Baton-Twirling Legend Causes Fire At High School Football Game

The woman who seems totally unconcerned with the flames licking her feet is named Beverly Bernardi Post. She is a legend of sorts in Topeka, Kansas baton-twirling circles and according to reader Jim, she was the "featured baton twirler" for Kansas in the 70s. Now she is lighting high school football fields on fire.

Last Friday, Bernardi Post was apparently readying some blazing batons for either her own, or an active cheerleader's use when the fire got out of hand. She promptly shuffled around and did nothing. High school athletes evacuated the nearby bench. More adults paced around, seemingly bewitched by the fire. It's a big, open field and panicking almost never helps anything, but everyone in this video—except for the girl shrieking about calling 911—seems not to grasp that fire is an uncontrollable and unpredictable mess.

Hey, maybe we should douse these flames? Hmm. Maybe. Let's try throwing this entirely-too-small-and-flammable cloth on it, see what happens.

Nope, nope. Still burning. Aw crap, we're missing the routine. Take care of this.

Disaster was averted and after about a minute and a half, the fire was extinguished, to great applause. No injuries were reported and the field sustained "little to no damage."