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Thursday, August 16, 2007

Clear the Building! It's Burnt Popcorn!

In Florida's city of Brooksville, over-eager Fire Chief Tim Mossgrove grandiously declared that City Hall had to be cleared out when he got a whiff of burning popcorn.

Our local paper, the St. Pete Times, thought it was somewhat comical. However, they also mentioned that Mossgrove was at City Hall to take part in budget negotiations with the Brooksville City Manager.

Brooksville is a strange little town. The only thing that it's known for is Roger's Christmas House & Village. Every fall, Brooksville attracts visitors who want to roam throughout a series of old, wooden houses that have been converted to sell Christmas items. Each house has a theme: Storybook, Tropical, Kitchen, etc. It's a charming way to spend an afternoon before you retire to a local teahouse for blueberry muffins and scones. However, it's the only thing to do in Brooksville unless you are a farmer.

So, it's understandable that Mossgrove (and Brooksville!) might want a little attention. After all, not much goes on out that way. But I find it a little ludicrous to believe that a bag of burning popcorn could clear an entire building.

Incidentally, no one has claimed responsibility.

3 comments:

The Lazy Iguana said...

I have been to Brooksville a number of times. The term "old farts living on a golf course" comes to mind. So there are really two things to do there. Play shuffleboard, and go to the Christmas Village thing.

It would have been fun to watch that building get cleared out. How long did it take? Where did they park all the Rascal Scooters?

daveawayfromhome said...

Hmmmm. Showboating or culture-of-fear mentallity? Neither one a pretty choice.

The Lazy Iguana said...

Nothing exciting happens in Brooksville. It is just a large retirement trailer village on a golf course. Really. Don't believe me? Go there. I had an aunt and uncle that lived there. They had plastic covering their furniture.

The burnt popcorn is the most exciting that happened there since the gold course pool was struck by lightning in 1982, and of course the infamous gopher attack that same summer.