July 2008
By Capper's Readers
Fourth of July picnic filled with music
When I was a teenager, I looked forward to our Fourth of July picnic, which was actually an all-day music event held just outside of town.
People came from miles around, bringing sack lunches and lawn chairs. A long, flatbed trailer was set up under a shade tree where the electrical connections were located, and well-known acts found their way to our stage.
Gospel acts including The Blackwood Brothers, The Statesmen Quartet, The Stamps Quartet, the Plainsmen, the Weatherford Quartet, The Chuck Wagon Gang and The Singing Wills Family performed for us over the years.
To balance out the day, there was a country music portion of the program.
I remember Johnny Horton singing The Battle of New Orleans. Johnny & Jack, Kitty Wells and Minnie Pearl were also there. Then there was a newcomer named Elvis Presley. Who could have imagined what kind of future he had ahead of him!
With so many big-name performers coming to our town on the Fourth of July, we didn't mind being outdoors under a hot, Texas sun.
If a summer shower came up, we would retreat to our cars, then go back to the stage area when it was over.
At night, there were usually fireworks, or a summer revival meeting nearby.
It's been many years since there's been a picnic in my hometown, but I still have wonderful memories of the gospel and country music that we enjoyed there.
Although I'm proud to be an American, I don't really celebrate the Fourth of July anymore. I do, however, still enjoy the fireworks display.
Brownwood, Texas
Brother arrives on Independence Day
My most memorable Independence Day happened 67 years ago, when I was almost 5 years old.
My younger sister and I had been put to bed upstairs, instead of in our usual downstairs bedroom.
We had already said goodbye to our favorite aunt and uncle, who were from out of state and planning to head home early the next morning.
After our dad bedded us down, he paused at the landing, and almost as an afterthought, said, 'If you stay up here all night, Dr. Lowe will bring you a baby brother.'
We came down the next morning and found that we had a new baby brother.
Our aunt and uncle were there, too. They decided to delay their departure so they could see our new arrival.
Since then, we have celebrated many Independence Days at our home in the country. I fondly remember my brother's birthday, even though he lives miles away and can't always be with us.
Paola, Kan.
Family created own holiday celebration
When I was growing up in the 1940s, there were no public fireworks displays where I lived. We lived too far away from our neighbors to watch theirs, so we looked forward to our own fireworks display.
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