Roger’s Remembrances

During grade school and junior high years I looked forward each year to three events as high points. Christmas stood at the head of the list, followed by the 4th of July and the State Fair. The start and end of school were also notable events, but did not have the stature of the three HIGH POINTS.

CHRISTMAS
The Christmas season was a joyous time at church, school, and home. I can vaguely remember being a part of a Sunday school class up on the stage in the sanctuary at First Presby and singing carols. Candle light services were usually on the schedule. When in the 6th grade I started on the clarinet and played a clarinet solo of “Away in a Manger” from a sitting position up in the choir loft. I could not stand up and hold the clarinet while playing it! Mom explained the situation to those who complained they could not see me. (Photo is Roger with my first bicycle. I LOVED it!)

In High School and Junior College years I was singing in the choir and especially enjoyed the Christmas choir music. “Aunt” Mabel was the choir director and stuck to “standard” singable stuff.

In the early 1920s “religion” was allowed in the schools, so Northside grade school had a bone fide “Christmas” celebration on the last day before Christmas vacation started. The whole school met in the central hall, with students seated on the floor and up both stairways. The program included scripture reading of the Christmas story and a few simple carols. Aunt Ethel (the principal) would always have us sing “Wind Through the Olive Trees”, a simple and beautiful little song. We all looked forward to the moment when Aunt Ethel would conclude the program wishing us all a Merry Christmas — we would then shout out, “The same to you!” It was special for me, ’cause I knew I’d be having Christmas with Aunt Ethel.

Up through Junior College years (until Auntie Parks died) we celebrated Christmas Day with Aunt Ethel, Auntie Parks, and “Aunt” Mabel Parks. (Photo from our left: Bob, Dad, Ethel, Roger, Mom, Mable, Auntie Parks.) We would open presents at either 506 East Ninth or 102 East 17th, then go to the other spot for dinner, alternating who did what each year. Aunt Mabel and brother Bob had a contest each year as to which of them could say “Merry Christmas” to the other first. After dinner we usually had a few rounds of “Flinch”.

Bob and I usually got a few clothes and one major “toy”. These included a wind-up train, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs, a steam engine, Erector Set, and electric train. I had many enjoyable hours with those last two. We got some more track for the electric train and put it down in the basement back of the furnace. That area was not excavated, so the track was placed in the dirt. We made a “mountain” around which the track was laid. I don’t know why we didn’t have trouble with dirt in the engine. (Photo is Roger on second bike.)

4TH OF JULY
In grade school years I used paper route proceeds to buy fireworks — probably a couple of dollars worth. Most of the neighbor kids didn’t have much money either, so we got pretty good at spending the limited funds on things which took long time to use up. A favorite was a package of “half inchers”; I think there were 500 in a pack, which could last a long time if shot off separately.

We also bought some “1 inchers” and “2 inchers”, more money but more power. There were more powerful crackers available, but Dad said the 2 inchers were our limit. Each year the newspapers had stories of kids who had blown off fingers or worse when using more powerful crackers.

The 2 inchers worked well in a “canon”. For the canon we mounted a short length (8″ or so) of pipe vertically on a board so that the fire cracker’s fuse stuck out at the lower end. Place a tin can over the upper end of the pipe and light the fuse. When the cracker exploded, it blew the can into the air. More fun. Except for a few minor burns, no one ever got hurt in our bunch.

During my Junior High years the city sponsored a tennis tournament each Fourth. I seldom got past the first round but looked forward to it each year.

KANSAS STATE FAIR
Kansas had (still does) a “State Fair” at Topeka and at Hutchinson. During late grade school and junior high years four or five of us would go together. (It’s funny I can’t recall who else was in the bunch besides Buford Hayden and myself — possibly Tom O’Donnell and Carroll Bell.) We rode our bicycles to Aunt Ethel’s house (actually “Aunt” Mabel’s) and left them there by prior permission from Aunt Mabel. It was then just a three-block walk to the fairgrounds entrance.

Of course we were going to the Fair mainly for the rides. They didn’t open till late morning, so we looked at pigs, sheep, and other agricultural stuff until the rides opened. Most rides cost 10¢, with an occasional 15 center. They were pretty tame by today’s standards. The most exciting was the “Heydey”, cars on a pivot traversing a circular wavy trackway. We missed the fun of “Dodge ‘Em” — it didn’t show up on the Kansas scene until I was no longer doing the rides.

We skipped most of the “sideshows” as too expensive and soon learned that the hawker outside was greatly exaggerating what you’d see on the inside. The hawkers did not have the advantage of today’s public address systems. They used their own lung power to get their message (false though it was) across. However, the “House of Mirrors” and “House of Horrors” were fun. “The Old Mill” was different and fun — a boat ride in a long, dark, winding passageway with scary “surprises” at many turns. At an antique show with Mary in Hutch in 1992 I learned that the Mill is still going strong.

There was car racing in the afternoon, but too expensive for our budgets. We did get a glimpse from the roof of a nearby building. We were nearly ready to go home by late afternoon — besides I had to get at paper route 21B. It was a good day. Good memories.

(END of Yearly High Points)