Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. will never be the same for me because I miss Lake Wobegon. You see at that precise time or at least within the hour, there would an update about all of the goings-on that had happened during the week in the “small rural town in central Minnesota.”

Of course, it was all fictional and created by the talented Garrison Keillor, whom at one time was a National Public Broadcasting superstar with his weekly program, A Prairie Home Companion. Ah, but on those Saturday afternoons at 5 p.m. I hung on every word. I knew all of the townspeople by name. The good folks met each morning at the Chatterbox Café to catch up with the local news.

Now, I admit some of the stuff that happened was rather weird but for me, the weirder the better. Keillor’s description of the population who lived in Wobegon appealed to me. His monologue was folksy, mostly innocent with quirky characters, and I could relate to the people who lived there.

Now who wouldn’t like this charming place?

The fictional town is the home of the Whippets baseball team, tuna hotdish, snow, Norwegian bachelor farmers, ice fishing, tongues frozen to cold metal objects, and lutefisk — fish treated with lye which, after being reconstituted, is reminiscent of “the afterbirth of a dog or the world’s largest chunk of phlegm.” But it is also the home of the Mist County Fair, old-fashioned show yards with flowers “like Las Vegas showgirls”, sweet corn, a magnificent grain elevator, and the pleasant lake itself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Wobegon

There were even fictional commercials. One I remember was “Powder Milk Biscuits, Tasty and, oh, so delicious.” Also there was Jack’s Auto Repair & Jack’s School of Thought (all under the same roof), Ralph’s Pretty Good Grocery and Bertha’s Kitty Boutique (for cat lovers). Back in the day who would have thought of a cat boutique? Maybe the funniest was The Sidetrack Tap “the dim little place in the dark where the pinball machine never tilts, the clock is a half-hour slow and love never dies.”

I mean this was good stuff and I miss it.

Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility Catholic Church is where you will meet Father Emil and if counsel is needed, don’t bother. The Father seemed to have a problem with tact, which actually gave him more time for the trivial because no one would return for a second session.

Not to forget the Whippets baseball team where Garrison was stuck in right field, always with the sun blinding him when the ball was hit high in the sky right over him. Or even when the beautiful, sunny weather was a problem for him, because that meant he had to work the potato patch, but on rainy days he could sit on the front porch and read.

Yes, reading was his passion along with writing, especially limericks.

There was an old man of Bay Ridge

Proud of his Norse heritage

He was almost pure Norse,

With some Danish, of course,

And some Irish, but only a smidge.

When Keillor tried to explain his original concept he said, “The town’s name comes from an old Native American word meaning the place where we waited all day in the rain (for you).” He explained, “Wobegon sounded Indian to me and Minnesota is full of Indian names.”

Each week his story began with “It’s been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon …” then he was off. It seemed he rambled but there was a script or so I’ve read. The closing words of the weekly story were always “all the women are strong, the men are good-looking and all the children are above average.”

I would like to think that the little town of Lake Wobegon was truly as sweet and innocent as the stories and yes, I will continue to believe that, however, I know fiction when I read it. Therefore I will conclude this column with a Garrison Keillor quote which is his true words, not fiction.

Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough.

Anne B McKee is a Mississippi historian, writer and storyteller. She is listed on the Mississippi Humanities Speakers Bureau and Mississippi Arts Commission’s Performing Artist and Teaching Artist Rosters. See her web site: www.annemckeestoryteller.com