Day 10: Spirit Lake, IA

Me at Barefoot Bar with a tiki god. (Note the fabulous new T-shirt.)

Today was a fun day! Auntie and I spent most of the day out shopping. First stop was the Barefoot Bar, which is only about a mile from the house. This great local bar has a Caribbean theme with tiki torches, sand pits, and palm trees. When tourist season officially opens, there is live music every weekend. If you go, I also recommend you buy some official Barefoot gear.

Next stop was Three Sons, the official site for University of Okoboji souvenir items. In case you didn’t follow the link in the previous blog, here’s U of O in a nutshell:

The University of Okoboji is a fictional university in the northwest Iowa Great Lakes region. The university was the creation of three brothers in the early 1970s, who printed T-shirts with an "official" school crest. ("Okoboji" refers to several lakes and to the town of Okoboji, all of which are popular recreational destinations.) The university is home of the "undefeated" (albeit nonexistent) Fighting Phantoms.

It is common among those claiming to be alumni to display university decor such as car decals and T-shirts without informing unsuspecting out-of-staters that the university isn't real. The name is now used in connection with several annual fundraising events for charity, including bike rides, a marathon, and an annual Winter Games competition. A local radio station, KUOO, has joined in the joke and refers to itself as the "campus radio".

Our final stop today was early dinner and live music courtesy of Itty Bitty Boji Band at an amazing local winery, Little Swan Lake Winery. The meal offering tonight was bison stroganoff, green beans, cole slaw, and cherry tart. Auntie and Uncle Roger had LSL wine, but dad and I sipped beer — Smoked Red for me and Pilsner for dad — from West O Brewery right here in Okoboji.

Band was excellent: played songs mostly from the 60s and 70s, and lots of the regulars danced to every song. At our table, every single one of us was singing along, tapping out the beat on the table, and waving our hands in the air. Uncle Roger was in charge of making a toast every so often and passing around the tip jar (actually, a tip goldfish bowl) for the band. The crowd may have been 90% “senior citizens,” but Barb pointed out a couple in their nineties who danced for at least an hour of the show. All in all, a lovely group of people and an exceptional evening!

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