It’s 4th of July this week, firecracker day for many of the young boys. We used to do our share of setting off firecrackers when I was growing up in the 1940s and ’50s. But we were somewhat limited in our budget for fireworks. My folks were not too keen on spending money for stuff that will be blown up and gone in a few minutes. My Dad did always buy a few packages of firecrackers, some sparklers, and two or three special feature fireworks. I remember that for a year or two in the ’50s we had a helicopter-like thing that used a side-thrusting rocket blast to whirl the body, and when it whirled it turned some plastic rotor blades. It would take off straight up for 50 to 100 feet, then would explode a big firecracker inside.
It was probably a bit of a fire hazard, and I know we always had to be extra careful not to fly it around the hay barn or around the house.
I guess our Depression era economizing was still a pretty strong influence back then. I remember once that we thought it would be fun to set off a whole package of firecrackers all at once. It was fun, and we got quite a flurry of popping. But, when it was over, we didn’t have any more firecrackers, and that was no fun at all. So usually we would set off our firecrackers one by one.
That way we had a little less big-charge fun, but the fun lasted a lot longer. We even learned to save some firecrackers for the next day. Then too, we devised various ways to do the firecrackers. We tried lighting the fuse and throwing the firecracker. That was fun too, except when it went off in your hand. It was a wonder we didn’t get hurt more than we did, especially when we were fooling with duds that didn’t go off the first time and which might explode in our faces.
We used to like to set off a firecracker under a pan or under a tin can.
I suppose firecracker setter-offers have long been a little lacking in thoughtfulness of others, and we had our moments. I remember once in the summer of 1953, our larger family was gathered at our house. Our Grandma was quite ill and weak, but she came for the family gathering. We had our cousins there, and we had a few firecrackers that were just bursting to be set off. But our dads had told us not to set off the firecrackers because Grandma was not up to it. We ended up going up the road, quite some distance from the house, and set off several pops. It was sort of fun, but not really, because we felt bad to have displeased our Grandma. Some fun isn’t worth the effort.
Actually, our Fourth of July celebrations were quite a lot more than firecrackers and sparklers.
The Fourth of July was picnic time, with our larger family, aunts and uncles, California cousins, grandparents and grand-uncles and grand-aunts. We often went to the picnic grounds at Lake Atalanta at Rogers.
But our own houses had large lawns, with trees and shade, so we already had fine picnic grounds and playgrounds for us kids.
It wasn’t really necessary to go to a park. Often on the night of the Fourth we would go to a fireworks show at Rogers or Bentonville. Of course today Pea Ridge has a fireworks show with the Freedom Fest which rivals anyone’s noise and color. We don’t have to go away to enjoy great fi reworks.
I also really enjoyed Fourth of July music.
Sometimes the band would play on the square in Bentonville, or a school band might play in a Fourth of July Parade. In the 1940s and 1950s, Pea Ridge was without a band of its own, and we had to go to the bigger towns for band music. Interestingly, in older days, especially when the Pea Ridge College was still operating, the college had several bands. Even into the early ’30s, years after the college closed, Pea Ridge had a fine community band. A bandstand stood just off the southeast corner of the college building, on “College Hill” (as it was called), and the community band often played Sunday afternoon concerts to entertain folks from all around. My own ancestors were Brightwater folks in the 1920s and 1930s, but they used to drive over to Pea Ridge to hear the band play. It was better than the radio, and much better than the old crank-type Edison record player.
I admit to being partial to bands with real trumpets and cornets and trombones and tubas and fifes and flutes and clarinets and cymbals and percussion of all kinds. A fine band, playing great patriotic songs and great marches - to my mind that really sets off a Fourth of July! Did you hear about the fellow who asked if they have a Fourth of July in England? I’m sure the fourth happens there, but obviously it wouldn’t be the same! The Fourth is a great day worth celebrating for us, with music and noise and flags flying, and yes, even speeches now and then, as we celebrate the ideals and hopes we have for our country!
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Editor’s note: Jerry Nichols, a native of Pea Ridge, is an award-winning columnist, a retired Methodist minister with a passion for history. He is vice president of the Pea Ridge Historical Society. He can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected], or call 621-1621.
Community, Pages 5 on 07/10/2013