Uncle Mart's Sale Barn

Last Saturday there were a couple of things I would like to have done but as you know, you can only be in one place at any given time.  One of the things I wanted to do was to go to the Kramer Auction barn where auctions are held about twice a month.  When I was a teenager, Grandpa would go and help his brother on auction night when they would sell cows, pigs, and other livestock.  In it's heyday, the Kramer SaleBarn was a popular place.  My cousin, Cindy, still holds auctions about twice a month and I would now call it a "junk auction".  We got there about 12:30 and they were selling horse tack which is saddles, blankets and other things pertaining to horses; then they went outdoors to sell the hay that was brought in.  After that, they started on the "junk" - I can't imagine who was going to buy some of that stuff.  We left before they started selling the chickens, miniature ponies and sheep which is what I could like to have seen.  We would have had to wait over an hour and chose not to do that.

 

At one time, several towns around had sale barns with sales on Saturday afternoon.  It was the method by which farmers would buy or sell their livestock.  Luverne also had one.  I don't know of too many that are left.

 

  One good thing about the sale barn is that the CAFE has homemade pie so dad and I just had to have a piece for lunch - their sour-cream raisin was wonderful.

 

 This is the auction ring.  The auctioneer is the fella in the red hat.  At one time they would herd the livestock in through the white door in the middle of the picture and then after they were sold they would be herded back out the door behind the fella in the plaid shirt.

 The red things in the cages are chickens that were going to be sold with the sheep and ponies.

This is where the people sit around the "ring".  I couldn't believe how small it was - seems to me it was much larger at one time!!!

 My Uncle Mart's diploma from auctioneer school.  I asked him about going off to school once when I was visiting with him.  He said it came so easy for him and it was something he loved doing.  It's called "crying" an auction.

After we left the salebarn, we headed off to Ward, SD to have a birthday dinner for Kurt along with Uncle Glen and Aunt Sue.  We stopped and got a cup of chia tea and dad got a coffee smoothie and then we proceeded to take 2 1/2 hours for a one hour trip.  We took all back roads - a lot of them were gravel.  Drove through Dell Rapids and then spent some time driving through Flandreau.  Discovered that there is an Indian Residential School just north of Flandreau that is still operating.  Very interesting.  Need to do some further research on it.

Arrived in Ward about 10 minutes early and Uncle Glen was already there - we had a wonderful evening with the birthday boy and his wife and Glen & Sue.  I think we were there at least two hours. 

When dad and I left we went east, rather than west where we'd come from and took back roads all the way home.  It was a great afternoon!!!!!!!

Well, that's my blog for this Tuesday.  Aunt Sue reminded me this morning that it was Tuesday and time I updated my blog.  I have no excuse for not getting to it other than I didn't.

Have a super week!!!
Love to you all,
Gramma and MOM