MEMOIRS OF SCHOOL STREET VILLAGE: A VILLAGE FOURTH OF JULY

MEMOIRS OF SCHOOL STREET VILLAGE

Thanks so much for the great response to this blog!

A special thank you to those who have passed it on to others. We are heading quickly to amazing page visits to this blog! Welcome to folks from all over the country and other countries as well, including Lisbon!!

The "Village", as it was called, is located in the northwest corner of the city of Taunton, Massachusetts U.S.A. It covers about 1 square mile with the center being School Street. A large portion of the Village population was Portuguese when I was growing up.

This blog covers a lot of the history of the Village, much to do with my years as a child there: 1940 through the late 1950's. I do have many wonderful photos and information prior to that that and will share those as well. Always looking for MORE PHOTOS AND MORE STORIES TO TELL.

If you would like to send photos or share a memory of growing up in the Village

e-mail me at spinoart@comcast.net

feel free to comment on the posts. Directions are on the right side of the blog posts. Jump in, the water is fine and it is easy!!!

I will be posting photographs but not identifying individuals unless I have permission or they are a matter of public record. It you wish to give me permission, please let me know.

I am looking for any and all photos of the Village...

Please note: the way blogs work is that the latest post is first. It you would like to start from the beginning of the blog, check out the post labels on the right of the blog and go from there. Thanks.

Sunday, June 30, 2013

A VILLAGE FOURTH OF JULY

A happy Fourth of July to all !!

This post is harkening back to the Fourths we celebrated when I was a kid in the Village. Here is a photo from 1947, just as a reminder. I call it the Watermelon Brigade.

Sure looks like we were enjoying it!

Cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents- everyone in extended families gathered in the ritual of the Fourth. One or another backyard was the venue.
No need for fancy; simple and tasty did just fine.

Every yard had a backyard fireplace with grills cemented in place. It cooked hot dogs and hamburgers perfectly. This was way before you needed a degree in grilling to handle a souped up stainless steel gas grille with surgical cooking tools.

The photo below is of one of our family Fourths in 1950, before we

moved to School St. Note the car in the background if you doubt the year. A Packard, maybe? All the Moms cooked beforehand: special potato salad, deserts like home made apple pie and cookies, corn on the cob . All washed down with punch for the kids and beer for the parents. Later, over the waning fire, we kids would toast marshmellows.

Kids all at one table, for the most part, which was fine with us.

Later, at dusk, we would have the fun of running in the dimming light with sparklers. I do not recall many firework excursions.
The Dads may have stockpiled a few to make the night more exciting.

After all, we had the walk later down to the Corner when it was dark for the bonfire, which was all the excitement we needed to cap off the night. An annual event not to be missed. It did not last long, as the police were always called and made sure of that.

But, before that....

Nightfall. Kids chased each other around the yard. Storytelling by the parents began accompanied by one-up-man-ships by this or that relative. We did not realize it then, but the history of our parents were spinning around us like the fireflies we tried to catch. There was laughter by the grownups which warmed the hearts of the children, like me.

All of it was warm and good.

It felt so at the time and it still does today.