Grandfather says Grandmother sewed period costumes for the family, which we wore to the nations bicentennial celebration in Washington, DC in 1976.
Grandfather and family traveled to Wolf Trap National Park, where the day was celebrated by a festive crowd.
Later, on the way to a monumental fireworks display on the Washington Mall, the George Washington Parkway jammed with traffic and everybody just stopped, got out of their cars and watched and cheered.
Grandfather says he can’t remember many such times, when our country felt so united.
But, never one to miss an opportunity to “play the fool” (a West Virginia country saying), Grandfather repurposed Grandmother’s period dress to celebrate Halloween at the local Elk’s Club dance, circa 2003:
Grandfather, as BIG Bo Peep
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee is an octogenarian from West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
“Grandfather says he can’t remember many such times, when our country felt so united.”
That line really caught my attention, RD, because I can’t remember any times like that. I figured out where I was then (newly-married, no kids) and realized that I didn’t pay much attention to the world around me then, because I couldn’t remember one thing that was happening at the time. So I just looked into that time frame, and came across “1976 in the United States” on wikipedia which lists a bunch of stuff that happened. Nothing I remembered, but still, there it was.
And FYI? The dress looked much better on your grandmother. And she even ironed it. : )
“The dress looked much better on your grandmother.”
Truer words were never spoken.
“… I couldn’t remember one thing that was happening at the time. “
Gaga, 1976 was a long time ago and my son tells me I have a memory that’s unusual. I guess I couldn’t write this series without it.
I appreciate it when remembrances of mine prompt the retrospective you have done.
Happy Independence Day, Grandfather. I hope you enjoy it with your friends and family!!
Thank you, Jason!
We got an unexpected blessing – NOAH weather forecast was for thunderstorms, but none showed and the local parade and fireworks went off without a hitch.
These small town celebrations are enjoyed by all. Our traditions are not disrupted by “activists”.
Awesome!!! The small town that I live in doesnt do an Independence Day parade, but we have a big festival in June with a parade. The entire town shows up, and then everyone enjoys a cookout on the little league field.
In my opinion, the small town traditions are the best.
People living in relatively small, like-minded groups are happy and mutually supportive, I think.
This tradition is under deliberate attack by collectivist pols.