Column: Happy Independence Day, Waldron

Last week my 10-year-old granddaughter Rose asked me if I remembered when I was 10 years old. I told her I did, and I had many fond memories from my youth. Rose asked, “are any of them true?”

She then proceeded to remind me of several stories I had previously shared with her. I was surprised at her ability to recall even the smallest details. I’m going to have to be careful what I say around her.

Rose repeated such tales of mine as the time I lost one of my fingers. My finger rolled under the washing machine. Lucky for me, my best friend was clothespin. He was a little wooden clothespin who came to life one day like Pinocchio. 

Clothespin was small enough to scoot under the washing machine and retrieve my finger. Rose also reminded me of my story of a bear chasing me around and around inside of a hollow tree in Meltzer Woods. Come to think of it, something similar did happen to Brent Balzer in “The Bears of Blue River.”

I wonder if Charles Major just made up that story.

I confessed to Rose that most of the tall tales I previously told were intended as amusement and not to be taken as fact. I then told her about the Independence Day celebrations I remember enjoying as a boy. Little has changed in Shelby County when it comes to celebrating America’s birthday. Everyone still heads to Waldron.

The Fourth of July celebration in Waldron is right out of a Norman Rockwell illustration. Farm tractors parade down the street pulling wagons decorated in patriotic splendor. Kids ride on the wagons. Some throw candy. Some wield squirt guns. The high school marching band plays patriotic tunes. Everyone stands as the color guard passes by displaying the American flag. Waldron is the definition of Americana.

The annual Fourth of July parade in Waldron began in 1951. The entertainment committee that first year was Paul and Mary Stafford and Mark and Katherine Rick. 

The parade was always at 11 a.m. in the morning during the 1960s. All the kids who participated in the parade were given tickets that could be exchanged for a free hot dog, drink and box of popcorn. If you weren’t a member of a sports team riding on a float, you could still be in the parade. My friends and I would decorate our Schwinns with red, white, and blue crepe paper and ride in the parade. 

Years later, when I first began writing my column, I invited my loyal readers to bring their Schwinns and ride with me. We met early, decorated our bikes and rode as a group known as the “The View From My Schwinn Precision Drill Team.”

We would ride in circles or a figure eight, but most of our precision riding was just trying to avoid “road apples” left by the horses. 

With the Fourth of July falling on a Thursday this year, Waldron has scheduled the festivities for next Friday and Saturday. The parade will take place on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the afternoon. Plan to stay for food and entertainment followed by a great fireworks display after dark. All guaranteed to make you feel like a kid again. 

See you all next week, same Schwinn time, same Schwinn channel.