Meddling Mike
We open on a television screen on this muggy late June in Rayville just in time to catch the evening news. We are so excited to the lovely Kyla say, “Good evening everyone. Welcome to Richland Parish Evening News, I’m Kyla Lawson. Well tomorrow will be the very last Swampstock concert. Mr. McGraw has told us that all good things must come to an end but he also said this would be the best show ever. Hotels are sold out in Rayville, Monroe, Ruston and Shreveport. The crowd is expected to be over 300,000 people. Thanks for tuning in, I’m Kyla Lawson.”
Mike and his grandpa are riding through the town of Rayville and Mike spots Mr. Riser’s car at the Sonic Drive-In. He asks his grandpa to stop there and park on the backside. Mike jumps out the passenger side. Mr. Riser is sitting in the driver’s seat eating a Sausage Breakfast Toaster Sandwich and cold brew iced coffee from Sonic as Mike shouts from the passenger window, “HEELLLLOOOOO MR. RISER!”
Mr. Riser throws his sandwich out the window, spills his coffee all over his crisp white shirt and the inside of his car. As the coffee drips from his hair he shouts, “PINK POTATO SALAD!!! Why would you do that?”
Mike is tickled pink. Mr. Riser then says, “I want you to go to Swampstock. You have an all access pass to cover the last of this historical event. It’s gonna be something.”
Mike is so excited to go but Mr. Riser warns him, “Mike please write the story and don’t BE the story!” Mike gives a big smile and leaves.
It’s a very hot Saturday night as we arrive in Start, Louisiana. Highway 80 has cars lined up as far as the eye can see. Three cotton fields have been converted into parking lots. There is a huge stage setup across the way and there are television cameras everywhere recording this event. It’s over 300,000 people there and about 1,000,000 mosquitoes in the air. You can smell the delicious food coming from the bbq grills because the legendary convenience store Start Mart is catering all of the food and beverages this year.
Mike is on the side of the stage as we hear Mr. McGraw start with, “Spent $48 last night at the County Fair!” The crowd goes crazy and the music is blasting away. Mike is taking lots of photos, dancing and having the time of his life. But he notices two alligators on stage headed directly towards Mr. McGraw. He runs on stage, disrupts the band, knocks Mr. McGraw down, leaps on top of one of the alligators to wrestle it away only to find out that they are animatronics that are part of the show.
The show has completely stopped. Mr. McGraw jumps to his feet and shouts, “GET HIM!!!” And oh my goodness the ground starts to rumble as all 300,000 people storm the stage and chase after Mike. They chase him out the back stage door out into a field.
While running and taking pictures he says, “well he said he was sending me to SWAMP STOP. I wonder if he knew I would actually have to stop the show?! Wow this gonna make a great story! DON’T FORGET TO TURN OUT THE LIGHTS!”
Roger J. Timber is a native of Rayville and graduate of Rayville High School. He is an actor known for Warped!, S.W.A.T. and Insecure in addition to more than 30 Hollywood productions and a children’s book author.