The Hardware Man - Butler Rally - My Story - Part I
- Editor
- 1 hour ago
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This will be published in a 3 part series
each week, below is part
Howdy folks,
To preface this, we all have experiences and situations that end up having a profound impact on us in who we are, why we do and how we act. Some are wonderfully positive, while others are the worst of times, or in this story, could have been so much worse.
Dateline: Friday July 12, 2024. Harmony PA.
We had company over to enjoy the warm pleasant weather for good food and conversation. It was a busy time for us as most summers are, and we enjoy a slower Friday evening when we can with no work. It had been announced a week prior that President Donald J Trump was going to do a campaign stop in Butler again, like the one he did in 2020. I had missed the first rally at the Butler Airport, having to do some computer work in Rimersburg that day and was considering attending this one to make up for it. We tossed around the idea of attending and submitted our information for entry tickets after our friend said we could meet at her house that was half a mile away from the Farm Show. Sure, why not? It’s not every day a former President and Presidential candidate comes to our part of the woods. And for the record, I’d attend an event like that for any President if it was that close to home. These events always have a fun atmosphere.
We got our confirmation emails that included a layout of the venue setup of the Farm Show grounds. While pre-gaming and reviewing the site, where we enter and the stage position, my not-conspiracy-mind focused on the one side that seemed to be exposed against the fence bordering the AGR building. With all the general angst and potential violence, our conversation drifted to what-ifs and “let’s not sit on that side”. A crazy could run a truck through the chain-link fence. It’s unfortunate we even had to consider that.
Dateline: Saturday July 13, 2024 Meridian/Butler, PA
We assembled in the morning at Janna’s house for a 5:00 PM scheduled speech from the President. My wife, Christie, two of my boys – Aaron and Jordan, Carrie, Janna and her two young girls, Lisa, my sister-in-law and her daughter Alexa made the quick walk down Buttercup Road to the entrance of the Farm Show grounds. It was going to be hot and sunny, so we tried to dress appropriately. We moved through security easily and headed to the general seating area. Lisa, as she tends to do, focused on getting a better seat for us. We had separated and soon got a call to join her in the grandstands to the left of the stage. The stands were relatively empty, and we had to convince the volunteer gate keeper to let us in to join my son who was in the stands. A young man in a tie and short sleeves argued for us and eventually a secret service agent compelled the volunteer to open the gates to let the crowd in to the stands. Lisa had staked her spot along the outside edge of the stands, halfway up and we were going to cluster over a couple of rows for easier conversation and kid-control. I don’t know how it happened, but we ended up all in one row and another family took up the row in front of us.
Any rally has its regular delays and after all the short speeches, we waited excitedly for the grand entrance of President Trump. We were close enough to see the entire scene, and I took opportunity to point out some of the other details to the kids. Look at the photographers. Here is the VIP section – see Mike Kelly and Dave McCormick. Look at all those hard hats – they’ll probably get pointed out during his speech. Look at the sniper team on the roof! They’re just standing and talking to each other. Why is that State Trooper talking to the people at the fence? Why can I see people outside the ‘secure’ perimeter? There’s a boy dressed as a mini-Trump. I wonder if he’ll get his picture taken with the President. The huge flag twisted in the wind and tangled into the shape of a patriotic angel’s wings.
Right close to 6:00, Trump took the stage to great fanfare. See that man with his foot on the step to the stage? He is Trump’s main body man. If anything happens, he is first there to cover him and protect him. Spending a few hours in a crowd forces you to do one of two things. You can be a lonely hermit, confined to your phone or group or strike up a conversation with the people around you. The man with his family in front of us was in his element. You could tell he was excited to be there and talked to everyone around him. As hot as it was, the rally organizers had lots of free water to pass out as well as the Trump rally signs which gave welcome shade from the sun.
We laughed at his unverified knowledge about squeezing animal dung to recover water if stranded in the desert as well as other jokes and comments. I’m sure his family had heard all those tidbits of dad-knowledge before, but he had a new audience. I tossed him a water bottle, which he missed. A State Police officer recovered it and passed it back up to him. I have a video showing him just chilling on the railing, catching the breeze, a contented smile on his face, wearing his blue t-shirt from Nine-Line apparel and a ballcap and sunglasses. His girls had matching pink hats and his wife was in front of me.
This was Corey Comperatore, there for the day with his wife Helen and daughters Allison and Kayleigh. He gave up a day of fishing to attend a historic event in Butler.
To be continued next week.
Daniel Karns and his wife own Clintonville Hardware & Rental along with other businesses. Join the discussion by contacting him at info@clintonvillehardware.com.