Hold the Front Page: Mayor finds lost earring!

My fame obviously hasn't spread that far. Yesterday I achieved a life-long (well 15 month long ambition). I finally got to meet Naperville's beloved mayor, George Pradel. On Saturday we were back at the jazz fest as guests of our friends David Harleyson and his wife, Kay Mary, the town's cosmetic queen.

Kay Mary introduced me as "that columnist from the paper". Unfortunately the mayor obviously has more important things to do than read me, because he had no idea who I was. Astonishingly he was delighted to meet Grumpy again, because he had been at a recent freemasons' event when the mayor received an award.

The mayor was not there as a freeloader, like us, but in his role as policeman. He still acts as one in a voluntary role sometimes, although he was a real one for many years before becoming mayor.

It was none the less a little disconcerting to be relaxing in hospitality when he came by waving a little earring asking if someone had lost it. Obviously in a town like Naperville, there was no crime to deal with at a large outdoor public event, so he busied himself by doing something kindly, like trying to return an earring. Typical of Mr Pradel, and typical of Naperville.