19 -1964 October Tales: _‘the Fair,’ Birthdays, Presidential Campaign, & Halloween
By the time October came ‘round, everyone felt as if we were well into the school year and the anticipation of Halloween was in the air. Once again, I’m sharing recollections [based on entries from my diary from 1964] of life and times in southwest Georgia.
Music lessons, 4-H achievement day and a Junior Garden Club meeting contributed to early October activities. These gatherings provided a strong since of community, as children interacted with each other in other venues besides school.
At the ripe old age of 12, I had the experience of being an aunt already. My nephew celebrated his 2nd birthday on October 5th. My mom and dad called my brother’s family in Tennessee to send warm birthday wishes to their first grandchild. Of course, they sang the birthday song on the phone.
On Tuesday, October 6, six weeks tests were in full swing but bigger news was in forefront for my family. We drove over to Barnesville,GA and dis-enrolled my brother from military school. He had begun his 10th grade year just a few weeks earlier, but he was not happy at all with the direction things were going that second year. I was beyond happy to have a sibling back home again! No more only child status. I had missed him so much and now he ‘rejoined’ our family.
As a junior high student, I relished the chance to go to our capital city for the big Spelling Contest held at the Georgia State Fair in Atlanta. As a sixth grader, the fall of ’63, I had won the opportunity to represent the elementary school for that contest.
However, in the fall of 1964, the preliminary school competition for the junior high resulted in my friend Brownie winning the local spot and I was able to attend as an alternate. I was quite happy for Brownie and enjoyed going without the extra stress. Jack and Annette were representatives for the high school.
That Friday, October 9, the four of us and two teachers rode by car to Atlanta.
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Here’s a look at my diary entry for that day.
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Then, a partial list of the words from the local spell-off and my mistakes are wildly highlighted with the dreaded red X. I was having a tough day, it seems. I missed 17/100!
Fair time in October was always a much anticipated event. Youngsters far and wide looked forward to mid-October when the Columbus Muscogee County Fair took place on the grounds of the municipal auditorium. At 12 years of age, I still experienced the fair as a family event — not an event which within a year or two would become a destination for a date-night. I still remember the thrill of a first ride on the ferris wheel, when most often in earlier childhood, I was content with the Merry-Go-Round or the Tilt-a-Whirl. The fair brings back memories of cotton candy and candied apples, weird side-shows, and also the exhibits inside the auditorium ranging from agriculture, sewing, cooking, and prized animals.
My father celebrated his 53rd birthday on October 14th, a typical October day in southwestern Georgia.
Speaking of ‘ a real good music lesson’ as noted in this diary post, the month of October provided quite the treat for Wanda, Mary Jane, Laurie and me. Another note later in the month reminded me that our music teacher decided we four would practice the next couple months on a two-piano, four person, duo. Laurie and I shared a piano and Wanda and Mary Jane played the second piano. We had a four part piano arrangement of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Election year campaign activities monopolized evening TV broadcasts. The nominees for that year were Lyndon B. Johnson who had naturally fallen into that position having served out JFK’s term and Barry Goldwater. Both candidates were making TV headlines nightly. My oldest brother, living at the time in Tennessee with his family, reported to us that he had shaken the hand of President Johnson on October 15! President Johnson was campaigning in Nashville for the upcoming November election. My brother was super excited to have had that chance.
As a 12 year old, I had an amazing gift from my mom and dad that fall of a French provincial white bedroom set. My little girl annotation: “It is so beautiful. I am so thrilled!” The following weekend I had my first sleepover in my new bedroom. Laurie came over and we were super excited to sleep under the canopy of my new bed.
A typical weekend (17, 18 Oct) came and went. My mom played bridge; my aunt and uncle came by to watch home movies;
My mom, brother and I went to Sunday school. Dad joined us for church. I played with Nan outside awhile and played tennis up at the school with my dad.
On October 21st, I noted that I was going to try out for the junior varsity basketball team. We had a basketball goal in our backyard and my grandmother just up the street had a basketball goal, as well. That was another activity that all neighborhood youngsters totally enjoyed on weekends or in the evenings after school. I guess I thought I had become good enough to give it a try for the big times. Those girl uniforms were something else. These were the days when girls’ basketball was half-court, forwards on one end and guards on the other. Neither group could cross center line.
On Thursday, October 22nd, I went to the school Halloween carnival with Kay who spent that night at my house. We had no school the next day. The carnival included a go-fishing booth, a bob-for-apples tub, a booth offering a chance to dunk the teacher into water, or the jump on back of a horse-drawn hayride wagon. We were all curious as to what differences in celebrations we might encounter between the two school systems.
The Richland carnival occurred on October 30th. My diary annotation was simply, “That one wasn’t as good as those in years gone by here in Lumpkin. Didn’t have so much fun. Got home by 8:30.”
Usually, in a couple of the small towns geographically close to each other, the citizens would decide on the night to trick or treat. Even though trick or treat might be associated specifically with the 31st of October, often if the 31st fell on a Wednesday night or another weeknight, the town folk would come to an agreement that a Saturday night would be the designated town “trick or treat” date.
It just so happened that in 1964, October 31 fell on a Saturday night. Laurie and I took a little neighborhood girl, Cindy around town. I wrote, “I guess this will be one of my last times I’ll go. Last street: the lots — skyline estates. Last house, Mrs. Gyford.”
I recall one of my friends had a Halloween BIRTHDAY! I found that super cool. Even to this day, over fifty years later, I remember MJ’s birthday to this day with no need for a reminder from Facebook! And so ended the month of October.
