This morning I drove to Arcola, Illinois, Broomcorn Capital of the World, to participate in the annual Broomcorn festival. It's kind of a big deal. What is broomcorn, you ask? It's the plant from which brooms are made; broommaking is a prominent industry in this central Illinois town of 2,652 gentle souls.

Julie's dad, a local broom baron, co-founded the Lawn Rangers, a precision lawnmower drill team, in the early 80's. They travel around the country marching at parades and college bowl games. Schroeder and I had the privilege of joining their ranks this year after a grueling 5 minutes of rookie camp, which consisted of mild hazing and learning three precision moves, including "walk the dog" and the death-defying "cross and toss". I am now a proud Ranger, and plan on decorating my own lawnmower for next year's parade.