Prairie Village News 5/3/16

Faron Wahl, Manager

A dark, shadowy figure has been hanging around the village for some time now. Anyone who is around much has seen him, but most don’t give him a second thought.

Our gift shop manager is tired of him looking over her shoulder, so she said it’s time for him to go. Straight to the auction block.

He would be the village moose. You may know the one – this mounted bull-moose head has been silently greeting village visitors for decades. He’s been hanging around (quite literally) the gift shop since at least the early 1970’s, and likely before, according to reliable sources. But alas, as the gift shop underwent some interior cosmetic surgery this spring, it became apparent that the era of the moose needed to come to a close. And he can be yours for the high bid this Saturday at our annual consignment auction.

Who wouldn’t want a shot at owning such a historic moose? Think about it. This critter from at least as far back as the Nixon administration has watched the village unfold one building at a time. He may even be a charter member. Any moose who likely saw the village through the Apollo missions is worth a second look. Moreover, he could very well have been here through the breakup of the Beatles, and his tenancy predates Diet Coke.

But we have no evidence of him ever pulling a bundle wagon in for threshing, nor did he likely labor to break up the virgin Dakota sod ahead of a single-bottom plow. Nothing about him, you may opine, ever seemed to really have much of anything to do with Prairie Village.

Precisely. Which is why you’ll have one crack at taking him home with you on May 7. He might not be a moose representative of turn-of-the-20th century South Dakota, but he’s still a stately moose in his own right. You may just need him worse than you think you do.

So come on out for the auction Saturday. The list of other consigned items on our website (prairievillage.org/auction) is ballooning daily, now requiring several pulls on your mouse roller to scroll down through it all. And as usual, good stuff is there for the perusing: a sharp Allis WD45, Chevy Suburbans, Dodge Caravans, power poles, industrial items, riding mowers, building materials, and a 45,000 watt generator.

Also one lightly-used moose head.

If that isn’t enough excitement for one weekend, we’ll follow the consignment auction with Opening Day 2016 on Sunday, which is also the kickoff for our 50th anniversary season. This serves up quite the family fun venue as we open the doors on the summer season, offering history in three dimensions plus carousel, doodlebug, and train rides. And if Mom’s along, her train ride is free that day as we honor all mothers.

So please join us this weekend, both for the season opener and for the auction. And when you arrive Saturday morning for the 10:00 auction (gates open at 7:00), just go get your bidding number right away. You’ll certainly want it for any number of quality items available, whether that be a 5th wheel camper, tools, ladders, office equipment, air compressors, cattle fountains, or a truck tire changer.

Or one classic moose.