Posted: 3/27/07
A silver anniversary for Al's
By Leigh (Whitesitt) Campbell
Special to The Argus
I was three years old when Alís Small Engine officially started. The trauma of a newborn brother taking center stage must have wiped out all memories of Alís inauspicious beginnings. Legend has it that Al worked a variety of second jobs to make ends meet. I remember huge breakfasts every morning for Al because he was logging, and I certainly recollect the bread bakery era of overnight shifts. Alís hard work paid off ñ over time, the shop drew in enough business to sustain our family.
The first memory I have of Alís is its namesake ñ my dad ñ coming to the old Caledonia elementary school and tearing down an engine for a group of wide-eyed kindergarteners. I have a vivid recollection of Al in full sideburns, which I have confirmed through photographs of that memorable visit. Fortunately, that changed a long time ago!
Over time, Alís gradually overtook the garage. One garage stall, became two, which increased to threeÖthen the patio became a display roomÖand before we knew it, the old barn was converted into storage. Shelving was added in the pole barn, too. What began as a sideshow was now center stage. Small engine sales and service became Alís bread and butter.
When I was about 10 years old, we picked up our first custom mowing job ñ an apartment complex in La Crescent, which appeared endless to me. Those first few years of mowing found us chugging along with rear-engine, gearshift riding mowers. Heavy walk-behinds and string trimmers that were loathe to run consistently (at least for me) completed the ensemble. Cleaning off the sidewalks meant using a broom. Over time, we began to use hydrostatic tractors and Lawnboy walk-behinds became our trademark. Wow! Mowing went so much more quickly! But by far the best year in mowing history was the addition of our first Dixon zero-turn. Now that could really mow some grass. We zipped around with 19 inch Lawnboy walk-behinds with aluminum decks. String trimmers, which were actually user-friendly, made their way into the market. And best of all, handheld leaf blowers replaced the drudgery of sweeping by hand. While the improvement in equipment was a relief to Alís laborers, those changes reflected the quickly evolving trade of the small engine business.
While you might think that a small engine shop handling custom mowing would have the most manicured lawn in the area, ours was (and is) usually the last to feel a blade. If youíve been by Alís in the summer, then you will be familiar with the "test strip" that appears in the front lawn at least once a week after a newly repaired mower takes its test run, or a prospective buyer takes a mower for a test drive.
As handy as Al is with tools, his children did not inherit the same talent. Over the years, we have been put to work "scrapping" engines ñ ripping them apart and separating iron, aluminum, etc. At least in our family, my brothersí and my inability to find the right tools and use them correctly is absolutely legendary. Compare this to Alís ability to coax an engine back to life ñ the "Engine Whisperer," if you will. This is why you will likely find Alís kids dusting the shop, mowing, helping with inventory or sharpening a bladeÖbut you will never find them in charge of tuning up your lawn mower!
I marched in a variety of parades for marching band, and helped with Boy Scout tents at Brownsville Days, but the most vivid memory I have of summer celebrations are the floats that Alís had. Two in particular come to mind. When I was perhaps eight, both of my brothers, two cousins and I rode in our hauler ñ thereís a picture somewhere documenting this event. When we purchased our first Dixon zero-turn, Cheryl rode it and drove circles around the other, slower floats.
While the times Al has been out of commission himself have been few and far between, they have been memorable. When I was 18 (the summer before going to college), Al succumbed to gallbladder attacks and ended up in surgery. The day he finally went in we were out mowing ñ just the two of us ñ and I ended up taking him over to the clinic in La Crescent. He was out for a few days before surgery actually happened. What I remember is mowing lawns, packing for college, harvesting the garden (the University of Minnesota didnít start classes until September) and dealing with two pesky brothers (naming no names). The second memory I have is unpacking the van at the U of M without my dadís long-promised assistance.
More recently, Al had both hips replaced. If youíd seen him out and about the last few years, you had probably started to notice him limping. There was no doubt about it ñ those hips had to go! Nevertheless, through convalescence Al was out in the shop sharpening chains, chatting with customers and illicitly moving snow (when Cheryl wasnít looking). The new and improved Al has a spring to his step we havenít seen in awhile ñ check him out at the Open House this weekend!
If youíre a customer of Alís, youíve probably been back again and again. Well, the same pull applies to those of us who try to move away. Even last fall, nine years after high school graduation (you can do the math), I found myself helping with several mowing jobs in La Crescent. My whirlwind life with a husband, a three-year-old, two jobs, and multiple other activities disappeared in the smell of cut grass, gas, oil and sweat, and the feel of wind blowing through open truck windows. As much as things have changed, they so often stay the same!
If youíve been one of those whose equipment needed a house call, who hired Al for mowing or tilling, or just see Al himself around town, you probably recall a series of vehicles. Whether it was the old blue Chevy pick-up (complete with rust holes in the floor), the maroon truck with the green trailer, or the white Ford with the black trailer, or even if you donít remember the vehicle at all, there is one thing that you wonít forget: the service from Al has always been the same ñ friendly, affordable, and sometimes even fast.
For more memories of Alís, and to celebrate a successful twenty-five years in business, join Al and his crew March 31 and April 1!
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com