50+ Lifestyles

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

By Eloise Graham

See You in September

Ah, that song always made me think of school beginning. To me, and probably many of you readers, September was the beginning of school.

Let’s take a little trip down memory lane. “See You in September” was first released in 1959 by a group called The Tempos. It was somewhat of a slow cha-cha.   According to the charts, the most popular version was recorded by The Happenings in 1966. I was fortunate enough to hear it live in 1963 by a little known (at that time) group, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. This song has also been recorded by The Chiffons, Debbie Boone, The Quotations and Shelley Fabares, to name a few. Do you remember the original back in 1959?

September, the first day of school. Do you have memories of those first days? To me, it meant a brand new outfit, a gingham or plaid dress. My mom was a seamstress and I always “helped” make my back-to-school outfit. We would go shopping to the fabric store in the city  – a semi-annual trip to Kansas City. Red, green and blue plaid, or maybe it would be red, white and black plaid. Which would it be this year? One year, in Junior High, it was a yellow, white and brown plaid shirt-waist dress. I could feel the excitement of seeing my classmates all together again. What are your memories of the first day of school?

Then in Junior High and High school, September meant Friday night football games. Bonfires and pep rallies the night before homecoming. Sock hops were held in the gym after the games. September had lots of excitement; new teachers, new friends, new classes and new assignments. Yes, and new challenges.

September also conjures up memories of walks in the woods as the leaves come falling down, hot dog roasts, s’mores and apple cider. What are your memories of September? Have you every noticed how the sky seems a brighter, deeper sapphire blue in the fall? And the horizon is dotted with brightly colored trees? I love the colors of September!