For those of you just tuning in, this is Kevin "Cheese" Bieging, Scott Kleeb's very own personal body man, reporting to you live from the road out here in Western Nebraska.
Yesterday was day three of our four day, fifteen event Panhandle Progress Tour (make sure to check out part 1 and part 2), and this time our travels brought us to the Oregon Trail Days celebration in Scottsbluff/Gering. No sight-seeing today, just some good 'ole-fashion retail politics, with Scott making a lot of new friends and seeing a lot of familiar faces as well.
The Parade
We started the day with about 25 supporters at the Oregon Trail Days parade. For those of you who've never tried to keep up with Scott Kleeb in a parade, let me assure you that it's pretty exhausting. He's become quite adept at zooming from one side of the street to another, shaking every hand he can reach and engaging in conversations with everyone he can.
At the end of the parade we encountered a large family in a tent chanting "We want Scott! We want Scott!" Needless to say, Scott went over to say hi, and I wasn't sure that we'd ever get him back. Everyone wanted a photograph, a handshake, a hug... he even busted out the old Scott-a-graph for some campaign memorabilia a time or two.
The Cook-off
From there we headed towards a barbecue in the park, where Scott took interviews with KNEB radio and the Gering Courier before working the room and shaking some more hands. He even stopped to talk with an Elvis impersonator. I'm not real sure what the two of them talked about, but I have my theories...
From the barbecue we went to the State Champion CASI Chili Cook-off, where Scott and I both served as judges for the green chili contest. My favorite was number 7, because it was the spiciest, but Scott was a fan of number 6 (a good choice, I'll admit). We talked to some of the cooks afterwards, though thankfully the double-blind nature of the contest saved Scott from some of the potential political ramifications of his vote.
From there we went to watch the tractor pull (the highlight of the tour for me personally), lingered around and talked to some more voters before heading to our next event.
Boots and Beer Gering
We ended the night with a "Boots and Beer" rally at Gilli's Gas and Fill, and boy was that crowd pumped. The room was literally overflowing with supporters, and Scott got a great response from his speech about how Nebraska can help transform our energy economy.
After speaking, Scott worked the room and talked modern railroad issues with Reub of UTU local 257. Reub's concerned about the increasing automation of the railroad industry today, and what that means for the many communities that are still dependent on railroad labor.
Afterwards, Matt with the Scottsbluff County Democrats bought a round for the campaign. Good times!
Of course, it's always nice to end on a high note, especially seeing as how I had to wake up at 4:00 this morning. Oh well, I guess that's just the price you pay for living the dream.
That's all for now. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion to our series. And, as always, don't forget to contribute to Scott Kleeb for Senate today. Remember: your contributions make this all possible.