Big weekend in the area

There was a lot going on in the area this past weekend highlighted by a visit from the President.  Unless you were under a rock this past weekend you know Trump visited the area this past weekend.  Like him or not this was a big deal for the area. 
Last Wednesday I was walking off the 12th green at Hickory when the presidential C5 Galaxy cargo plane came in for a landing.  It was about 300-400 yards away and it was impressive.  I also played the morning that President Trump arrived but had left long before Airforce One came in.  When I left the course there were a steady stream of cars coming up Airport Road and I counted five stands selling Trump stuff between the course and my house including three inside Murphysboro itself.  The vibe around the area seemed to be similar to the Apple Festival parade.  Of course beautiful weather helped out too.
Both Murphysboro and carbondale also hosted football playoff games and both were victorious.  I went to the Red Devil game and it was a great game to watch.  Not too many penalties or turnovers and a lot of excitement.  It was a game of halves as the Devils lead at half time but Prairie Central came back in the second half.  In the end the Devils made just enough plays when it counted to walk away with a 22-20 win including a stop on a two point conversion with three seconds left in the game.
Also going on this past weekend was Carbondale's attempt at bring back and calming down it's infamous Halloween celebration.  I haven't heard reports of any problems that plagued the event in the past so that in itself was a success.