John Burgart Can Dunk!
We all knew he was good in sports... or just a good sport. It was all for Dubuque Area Labor Management's SummerFest Fund Raiser and Celebration.

hat's a nice guy like him doing in a dunk tank like this? Well, it's all for a good cause, and our superintendent is Johnny on the spot when it comes to good causes. In this case, the cause was the Dubuque Area Labor Management Council, to which the Dubuque Community School District is a member of long standing. SummerFest revenue helps finance the organization's Education to Employment Grants that benefitted 14 area students this past year. Plus, the Town Clock Plaza event is a showcase for the Dubuque Senior High Jazz Combo who kicked off the event (you'll hear them on the video clip).

SummerFest is an annual event, and it's all music, food games, and the dunk tank. All sorts of celebs were asked to participate, and John signed up early we are told, "to get the first spot and the cleanest water." Good thinking, however, there is the disadvantage of it being the coldest water.

"It was kind of refreshing, actually," said John after his first plunge at the hands of ace pitcher and School Board member, Donna Bauerly. She came off injured reserve (sore shoulder she said) to start the first inning. She was first to fork over her dollar (for three balls... all of which missed the target). She ponied up almost three dollars before the ball found its target. But the ball failed to trigger the dunking mechanism (she threw a knuckle ball), and she required a little help from the game's attendent. The result was the same. John was plunged into the tank like one of those lobsters at the supermarket.

Click on the appropriate button above to see the whole soggy episode.

Instructions For Those Outside of Our School Network (The General Public)

We are now providing a choice of RealPlayer applications for you to download and install on your computer to enable you to view the video and audio files. One is RealPlayer8 and the other is RealOne Player, which is an excellent player with many new features. It's easy to install, so just follow the on-screen steps. You will be required to register with Real.com, but these are free software applications (there are versions you can pay for if you choose, but they are not necessary for basic viewing and listening).

Which Player is Best for Me?

Of the two types of free players available, RealPlayer 8 is the traditional player that is free and will work beautifully to access Web based multimedia files from our site. There is also a new player available, which is also free, called RealONE. Either player will probably work for your operating system. If your system is older (Windows 95, NT), however, you may want to use the RealPlayer 8 software. If you are running a newer, faster system like Windows 98, ME, XP, or 2000, go for the RealOne player.

Macintosh Owners:

You can get a RealPlayer for Macintosh, Visit Real.com to download their free player options. Remember, look for the FREE players. They are sometimes difficult to find on their Web site.

Oh, and one more thing... sometimes when you click on a sound or video file in our Web site with the RealPlayer installed, you get a little commercial window that pops up on your desktop. It's annoying, but a small price to pay for the privilege of having the free RealPlayer on your system. Just click it off, and it will disappear.
Instructions For Machines on our School Network (Teachers and Staff)
We are recommending (and IT is supporting) RealPlayer8. This is for ALL computers on our network (in all school and administration buildings throughout the District). This includes all Windows 2000 machines. Click here to get the free player from our network server. If you do not have administrative priveleges, please call your building media specialist to help you.

 

Video Clip and Story by Gary Olsen August 28, 2002

In this sequence of shots, John is actually teasing passersby to take a shot. Bold move. Then this little guy steps up, plunks down his buck, grabs three balls. Now the first one misses, but that was just to range in the target. His next shot, hits the mark, and splish, splash, John is takin' a bath.

"Here's the wind up..."

"The pitch..."

"Steeeeeerrrrike!"

"We don't need an umpire... we need a lifeguard!"

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