Here is a detailed report of the absolutely wonderful weekend spent in Eveleth
 at the "Hockey Happening '91" which is the showcase for the U.S. Hockey Hall
 of Fame in Eveleth, Minn.
 
 Erik and his wife Paula and I made the almost four-hour drive north on Friday
 evening. The fall colors were fabulous and the drive pleasant. We were greeted
 at the hotel by the local newspaper, The Eveleth Scene and as predicted by a
 reliable source, there was an article on page four all about US!! I quote from
 the article: "Gopher Fans will energize parade, Hall of Fame game"
     On Saturday, October 12th, the Eveleth community and U.S. Hockey Hall of
 Fame (USHHF) Enshrinment events can expect an invasion of friendly forces from
 south of the Hinkley rest stop. The energetic and vocal bunch can only be
 described by one phrase: Gopher Hockey Fans!!
     Contacts within the organization report that the Gopher fans are planning
 a "float vehicle" in the Hockey Happening Parade on Saturday morning, complete
 with cheering hockey fans wearing the colors and a banner proclaiming their
 allegiance. According to banner artist Carol White, the autographs of
 prominent former Gopher Hockey players will also be noticeable on the sign.
      The contingent includes some former Iron Range residents and expects to
 take in the full slate of U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame events, making their
 presence known wherever they might be.
      The Hall of Fame Game at 7:30 that night at the Eveleth Hippodrome will
 most definitely become center stage for the group.(end of quoted stuff)
 
 We were quite impressed with the article and reputation which had preceeded us
 to Eveleth! So, right after arriving and unloading the car we headed
 "downtown" to catch the crowning of this year's Miss Eveleth. We also took in
 a bit of the Street Dance and visited a few local establishments for
 refreshments.*:-)
 
 On Saturday morning we were up early so that we could attend the Pancake
 Breakfast at the Elks Club. It was very good and there were quite a few of the
 Squirts players with their families at the breakfast. After the breakfast we
 scouted out the craft show and flea market at the local Curling Club and then
 went on to prepare the banner for the parade.
 
 The banner that we all carried in the parade has a long and tradition filled
 history. It reads: MINNESOTA HOCKEY --- BORN IN THE U.S.A. and it resembles
 the Bruce Springsteen "Born in the U.S.A." album cover. It is six feet tall
 and five feet wide, and was carried mounted to three hockey sticks. I painted
 the banner right before the Gophers went to NCAA's in 1987 in Detroit. The
 banner was prominently displayed on the wall in Joe Louis Arena right in front
 of the Minnesota section. If you were there, you may have seen this great
 banner. After Detroit, it traveled to all the final fours the Gophers went to,
 although it was not always displayed due to restrictions in some arenas. It
 has been to several Gopher Hockey banquets and has been signed by several
 former Gopher players.
 
 This parade was the perfect place to display this banner! Many people took
 photos of it and videos of it. Even a Northern Michigan fan was seen taking
 video tape of it!!! We carried it two people at a time and the other two threw
 the candy, which we were told was required in order to be a big hit in the
 parade! ;-) This was the highlight of the weekend!! The parade also featured
 the newly crowned Miss Eveleth and her princesses and the enshrinees to the
 Hall of Fame. The Eveleth H.S. band, some Squirt players, an ambulance, a fire
 engine, a large piece of farm equipment, a tank and jeep and a few other
 various locals were also in the parade.
 
 After the parade, we wnet to the Hall of Fame and toured the facility. It was
 not as disappointing as we were led to believe, in fact we liked it very much.
 We were able to see the Stanley Cup up close and very personal! It was on a
 pedestal in the middle of a room and we were even able to touch it. A guard
 stood nearby, but didn't interfere with the many fans who carefully looked at
 it, took pictures of it, etc. It was impressive to say the least. We were also
 able to view the now highly famous USA-Soviet game from February 1980 and
 really enjoyed watching the end of that game! The hair on the back of my neck
 again stood on end! Awesome...
 
 The Enshrinement of John Matchefts, Rob Ftorek and Bob Johnson was held
 outside the Hall of Fame and was more emotional than I had anticipated. I knew
 that when they inducted Bob Johnson, it would be hard but it was hard for all
 three. Tears were shed as each one accepted their award. Peter Johnson, Bob's
 son stood in for his Dad, as Bob was not well enough to attend. It was an
 honor to be able to see this and to learn more about three men who influenced
 the game of hockey a great deal.
 
 OOOpps! Lunch is over...will continue this later today!
 
 -Carol