sold alcohol on Sundays back then, so we'd go to our bootlegger, or Greenville, MS which did sell on Sundays, if we had to. He was a very old African American man with gray hair who lived with his sister & sold, at exorbitant prices, tall boys in cans of Bud heavy out of a couple of refrigerators on the screened in back porch of his tiny house, and the cans always smelled like fish. I was always concerned he might get robbed, but his house was like a fortress with locked gates, bars on windows & doors, and firearms in every room, AND on him at all times.

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Missy- you are awesome, thank you for all that info. After looking at the weather report I doubt I'll talk her into going this weekend, dangit. Maybe I can next week tho. I wish they'd leave it up til the 15th or something I know I could wrangle her to go by then. If we go I'm going to the minute shop- sounds like my kind of place and that chili dog will be mine.

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Awww, thanks, piggi, so are you!! ... I'm thinking Mr. Finney might keep his display open past the first of Jan. since so many are wanting to see it. I'll find out & definitely let you know. Y'all simply MUST see it AND ESPECIALLY GET A MINUTE SHOP FOOTLONG CHILI DOG!!!! ... Y'all have a Safe & Very Merry Christmas!!!