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Manure Inn Society
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| It is difficult to date the origin of
The Manure Inn Society. Sometime in the early part of
the last decade of the Twentieth Century, a small group of men began
meeting for breakfast every Saturday morning here in Mexico, Missouri.
There was no formal plan nor agenda and no one gave any thought to the
fact that the group might last for many years. There exists some confusion as to who was in that beginning group. Many feel that the original breakfast was attended by the late George Irion, the late Bill Hutchinson, Mike McGannon, Jerry Brown, John Gallaher, Larry Webber and Charles Stribling. The first breakfasts were held in the restaurant on the South side of the Mexico Square. That restaurant soon closed and the group met at several different locations before settling on the restaurant adjacent to the agricultural sale barn in 1995. We always enjoyed the best of service and fine food at this eatery. While we soon dubbed the restaurant, "The Manure Inn" due to its location in a livestock sale barn, we can assure you that the rich odors of the animals are not noticeable within the restaurant. Charles Stribling was the originator of the irregular name for this fine establishment.
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If there is confusion over when the group
really started there exists even more confusion as to what time the group
meets. Several of the men gather shortly after 7:00 a.m. and
others drag in even as late as 8:00 a.m. The discussions ranged from the almost foolish to the deadly serious. Most of the time, however, the general demeanor of those in the group is joyful with lots of laughter. At the end of the meal, there is a complicated flipping of coins to see which offer to buy everyone's breakfast we are going to accept. The total cost for our meals ranges between $20.00 and $70.00 depending on how many are present and how many order expensive breakfasts. Charles Stribling holds the record for buying breakfast at a cost of $67.32. The Manure Inn Society has been mentioned in print on several occasions. Paul Hummer was quoted in the St. Louis Post as saying, "A group of us meet for breakfast each Saturday morning in Mexico. The tab is usually $30 or $40. In some cities, if you spend that much, you are eating alone." Even television commentators have noticed us. Speaking of Senator Bond, one stated, "Oh, the Senator just goes home and has breakfast with his friends at The Manure Inn and gets some crazy ideas." |
In 2009 USA Today sent their Washington
Bureau Chief, Mrs. Susan Page, to interview members of The Society.
She met with several members of The Society on Monday, June 19th and
later wrote an interesting article which appeared on the front page of
USA Today on June 23rd.
This
link will take you to that article. The link includes a slide
presentation which includes members of The Society and others from the
Mexico, Missouri community. To date, only one female has shared the breakfast table with us. After her experience, others might be wise to avoid it. The one woman was a fine person, a reporter for the Associated Press who was in town to write about Senator Bond. She was a nice addition to our gathering, intelligent and far better looking than the guys who were there. When it came time to do our paying ritual, Mike McGannon spoke up and asked, "Are we going to let the broad in this?" Thank goodness she had a sense of humor about it - and McGannon had to buy that morning. Over the years, the Manure Inn Society has enjoyed wonderful fellowship and we have every intention of continuing this informal club for years to come.
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