July 1, 2025
PUBLISHER’S CORNER
Childhood Memories of July
By Eloise Graham
My toddler, early years
We had a flagpole in our yard. On patriotic holidays or remembrance days, my dad would go out early in the morning and hoist the flag. I would accompany him wearing some concoction of an outfit that was red, white and blue. The Fourth of July, I would march around singing “You’re a Grand Old Flag” while playing an instrument of the homemade kitchen band type. My mother’s soup pot and a big spoon were my favorite.
Our hometown ordinance for fireworks was from 8:00 am until 11:00 pm only on the Fourth. I don’t remember anyone not obeying that rule. M-80s and Cherry Bombs were allowed. I didn’t like those, or even the lady fingers. Loud bangs were not anything I enjoyed. I liked the little black things that you put on the sidewalk, would light and they would swell and make worm-like formations. No noise! Sparklers were fun after dark.
My grade school years
Raising of the flag was still a big tradition, however I had replaced my kitchen-band parade while singing “You’re a Grand Old Flag” with playing the old victrola with the record of the same.
An evening trip to A & W for a root beer float, sitting in the parking lot and watching the local fireworks display was tradition for some years. The local fireworks display was down at Forest Park by a local pyrotechnical. People would come from all over to see the display that the guy would have. Most of them were aerial but there were a few ground displays that could only be seen from the grandstand.
One July we drove to Arkansas City, KS. Arkansas (pronounced ‘R kansas’) City is on the Arkansas (pronounced ‘R kansaw’) River and Walnut River. The town boasted of a wonderful fireworks display, but alas, my dad was disappointed. Our display at Forest Park was much better.
Other July memories include going barefoot, biking to the park to the swimming pool, walking to the Dairy Queen for ice cream sundaes, playing in the hose (and drinking from it) and picnics with my parents and their friends at a summer cabin on a sandy beach near a small stream.
I, and all of the neighbor kids, would go barefoot all summer long. We walked on the hot cement pavement and thought nothing about it. It was summer. When the tar in the seams of the pavement would bubble up, we would see who could be first to squish the bubbles with their big toe.
I basically lived at the swimming pool from Memorial Day to Labor Day. My mom would buy a season pass for me. Money-wise, I broke even mid June. Lessons were given in the morning and afternoon / evening was open swim. I would take lessons three days a week, go home for lunch then go back for afternoon swim. I also swam on the days without lessons. My dad would take me at 1:00 on his way back to work. My mom would come pick me up about 3:00. Those were the carefree, lazy days of summer. Yes I did ride my bike a few times when I was in fifth or sixth grade. It was about a three mile ride that I enjoyed.
The local Dairy Queen was two blocks from home. I would often go there for a pecan hash sundae. It was a local concoction of the chocolate syrup and marshmallow fluff mixed together, then pecan bits stirred in. If we were out of state and stopped at a Dairy Queen I would be told Dairy Queen didn’t make such a sundae. Something to be said for small town employees that were creative!
Evenings spent at a cabin on Sandy Creek were a lot of fun. My parents and four other families would have a potluck at this cabin on the sandy beach of Sandy Creek just north of our town. About dusk I would chase fireflies. Sitting around the campfire I would listen to grown-up talk (BORING) and hear the cicadas singing. One night I even heard a lone coyote.
