Costumed dad gets children's attention

Dressed up in a straw hat and a red- and white-striped coat, I looked like a walking candy cane.

But then it's amazing what a dedicated employee will do to celebrate his company's centennial.

The Southeast Missourian held its 100th birthday bash on Saturday. A number of employees wore old-fashioned costumes in honor of the occasion.

I felt like I was an actor in an enormous outdoor play.

Becca couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her father dressed in red and white.

Joni made sure she took several photos of her costumed husband. No one knows better about blackmail than one's family.

Several people thought I should have been serving ice cream during Saturday's celebration.

At any rate, I wasn't the only one dressed in that costume. The executive director of a downtown redevelopment organization wore the same attire.

I managed to change out of my costume before my youngest daughter, Bailey, appeared on the scene. Reliving the past, after all, is hard work.

Bailey, 9, was disappointed. But she felt better after I assured her that my amusing attire was captured for posterity by our digital camera.

Joni showed her the still image. But I could tell she didn't see the digital image as a good substitute.

Like Becca, Bailey wanted a chance to giggle at me.

Actually, it was kind of fun to dress up even if it sparked serious laughter from my family.

My attire generally doesn't draw even a quick glance from my daughters.

Bailey and Becca regularly tell me that I have no style. Still, I thought I looked pretty dapper in that straw hat.

But I promised the mayor that I wouldn't show up for a council meeting dressed that way. When you're covering a meeting, you don't want to be the center of attention or look like you're about to serve ice cream.

No matter how I'm dressed, I'm certain no one will be singing me a lullaby.

But in one Malaysian state, the Islamic government plans to hold a lullaby contest.

The government says it's important for wives to sing their husbands to sleep.

A lullaby can help a tired husband sleep better, the Islamic Party's Nik Aziz told The Associated Press.

"When he awakes, he is a happy man and this will help build a great relationship between husband and wife," Aziz was quoted as saying.

Presumably, contestants will be judged on whether they can put the judges to sleep. Don't look for this contest to show up on ESPN.

Fortunately, there was no lullaby contest at the Missourian's centennial celebration. When you host a party, you don't want to put the guests to sleep.

My children certainly didn't snooze at Saturday's festivities.

Bailey found it fun to eat crawfish at a company reception. She enjoyed tearing apart the cooked crustacean to get to the meat.

I'm sure she did it with a little too much gusto, but Joni and I couldn't help but smile at such dining enthusiasm.

But I'm sure that Becca thought it was much more entertaining to see her dad decked out in a colorful costume.

They say clothes don't make the man, but old-fashioned fashion will get you noticed -- even by your family.

Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.