A Bearcat of a task: How to clean a mascot uniform

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS - When Aaron Allen walked into Monroe Cleaners in Marion Monday morning, he wasn't exactly on a mission from God, but he was on a mission for his wife.

It turns that his wife, Paula, is athletic director at Galatia High School and with a wide variety of fall sports getting underway for the Bearcats, it was deemed time to get the school mascot freshened up a bit. Longtime dry cleaning business owner Fred Monroe had to tell Allen that he couldn't clean the outfit, but did give him a few suggestions on how to freshen it up a bit.

Quite simple actually. Monroe told him to put some Dawn dishwashing detergent on a sponge and wipe it down carefully, rinse it and let it dry for about a week. With that, Allen headed out the door and Monroe had yet another unusual cleaning request to add to that already long list in his memory bank.