1986 The Year of Our New Hats & and Drinking Gloves & RAIN!!!!!!

The "Gang" this year consists of me, Rick Madsen, his son Dennis , Tom Anderson, Brent Anderson, Bob Pegarsch, his 2 sons Ron & Eddie, and Todd (?), and a co-worker of mine, Darold Fero. Darold, Eddie, & Dennis are this years "rookies". When us 3 fathers (myself, Rick & Tom) started this annual outing, we said our 3 boys could go to Indy when they turn 15yrs old. Brent turned 15 a couple of years ago and now Dennis has. My son Scott is still awaiting his turn. The "Vehicles"; My 1977 Chrysler New Yorker ('the boat") pulling the pop-up & Todd's camper/van.........

The Good-Time Gang now has hats! I went out and had hats made for everyone. They are black hats with gold stiching on the front that says; "Wisconsin Good-Time Gang". Now everyone has someplace to put pins. (oh boy!) The "Party"; Got to track/Teresa's on Sat. and set up camp. Took our traditional walk down 16th & Georgetown and went to Miss Nude Indy 500 Contest.

Sunday (raceday) it's RAINING, RAINING, RAINING!! Race cancelled around 3:30p.m. Came back to camp, had supper, got drunk (again), and watched Darold kick around a football until he went to kick it and missed and fell on his ass in the MUD! During this time, my brother Rick and I were sitting in the camper and he say's to me; "catch the action with the cooler". (we had a Playmate cooler sitting just outside the door of the camper) Anyway, after he said that, I looked out in time to see the cooler flouting away in the rain. And it was FULL OF BEER!!!!! When someone says it rains alot in Indiana in May, believe them!

Monday: MORE RAIN!! Race postponed until following Saturday. But something good did come out of the rain delays. When Tom, Rick & I were walking thru the infield, Tom was wearing a Wisconsin Badgers shirt and got noticed by a fellow Wisconsinite. He liked Tom's shirt, but we liked his Old Style beer drinking glove EVEN MORE!!! He said to meet him at his motorhome and he would give us some. We did that and when he came out of the motorhome he was carrying a handfull of these gloves and a BIG pair of shears. After he cut off all the finger tips and thumb tips he handed them to us and said "there, now their drinking gloves"! He said he worked at a beer distributor in Madison, Wi. So now the Wisconsin Good-Time Gang has hats and drinking gloves as their trade marks.

Following Saturday: (May 31st 1986) Everyone came back to Indy except Eddie P. and Tom A. Tom said he could see more of race sitting in Wisconsin in his easychair. "Ya, Right, Tom"

Note: Tom's favorite driver is Bobby Rahal...(just thought I'd throw that in..)

Saturday is a nice day a looks like they will finally get the race in. Brent and I walked thru Gasoline Alley before the race and when I went to mensroom, I "took a leak" with Danny Sullivan!! (Talk about up close and personal!) Was a good exciting race with Bobby Rahal winning. (Hey Tom, enjoying your easychair?) Back in '86 the officials used to open Gasoline Alley to the public after the race. We stopped and talked to Arie Luyendyk when he was standing by his garage by himself. He said he liked our hats. (Arie was living in Brookfield, Wi at the time). Came home to get ready for the 1987 race............