The Evolution of "All Hands on Deck"

IMG_4335.JPGBy AARON TURNER Hill Billy Editor

GREY EAGLE -- Cousin Todd Martin has a gift for coming up with unique games, games usually designed around his own ability to win. Saturday at Big Birch Lake, he took a big swing ... and missed. At the sprawling Lake located in Central Minnesota, the Johnson family is blessed with lake-front property and several cabins. Out in front of some of their beach-front, sits a home-made raft, nicely built of 2x6 lumber on 55-gallon blue plastic drums, chained to the bottom and affixed some 20 feet off shore. (Webmaster's note: See photo Above) It's there that Martin had his first go-round with game-making. He called the game "Pontoon Platform Police." The game was crude, if not a touch fun. There was one officer located under the raft. There's nearly 18 inches of clearance from water level to the joists. The jailbreakers had to start at the ladder, and after a five-second headstart, the police would begin the search. Contestants would try to circle the raft, keeping in contact with either the raft or the drums underneath. The officer would then try to touch each breaker and the one that made it all the way around would begin as the police in the next round. The game bombed. However, from that game blossomed pure genious. Martin and Matt Bever brainstormed and came up with the best name yet, "All Hands on Deck." Some wanted to use that name for "Pontoon Platform Police," yet they held off. On the next day, "a major step in the evolution raft games," as Bever said, occured. Cousin Aaron Turner found a whiffle ball on the beach, and from that simple discovery came the present and future of raft games from now until eternity. With the simple addition, many hours sifted by. The premise was similar, only the police officer started with the ball and contestants could start from any position on the raft with the corners being the most coveted spot. The officer was limited this go-round to the center of the raft and must stay in contact with either of the center two (there are six total) barrels. "It was revolutionary," said Marc Bever, a veteran of several years of rafting games. "I really think it's going to set the standard for rafting games from now on." It's not gender exclusive, either, nor age discriminatory. The Bever descendants: Marc, Matt, Todd, Aaron and in-law Jason Warnock, as well as several Johnson decendants: Breanna, Grant and Maddy all tried the game, and all loved it. After the original officer tagged the first person out, that culprit was soon an aide to the officer, with tag-team strategies coming into play. The choppy waters of Big Birch Lake added a little hijinx as the waves lifted and slammed the raft back. Turner, it was said, was at an advantage. His 6-foot-4 frame was the biggest wing span of the group, but it was little 9-year-old Maddy Johnson that got the gamer award, playing in water over her head without the aide of a lifejacket. Grant Johnson provided much of the comic relief, but it was the essence of the game, of "All Hands on Deck" that won the crowd and, without a doubt, will soon become a legacy of Lafayette Resort on Big Birch Lake.

The author of this story can be reached at story_teller911@yahoo.com

Jennie is getting married Sat

Heading to Mom and Dad's tomorrow for Jennie's wedding on Sat (and yes Jen, I now know that the wedding is at 3:30pm). First, I have to pick up G'ma and G'pa Johnson at the Indy airport. My brothers and I will be ushers. Last Sat, I went to Mark Dismore's New Castle Motorsports Park. I was helping Trevor with his shifter kart. It's a neat facility. I'd like to get out there again.

New Year's Eve

Ryan, Matt, and Greg seconds before ringing in 2005. As you can see, shoes and socks are already off in preparation of running around the house bare-footed at midnight. It is a tradtion started many years ago by my grandpa, Jim Bever. This year it was the ground was saturated. Besides getting mud everywhere, the conditions made for decent barefoot running. Some years, the ground is frozen and there is no snow. That is the worst condition to run in. My favorite is when there is a lot of snow....cold, but soft and clean.

The Wabash Plain Dealers Sports Editor

I made the announcement before, but here's his views about the future of the sports section of the WPD Click here

or

As new sports editor, I'm ready

By AARON TURNER Sunday, January 23, 2005 11:50 PM EST

There comes a time when everyone has a decision to make. And mine came recently.

When former sports editor Darren Phillips informed The Plain Dealer of his plans to move on, I was given a choice to make.

I was offered the sports editor's position and graciously accepted, and here's why.

Usually it takes me a long time to mull things over. I go over and over the different pros and cons of situations, but the decision to be included in the mix was instantaneous.

In Saturday's newspaper, it listed my awards and whatnot, but even without the state-recognized awards, it's the people in the community for which I applied.

Having grown up in Wabash County, I know the importance of local athletics. No matter which sport, no matter how bad the record, people still love to go to the games and to read about it the next morning.

That's where I step in.

For two years I was the sports department at a little bi-weekly newspaper in Southern Indiana, a town with roughly one-third the population of Wabash.

It was there that I, a green-horned kid right out of college, realized what all I could do for the community.

At Salem, I did the photos (which thank goodness for Greg because he does a wonderful job), the layout as well as composing all the text that went into the paper.

Here, at The Plain Dealer, we're blessed with The Associated Press. But I'm not going to use that as a crutch.

The way I see it is that everyone has a story to tell, and I'm here to tell it to everyone.

I think I've proven, even while I've only been with The Plain Dealer a couple months, that feature stories are fun for me to write and people enjoy reading them.

I'm also developing a following with my columns, and even though I'll still be doing page layouts and whatnot, I'll still find time to make fun of myself or tell a different type of story from my views up here in "The Cheap Seats."

There are several ideas that I'm mulling over and with your help, the community in Wabash County, the sports section will be one of the best in the state.

When I was at Salem, I realized the importance of local sports, and the local community. Oh, I'll use the AP, but I hope I very rarely put out an all-AP section, unless, like recently, nearly every sporting event has been postponed, like Saturday night.

I want everybody to know that I'm accessible at any time by e-mail at sports@pmgnews.com. Or, since I'm out and about quite a bit, come up to me at a game just to say, "Hey."

There may be a few road bumps along the way, but trust me and be patient. Good things will come.

Well, that's it for now and until next time, I'll see you in The Cheap Seats.

Aaron Turner is sports editor for The Wabash Plain Dealer. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.

I'm back

I'm back home after a few days off. Some highlights of my time off: Leaving when there's no snow in Mitchell, Mitchell getting 20"+ of snow, but it all melting by the time I arrive back home. Matt and Neil doing snow angels in just their shorts and boots at night when it was probably around 6 degrees outside. Going to Christmas Eve Service when it was -14 degrees. Spilling the Communion crackers during the Christmas Eve service. Making a snowman that was at least 8.5 ft tall. Waking up at 1:30 am to help Dad fix a broken pipe in the well when it was 40 degrees outside (4 days after it had been -14 degrees). And once again running around the house barefooted with my cousins to bring in the new year (eventhough the wife, finance, and girlfriend who were there didn't join in on the fun )

The OTHER Marc Bever

The OTHER Marc BeverBidding Marc Bever, co-owner of Bever Livestock Auction, looks at the auctioneer as he points to a bidder during an auction a week ago Saturday.

Link to story about Bever Livestock Auction

"The Central Point auction was owned by Bud Bever. The Wilbur auction is owned by his son, Marc.

"I've pretty much been in the business my whole life," Marc Bever said.

Bever, 36, remembers coming to the Roseburg area for the auction as a child. Now he's running the show, along with wife, Amber, and teenage sons, Marc Jr. and Matthew."

:twilight zome music:

WILBUR -- One couple drove two hours to buy sheep, but departed with nothing.

Another man left the Bever Livestock Auction with a truck carrying 14 goats.

That's the way the bidding can go at the newly opened auction yard in Wilbur.

For some, the reopening of the livestock auction, on the site of the former Roseburg Livestock Auction Inc., is nothing short of a blessing.

"There is a need in this area for a sale," said Clyde Gauger of Riddle, who brought three, 750-pound heifers to sell.

Local livestock auctions appear to be dying off in rural communities. However, 100 or so people filled the auction arena in Wilbur on a recent murky Saturday morning.

They came from as far away as Cave Junction and Coquille to buy and sell livestock. The closest alternatives are in Eugene, Klamath Falls or even Northern California.

"We had one in Central Point, but they closed it down, so we had to come all the way here," said Jay Gould, who traveled more than 90 miles from Selma and purchased the 14 goats.

The Central Point auction was owned by Bud Bever. The Wilbur auction is owned by his son, Marc.

"I've pretty much been in the business my whole life," Marc Bever said.

Bever, 36, remembers coming to the Roseburg area for the auction as a child. Now he's running the show, along with wife, Amber, and teenage sons, Marc Jr. and Matthew.

While Bever says he's both surprised and pleased that people are coming from many miles away every Saturday, his family relocated to the area because "I want to take care of the people up here."

At the same time, he understands out-of-town buyers and sellers will probably be what sustains the business.

"The main thing is getting the word out," he said.

FAMILY LABOR The Central Point auction, called the Rogue Valley Livestock Auction, operated since the 1940s, originally by Marc Bever's grandfather, Bob.

It sold for "a lot of money" to a developer and closed in May. It was located in a growing area where, "everybody was subdividing," Bever said.

Roseburg Livestock Auction Inc., which operated for around 50 years, closed in May 2002. Between 1994 and that time, however, the yard sat idle for several years and went through a number of managers.

The Bevers then purchased the property and the first auction was last month.

"It still needs a lot of improvements, but it's up and going and going good," Bever said.

While it's tough to gauge the overall interest thus far, Bever said 150 head of cattle and 50 to 60 goats have, on average, passed through each week. Horses, rabbits, pigs and even llamas have been sold.

Amber Bever works the registration counter on auction day while Marc displays the animals for bidding. Their sons are also in on it all, making sure the animals are where they need to be.

Marc Bever said he hopes his sons will follow him in the family tradition -- a tradition that includes a lot of work.

"It's pretty hard to take a couple of days off," he said. "We might get a half-day off here or there, but it's pretty much a seven-days-a-week job. You've got to love the business."

AUCTION SPEAK Canyonville auctioneer Bob Brown handles the selling. His rapid-fire delivery offering up each livestock lot doesn't quite sound like English to those who aren't auction-savvy.

To bidders, who shot their hand up for every animal that came through the door, his words were obviously making sense.

"Wait till Christmas, it's going to cost you a hell of a lot more than four and a quarter," he said about a horse on the auction block. It sold for $500.

While Brown rattles off his own auctioneer language with a booming tone, often over the shrieking of animals on display, Bever keeps a keen eye on the crowd, pointing out bidders who throw their hands in the air.

Several times, he pointed at Tom and Kristy Rollins of Cave Junction.

The couple bought two horses, one for their grandchildren, some turkeys, a sheep and some ranch rope. They've been to the Bever auction four times already.

They take in numerous animals, often times hard-luck cases, usually to rehabilitate and relocate them to a good home.

"They'll have a donkey for $5, (then) she'll buy a donkey," Tom Rollins said of his wife.

One Coquille couple wasn't so lucky. Ron and Sabra Regel were disappointed in their first trip to the area's auction yard.

They drove two hours to buy sheep, but drove two more hours home with nothing. They said they probably won't be back until next summer.

"We came all the way here and there was only four sheep," Sabra Regel said.

The auction isn't just about the animals, however.

"It's a good social outing for old people," Kristy Rollins said with a laugh. "We just always have a good time."

MAKING IT WORK Tom and Kristy Rollins plan to be back and hope there will be an auction yard for them to return to.

Their only other reasonable options, they say, are traveling to Klamath Falls or driving over the Siskiyous to Cottonwood, Calif.

When Roseburg Livestock Auction Inc. closed more than two years ago, its owners said there weren't enough animals coming in to support the business. Today, there are other competing factors, including satellite bidding for livestock on television.

The Bever Livestock Auction manages to provide a comfortable atmosphere, according to Kristy Rollins. An auction is also better for her than buying and selling through advertisements.

"A lot of people, and that's me included, don't like dealing with the paper because you have to give people your address," she said.

Even with that advantage, Marc Bever knows it's going to take a lot of work to make just a little.

Bever gets a commission on each sale, which, for example, is 5 percent on cattle.

"You can't get rich at it, but it's kind of fun -- and a good challenge," he said.

The auction yard itself is small compared to setups in Eugene and Klamath Falls, Bever admits, but it does have room to expand. Bever would even like to one day feature an auction with furniture and other inanimate items.

For now, the auction is geared toward helping the "little guys," independent farmers and ranchers. Large-scale producers don't require an auction, Bever said, but many others need a place to deal their animals in order to make a living.

"Everybody's got a chance to bid on them," he said. "Most of the time, they're bringing more money than what you could on the ranch."