In My Corner of the Ozarks, every September we celebrate Pioneer Day. It's the annual fall street festival at Mountain View, Missouri. This year, the 21st, Dad decided (He said it was my idea.) to sell hooey sticks and give the proceeds to the American Cancer Society.
We rented a booth space for the day. Dad had made 103 hooey sticks out of dry oak lumber.
He charged $2 per hooey stick. We put one of Mom's empty pickle jars on the table to collect the donations. Mom's photo also decorated the middle of the table.
And Dad dressed like a "very old" pioneer.
Our booth space was right in front of the building that formerly housed the E. R. David Used Furniture Store. Grandpa David was a real Mtn. View pioneer. He came here in 1915.
The "Master of Hooey" gave free lessons on the operation of the hooey stick from his old rocking chair.
The hooey sticks attracted a crowd all day long.
Some in the crowd should have known how to operate a hooey stick. This is Wayne, Dad's younger brother.
A few people remembered playing with hooey sticks as children, usually made by their fathers.
The most common question asked was "What is a hooey stick?" It's an old-time hand-made toy. By rubbing a second stick over the notches, the vibration causes a tiny propeller to spin. Pressure by the fingers on either side of the stick will reverse the direction of the spin. Of course, to enhance the mystery, the operator says "Hooey" each time he changes direction. See demonstration below from the Master of Hooey.
Dad sold 97 hooey sticks. He raised $261.25 for the American Cancer Society.
