We spent the Fourth of July in Columbia to watch Colby march in the parade–in full 1850’s period costume in triple digit heat. When the parade was over, we found some lunch and then watched Brennen climb the greased pole. We put him in old clothes because we knew he would get messy. He soon learned that rolling in dirt was even better, so that was encouraged too! He was very focused on the envelope waving at the top, and I even heard him mutter, “this time it’s mine!” On the sidelines, kids danced in the water the ranger sprayed to cool people down. People started cheering whenever Brennen was on the pole as he got closer to the top. After 45 minutes in the broiling sun, Brennen was victorious! He walked away with a twenty dollar bill and a Klondike Bar for his efforts.