July 10, 2010

Tell any favorite summertime memory.

Swimming in the canal above the house. We would always have to get the garden weeding or the chores involving the hay done before we could go but it was an almost daily event. We would sometimes walk the half mile up the road to the bridge and jump in on inner tubes and then float back to the house but most of the time it was just wading in the 2 foot deep water and floating on our backs and swatting the big horse flies that would bite with a terrible sting. It didn't take any skills to float or swim in that water but it was wet and sure was a lot of fun as most times it would turn into a huge water fight. There were several times that we would wait until dark to go swimming because the water was always really warm from having been hit by the sun all day as it flowed down the Duchesne River and then into the canal and lazily moved the 10 or more miles until it was coming past our house. It was warm too because the night air would be a bit cooler so in respect to the water we would rather be in it than standing up in the cool night air all wet. It was a special part of our daily routine except for Sundays it was never done on Sundays.

July 9, 2010

Tell about going to a circus, or a hometown celebration festival.

This author isn't LDS or she would probably would have left this for the 24th of July. Our little town of Duchesne was just like all of the other little towns in Utah and even some of the big ones. Salt Lake City has their Days of 47 parade celebration and the small towns had their 24th of July celebrations.

The day always started with a 6:00 A.M. firing of the canon over town from the nearby hills. It would only go a few times but was enough to wake you up especially since we would usually sleep outside the night before so we could hear it. There was always a parade on the morning of the 24th and the primary organization of the church was the main part of the parade. Dressed as Pioneers we would walk, ride in a little red wagon or ride bikes and trikes down main street while all of the traffic was diverted around through the dirt back streets to keep going on their way. The parade was usually led by a Flag Honor Guard from the Veteran's of Foreign Wars or the Scouts. There would also be the fire truck (only fire truck) and police and then with the Rodeo Queen and her attendants on horses, followed by everyone else that wanted to ride a horse down the street and the oldest couple in town in a car that would round out the parade entries. There might also be the Duchesne County Mayor and city council too. We had the mayor since we were the county seat for Duchesne County.

That night there would be a big dinner or something at the park and then when it got dark a few fireworks lit off above town from the hills above the rodeo grounds. All in all it was pretty fun and a good break from the farm for a few hours.

July 8, 2010

Tell about any State Fair or County Fair experiences.

I already told about the county fair experiences. I enjoyed the rodeo's when I was young and liked the bucking bulls and cows the most. I never had any desire to chase the greased pigs or the lambs and calves that would often attract the children from the audience. The displays were fun but became somewhat boring after the 100th pint of peaches, etc. It was also fun when we got a ribbon on any of the displays that we had turned in to the fair. That was pretty much it since I didn't particularly like watching the animal judging events that were going on over further in the areas of the fair and we had no one trying to push their businesses as they do now.

July 7, 2010

What kinds of rides and games were there? How much did they cost?

I was lucky to remember the names of the big ferris wheel let alone how much it cost. There might have also been merry-go-rounds but again I don't remember the cost. They were probably a dime to a quarter each.

July 6, 2010

Did you ever go to carnivals or amusement parks? Where?

The only amusement type events that we went to was the Duchesne County Fair. It would have the Ferris wheel and other rides but I only remember one time going on it. The main attractions were the rodeo, livestock judging and the displays. We would often have 4-H exhibits in there and we would go to see what ribbons we might have earned with them. Sometimes we might get some cotton candy or ice cream but it was pretty much for the exhibits that we would go. There were a couple times that we went to help roast a pig in the ground for the big dinner that we would have one night as a fund raiser for various things as well. That was aways pretty fun.

July 5, 2010

Do you have a special July 4th that you remember the most?

No I don't. They were pretty much all the same as far as I can remember. We love our country and always were very aware of the 4th but being on a farm also were very aware of what kept our family fed and what work had to be done regardless of the day.

July 04, 2010

Tell about Independence Day Traditions of your childhood.

There were the traditional parades out here in the valley but in Duchesne there wasn't any celebrations. They were all saved for the 24th of July when we were awaken at 6:00 AM with a canon that was fired off several times across the valley. For our family however it was a great birthday celebration every year for mom. She was born on July 4, 1916 and we always had her birthday to celebrate. Then it was also a day for work since we always had the farm and usually there was hay to cut, rake , bale or haul on hat day and if it happened to not be ready to do the hay there was always a lawn to mow, garden to weed or irrigation to do.

July 3, 2010

What kind of fireworks did people have when you were a youth?

Illegal ones. It was a problem then and still is a problem today. A friend of mine in Hanna Utah was blinded in one eye by an M80 that shattered glass and hit him in the face. There were plenty of other accidents during those years as well but that was the worst one that happened to someone whom I knew. For the law abiding people there were sparklers,, worms and flower fireworks that were the most popular.

July 2, 2010

Describe and inside game you made up.

Same answer as to the last question. Must not have been very imaginative. Again we played inside games but not a lot of them since mother would not allow face cards in the house and so I never learned to play any of those. We mainly played "Monopoly" and "Seek" (an LDS game with the scriptures.)

July 1, 2010

Describe an outside game you made up.

I don't believe I ever made up and games. I played a lot of them from "No bears are out tonight" to "Kick the can" but can't ever remember making up one.