Props to Dick Wiedenman

Both KJAM and MDL (print only -- sorry!) give prominent coverage to the clean-up of the old drive-in movie theater site, which culminated with a bonfire this morning to get rid of the remaining junk. East River Electric plans to build a 27,000-square-foot warehouse and service center on the land.

Conspicuously absent from either source's coverage was mention of the man who sold the land to East River, Madison's favorite persona non grata, Dick Wiedenman. I know, the media and the powers-that-be here hate Dick. They dragged him into court on nuisance charges over all the old trailers, garages, and general junk he kept on that property. People just didn't like such a junkard gracing the western gateway to Madison.

But, even though saying it won't win me any friends at the country club (and probably will earn me a dirty look from my friend Deb), some quixotic part of my heart goes out to Dick Wiedenman. I can't help sympathizing with a man who just wants to be left alone to do what he wishes with his property. Dick wasn't discharging toxic waste into the groundwater or the atmosphere (at least not that I ever read about in the paper). He wasn't feeding 80 stray cats or harboring terrorists. He just collected a lot of junk. (He also rides his bike a lot -- thumbs up!)

And ever since East River made Dick an offer he couldn't refuse, he's been busting his hump clearing the property. Just about every time I went to town, I saw him sifting through the junk, hauling away some useful bits, setting aside the rest for today's bonfire. Heck, he even boosted the local GDP by selling some of the more precious bits.

So Dick isn't exactly Chamber of Commerce material. He's not a big employer, certainly not worried about appearances. He's just a grouchy old guy who does his own thing. So's my dad. Maybe that's why the Madville Times will always have soft spot for the contrarians of our little world.