Fans bid Bob Barker farewell

By Ben Smith

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

As a large hound named Willie Nelson slurped up eggs from a paper plate on the floor Friday morning, his owners and other patrons partied down while watching a historical television event on a large projector screen.

The final broadcast of the CBS game show “The Price Is Right” with Bob Barker as host aired at 10 a.m. to a rowdy group of guys who rented out The Crossing, 618 W. 12th St.

Willie didn’t really seem to care about the show with its shouting contestants and commercial breaks featuring products from The Scooter Store. But patrons couldn’t help but notice the irony of having the large dog present for Barker’s final sign off thanking viewers for allowing him into their homes for 30 years and “remember to control the pet population. Have your pet spay or neutered. Goodbye everybody.”

Willie isn’t fixed. As Barker, the host since 1972, said his last line, people patted the dog’s head and smiled.

Brandon Siekman, Leawood senior, was the organizer of “The Price Is Right Kegs and Eggs” party Friday morning. He and a dozen friends arose early to prepare biscuits, gravy and eggs as they drank beer and cheered each showcase.

Siekman said his idea for the little party started out as a minor joke but slowly gained momentum.

“In the beginning it was just a stupid idea,” Siekman said. “But then it evolved into something more.”

As Siekman and a hand full of his friends sat on the front deck of The Crossing, he said he was planning to “shed a tear” at the show’s end.

“I’d always grown up watching the man,” Siekman said. “I took afternoon kindergarten classes and in the mornings I watched The Price Is Right. And when I was home sick from school, all the way through high school, I’d watch two shows, SportsCenter and The Price Is Right.”

Matt High, a graduate from Topeka, said the show and its host were both institutions that appealed to college students.

“I’ve seen a hell of a lot of college kids on the show in the last few years,” High said. “And for a man 80 years old, Barker still appeals to college students.”

Games that party-goers played included “Drinko,” a game inspired by the familiar Price Is Right game of Plinko, and a game in which participants guess the six showcase games that would be featured on Barker’s final show.

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