Stan helped start Chaska's annual small town celebration, "River City Days," over 25 years ago. . . and it is still going strong, blessed this year by perfect weather that brought out the throngs we would have been proud to host in the early years. Our big draw then was the "Picnic in the Park," featuring dinner for a dollar. Chaska has a town square with a band gazebo, so it's a natural for community gatherings. We served up a hot dog, cold beans, a cob of corn plunged in butter, a local Gedney pickle, and a watermelon slice -- for just a buck. You'd still have plenty of money left in your pocket for the Jaycee beer tent. Folks lined up down the block, especially larger families.
Kathleen was a fellow member of the chamber of commerce and one year she was the bean lady, placing a dollop of cold beans on each outstretched paper plate. Many diners had never heard of such a thing... beans served cold. Kathleen hadn't heard of it either, but she dutifully performed, scooping beans from the big industrial size cans with her ready chamber of commerce smile.
Another Chaska delicacy: spicy chopped beef and onion served raw, yes, cold and raw, bound up with raw egg, on a cracker. You just don't see that around much anymore, do you?
