Do you think the city should pay for an annual Lawrence birthday celebration? / LJWorld.com

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Asked at Massachusetts Street on July 19, 2005

“Absolutely not. Lawrence is a great city, but there’s no point in spending an exorbitant about of money to celebrate it. Take a walk down Mass. Street. That should be enough.”

— Emily Scholle, receptionist, Lawrence

“Sure, sounds like a good idea. As long as they finish fixing Mass. Street first.”

— Dustin Hargon, Kansas University sophomore, Lawrence

“No. I think there are a lot of other things we should be spending money on. I could see having one occasionally, but not every year.”

— Deacon Jones, construction, Lawrence

“Yeah, just because it would be fun. I’m sure it would be great.”

— Julie Cowan, hair stylist, Lawrence

Sesquicentennial president looks to extend birthday bashes

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craigers 7 years, 10 months ago

No way! I like the rewording of the question neopolss. That would be a much more appropriate question. I mean if we have money to have yearly celebrations then like everybody said why don't we have enough money to fix all the roads. This would just be a waste.

Redneckgal 7 years, 10 months ago

Our town just sticks with the milestone b-day's 100 125 and so on. I would think that would be enough.

Topside 7 years, 10 months ago

Deacon Jones? If that is not an alias than his parents gave him a cool name. Only name that tops it is Leroy Brown! Better than my nephew "Gaven" that name has wedgie written all over it.

grilled_cheese 7 years, 10 months ago

How many ways can you ask "Should we spend taxpayer money on something unnecessary?"

Really, a party every year would be overkill. Lets give city employees a raise so they can actually afford to truly live in Lawrence. Or, better yet, always a favorite, fix the roads! Do something constructive at the very least.

Hong_Kong_Phooey 7 years, 10 months ago

Of course Dustin is going to say 'yes'. He's a KU sophomore and resembles Sean Penn in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" - any excuse for a party.

The only other person to agree was Julie Cowan and since when were hairstylists known for their great thoughts. You just keep on cuttin' hair, honey and leave the thinkin' to the rest of us.

No, they should not spend money on a friggin' birthday party! Fix the Roads! Fix the afterschool programs! Fix the homeless parade on Mass street! Just please...don't fix the roads with anymore roundabouts!

neopolss 7 years, 10 months ago

er hmm...

Let's re-word this question:

Do you think city commissioners should waste tax payer money for a party on themselves?

A homeless parade? GREAT! What party is complete without a parade! Instead of throwing confetti we can use discarded cigerette butts from the littered streets!

Everyone in Lawrence will receive free pearl necklaces from Priscella's! Happy Birthday!

mefirst 7 years, 10 months ago

As my beloved pappy would say...hell no.

Jayhawk226 7 years, 10 months ago

I thought birthday celebrations were banned by the city commision.

Hmmmm.....

merrill 7 years, 10 months ago

A birthday party could involve rehabilitating the corner of 7th and New Jersey where Van Gogh Mobil Arts is located. The curbs have disappeared. One sewage drain that once was a very large hole in the ground has been repaired(hats off to Mr. Wildgen). The other drains on that corner need attention and perhaps the $4000 could help pay for new gravel in the parking lot(gravel allows water to drain into the ground) and 3-5 trees.

Van Go Mobile Arts is doing good things for the community so what the heck let's be good to them. Then allow Lawrence to celebrate a birthday.

tell_it_like_it_is 7 years, 10 months ago

I suppose as long as it didn't involve fireworks grills or porn shops it would be okay.

sunflower_sue 7 years, 10 months ago

TOB, Can I just sign your letter and save myself the trouble?

enochville 7 years, 10 months ago

Annual birthday party for Lawrence? Completely unnecessary.

hottruckinmama 7 years, 10 months ago

somebody wee wee'd in hong kong's cheerieo's.

GreenEyedBlues 7 years, 10 months ago

A birthday celebration to commemorate EVERY passing year that Lawrence, Kansas has remained a bastion for trustfunder hippies and a homeless parade [nice touch HPK] is NOT necessary.

Do homeowners celebrate every year that their house has remained standing by renovating it? Or even repainting it? Just seems costly and silly.

Don't get me wrong, I love L'Awnce. Send a birthday card to Boog every year! One of us should leave a big 10' Hallmark card at the post office each year and we can all swing by and send city commission our warmest birthday wishes!

happygolucky 7 years, 10 months ago

And take away money from the round-abouts? What are they thinking? I was hoping that we could get rid of all stop signs and traffic light and go to just round-abouts. Just think of all the money we could save on the power wasted on those stupid lights. When the power goes out, the round-about will still be able to help us get through even the biggest jam. They we could celebrate the birthday of the round-about.

Why don't we just honk and wave at city hall when we go by. Just try and use more than one finger, because as we all know that would be pointing, and that's rude.

Centrist 7 years, 10 months ago

NO, NO, NO ........ fix the STREETS first, the BLOODY ROADS!! I'm sick of driving over lumps on EVERY single street or road. If you come in from Hwy 10, you really notice the difference. "Welcome to Lawrence .... bump, crash, bump". Ridiculous to even suggest such a thing. Who needs a yearly celebration for the City. What a bad joke.

Maybe it really IS time to "BAN" the Lawrence City Commission ...

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

According to the related article the City has only celebrated it's birthday one time, when it was 100 years old. I think a $4000 yearly celebration would 1) waste money that could be used sooooo many other places and 2) quickly become extremely boring. $4000 for a city-wide celebration would be the equivalent of taking $10 and hosting a party for all of your friends. They obviously are depending on contributions from merchants, organizations, and of course we the people.

It might be fun to have such a city-wide celebration once every 10 years or so. Let's face it, people are not going to turn out every year for a Lawrence birthday party (although I am sure the commissioners would if they are not visiting one of our sister cities at the time). Most of us can hardly find the time to attend birthday parties for all of our family and friends, and that is not including the present. Oh,,, I forgot,,, our tax money is the present!!

sunflower_sue 7 years, 10 months ago

Thanks TOB! Your kindness allowed me time enough time to make breakfast for the kiddies and to refill my coffee cup. Now I gotta go browse the i to plan my 3 week vacation to get the heck outta Dodge!

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

TOB: Jim Morrison, Deacon Jones -- maybe they think this is Vegas :)

shanefivedyes 7 years, 10 months ago

yeah sounds like a great idea maybe we could raise taxes at the same time

bankboy119 7 years, 10 months ago

I like that idea extreme, but you know the mayor doesn't have to listen to what the PEOPLE really want, they just elected him. Wait that's how all of our city commissioners act. Idiots.

Carmenilla 7 years, 10 months ago

This isn't just a community forum, its a "roundabout-rage" counseling group.

Me, I kinda like driving around them when people are actually paying attention!

Redneckgal 7 years, 10 months ago

When our town had our 125th it was more of a founders day celebration to honor the first settlers in the area. I'll bet it wasn't easy for them to carve a town out of the old rough prairie. But either way I don't think I'd do it more than every ten years or so.

hottruckinmama 7 years, 10 months ago

redneck yeah those poor settlers. bet it was real hard for them once they stole all the land from the indians. i feel real sorry for them. not.

bankboy119 7 years, 10 months ago

First, they didn't steal the land from the Indians. We bought it from the French because they thought it was worthless.

Second, we have a dog park?

acg 7 years, 10 months ago

When I drive thru a roundabout and there's no one else there, I floor it so we go really fast, which makes me have to scream "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!" I tell ya, the kid loves it.

spacystaci8 7 years, 10 months ago

We don't need no stinking birthday party. Fix the roads. I drove on Kasold a few weeks ago (stupid) and hit a huge hole that almost ate my car. And a better idea would be not to fix all the major roads in Lawrence at the same time. I have been trying to avoid Lawrence because I get road rage everytime I go down 6th street. Just think the students will be back in a few weeks and that will add to the construction chaos. Good thing my hubby works at a body shop...cha-ching!!!!!

spacystaci8 7 years, 10 months ago

Whats with the zebra?

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

Thanks, spacystaci8. I was beginning to think I was the only one that didn't know what the hay they were talking about :)

How about you two bring us up to speed, or should we not ask?

linux_chick 7 years, 10 months ago

I think a city-wide birthday celebration would be fun. One aspect of Lawrence I particularly value is our feeling of community.

It wouldn't seem to be too difficult to pitch the idea to local businesses for picking up the tab either. That way we can set up stands for local artists, food, etc.

linux_chick 7 years, 10 months ago

flange: roundabouts in general are a good idea for Lawrence.

It's the stupid wannabe ones south of campus (Watkins area-sh) that have got to go. You know, the ones with a yellow median stuck in the middle of a standard four-way stop without extending the road to handle traffic driving in a circle... genius.

linux_chick 7 years, 10 months ago

OTTR: you think it would be difficult? It seems businesses would be excited for the opportunity to localize so much traffic.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe local owners don't want to make money.

linux_chick 7 years, 10 months ago

OMB: Honestly, I'm a little green with coding in vi as well. It takes a little getting used to, but is very powerful.

Don't give up so easily ;)

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

I'm thrilled I only need Pico!

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

Roustabouts!! I luv it! I will think of that as I weave in, out and around those little pests. I can't imagine who difficult it must be for larger vehicles.

linux_chick 7 years, 10 months ago

extreme: we could call them bumper-scraper-squareabouts...

I'm not very creative. But, agreed. They're really stupid.

linux_chick 7 years, 10 months ago

ceallach: we used pico a bit at school to manage Pine (email).

I prefer coding in gedit (or even KWrite). They may have their limitations, but they're so much prettier :). Though, vi is really nice.

linux_chick 7 years, 10 months ago

rofl, extreme.

luminare 7 years, 10 months ago

Vi is the greatest out there. All you pico, emacs fan can so suck a nut. Also why do these topics suck so bad. We should be able to vote for these topics or something. Who is running this thing?

Lawrence is a little s--t town. You want to go and have a birthday bash like a bunch of hicks eating watermelons in a barn or something. Have a hotdog eating contest? I'm not paying for your chew through taxes used to fund this party.

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

linux: I have been using it (when all else fails) to manage web files on raven. However, raven is going away, have to see what they offer next :)

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

luminare: it is my understanding that vi is more complex than many users need.

Besides, I read a warning about vi: seems it can cause a person to have little snit fits at the mere thought of hicks, eating watermellon in barns, odd, huh? Would hate to see you stricken by that :)

Redneckgal 7 years, 10 months ago

Ceallach..LOL I haven't heard the term snit fit in years (though I'm sure I've had a few :)) I think I'll have to work that into a conversation or two tomorrow.

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

Redneckgal: as long as I can remember the children in my family understood that no snit fits would be allowed at gramma's house -- even before we knew what a snit fit was :)

Snit fits may be like obscenity or pornography -- hard to describe but you know it when you see it .

tell_it_like_it_is 7 years, 10 months ago

Whats wrong with hicks watermelons and hotdogs? I thought it was firecrackers porn and grilling that were bad.

Redneckgal 7 years, 10 months ago

Yes I think that anyone who has raised a teenager especially a daughter has a pretty fair idea of what a snit fit looks like!! For sure!

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

kinipshin fits!!! forgot about them. I'm sure I probably threw a few of those too.

Thank goodness I have out grown all of that! [Except when somebody says something bad about one of my family or friends....or just about anything that starts with "my" :-[

Guess I still have a ways to go:)

Redneckgal 7 years, 10 months ago

And by the way if you are raising teenagers and haven't seen one...you're either doing everything really really right..or really really wrong!!

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

Redneckgal: So true! I have three daughters, they were all teenagers at the same time -- miraculously we all survived.

consumer1 7 years, 10 months ago

Hot trukin mama? IS that you Lulu???

As far as the $4000,00 I think we should buy Simon a insulated toga for the winter months.

We don't need no stinkin party every year. City and county emplyees can't afford to live in this town and the city wants to have a party. Oh, let's have the party celebrating the city outside the city limits.... DUH??? And this susquawhatever it is called, isn't that in Michigan???

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

consumer1: don't forget KU employees, many of us can't afford the taxes, etc., either. A lot of regular, working people here too.

consumer1 7 years, 10 months ago

Ceallach, You are correct. My appologies. This town is more and more like Boulder every year. Families will be forced to live two or three families per household in order to survive. The housing market really SUCKS in this town... Hey LJW. Ask this question some day (outside of downtown). Do you think the housing market will bottom out before the working class people begin to kill and eat the prolitariat???

tell_it_like_it_is 7 years, 10 months ago

I think we made be headed for a second great depression. Or at least something very close to it.

tell_it_like_it_is 7 years, 10 months ago

I should add this. My wife works at a grocery store and also part time once in a while at a drug store. She said she has NEVER seen so many people putting groceries and presciptions on credit cards then she has in the last year or so. And its not just junk stuff they are putting a whole week of groceries on the cards. Time and Time again. Now I'm not downing them because I really suspect they can't afford food and medicine any other way. But what happens when they max out the cards? Bankruptcy won't help a lot of them unless their just dirt poor they will have to pay it back on a payment plan. which leaves them with even less money and now no credit either. I don't know. It's scary stuff when you think about it.

italianprincess 7 years, 10 months ago

Fix the roads, the potholes, the curbs where there isn't one anymore and things like that first.

So much wasted money goes here and there, but not where it should.

I'm all for a big celebration for the city, but didn't we have one last year. How much did that cost?

Money should be spent on things that are needed.

italianprincess 7 years, 10 months ago

I just wanted to post to get this question to 100.

LOL!!!!!!!!!

ms_canada 7 years, 10 months ago

tell it like it is - here is how it is with me. I carry very little cash, I put every single thing I can on my VISA Aventura card and for a good reason, I get airmiles. For every $ I spend I get 1 airmile. with my airmiles I am planning a trip to Lawrence, KS. True. I hear it is a nice city, except for the yellow roundabouts, grilling on balconies, fireworks in every yard, and birthday bashes. But I hear the folks are pretty nice and friendly. What say you? Oh and I am very careful with my VISA. I only buy what I need and I pay it off every month. IP will this be 101. Let's see.

ms_canada 7 years, 10 months ago

Yes!! I am very late tonite, goofy thing happened here in my city, the cable went out on the whole east end of the city, where I live. Took them until 4;30pm to get it up and running. Never happened before. No computer, no TV, boy did I ever get a lot of dusting and vacuuming done. :o) beatrice, I remember now.

tell_it_like_it_is 7 years, 10 months ago

Ms. Canada...I hope your right and thats what people are doing. As for the visit I live in little town about 30 miles south of Lawrence but shop and eat there often. It is a nice town. But I think if I were you I would wait until fall. Mid-September thru about mid-November we usaully get good weather and a whole lot less humidity. Today we got lots of rain and then the sun came out and now its like a steam bath outside.

Ceallach 7 years, 10 months ago

tell_it is certainly right about our weather ms_c. According to weather.com for about the next 9 or 10 days we will hit or top 100 degrees C. (with the humidity that equates to about 115 on some days)

ms_c: so your cable was out, bummer. I wondered if you were off on some adventure :) Maybe to Edmonton's birthday party . At least that pesky housework is done for a while, right?

We don't need another birthday party but I would be happy to attend a ms_canada welcome party!!! So save up those airmiles, lady.

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