MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Longtime Lake County residents Jim and Carol Bolander and Harry and Rilla Krall reigned over the 54th annual Middletown Days celebration this past weekend.
The Bolanders were named grand marshals of the annual parade that is a highlight of Middletown Days.
The Kralls were awarded the Pioneer Award for their years of work in the community, which included restoring order during a period when they owned and operated Noble’s Bar on Main Street.
According to a biography of the couple prepared for Middletown Days, the disorder at the bar included an incident when a rowdy jumped behind the bar to bite half an ear off a bartender, one customer hitting another in a pique of temper with a hatchet and cowboys riding into the bar astride horses.
The Kralls can’t say they weren’t warned about what they were getting into. One customer brandished a pistol and shot it at Noble’s tavern just before they took over ownership.
Married for 55 years after falling in love after just one date, the Bolanders’ lives were significantly more sedate. Jim worked 23 years as a machinist. He is also at home with the reins of a team of as many as eight horses.
Another significant award was given to Selena Weatherwax who won the annual Dolly Parton look-alike contest.
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