Gearing up for Super Bowl 53
The Los Angeles Rams and the New England Patriots are set to face off in Super Bowl 53, or expressed as Roman numeral LIII. Across the country, NFL fans are planning cookouts, buffets and other gatherings for watching the game.
Locally the Howard 4-H club is holding its annual Super Bowl pancake breakfast. Held in the Joe VanAllen Hall at the Madera District Fairgrounds, the breakfast includes sausage, eggs, pancakes and beverages 8 to 11 a.m., with take-out available. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger.
The women of the Young Ladies Institute of St. Joachim Church are selling enchiladas at $15 a dozen, $8 a half dozen and $2 for extra sauce. Advance orders may be placed by calling Plaza Flower Shop, 673-9197; Evelyn Gallegos, 674-2106 or Annette Kwock, 661-2137. Preorders may be picked up from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. next Saturday at the Ben Hayes Hall, Madera County Farm Bureau, 1102 Pine Street.
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Often times local watering holes, veteran’s organizations and the Elks lodge will put out snacks in an effort to keeping patrons entertained and buying drinks. Some of these same establishments will also have games of chance with the outcome of the game determining who wins the jackpot.
One bar that I used to frequent had what they called its Big Board. On a piece of cardstock, a 10 by 10 grid pattern containing 100 squares that were sold at $100 each. The prizes were determined by the score giving square holders four chances to win $2,500. In what I remember to be about a 20-year period, I never won a single quarter. That did not deter me from buying a square on the following year’s Big Board.
This sort of chance game is illegal in California. I am comfortable writing about it because the gentlemen who owned the drinking establishment are mixing Margaritas in the hereafter.
Gambling is one of those activities that are both good and bad. While it is unlawful to play most games of chance, among the general populace, these same activities are all perfectly legal at a Native American casino. It strikes me as an interesting conundrum that there are laws to regulate this confusing behavior. Just over the state line in neighboring Nevada, gambling is permitted as are fireworks. The types of pyrotechnics that are unlawful in California are perfectly legal in Nevada. Shops sell these high volume explosives year round. So much of California was dry and on fire last summer, I was surprised all fireworks in the state weren’t banned.
While the Super Bowl is the end of the 2018-2019 NFL season, it signals the beginning of the 2019 National Hot Rod Association’s drag racing season.
This is one more program to entertain my husband on Sunday afternoons. He is picky about his sports viewing. He watches NFL but doesn’t care much for college football unless Fresno State is playing. During basketball season, he enjoys college hoops but doesn’t care about the NBA. When it comes to auto racing, he watches drag racing but not NASCAR.
He doesn’t care to watch baseball of any kind. I find this a little bit odd because his father was one of those fans who listened to baseball on the radio.
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Long days and pleasant nights, have a great weekend.
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Readers, may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailingtamijonix@gmail.com or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.
