Summer 2015
by J.Y. MILLER
Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high”.
It is summertime in Missouri and the living is indeed easy or, at least, easier. School is out, watermelon and lemonade will soon make the hot afternoons more bearable, and we have more time to travel and enjoy our great state.
If your “daddy’s rich and your ma is good lookin’ …”, that is a plus. Even if they are not, snow shovels are put away and the roar of lawnmowers underline the heat of the afternoons. There are festivals, fairs and attractions that offer fun and education for the whole family.
To help you find some of those attractions, I have searched the internet so that you can, perhaps, plan a trip or even just surf the net from the cool comfort of your computer on a hot afternoon.
When my son was growing up, Boy Scout Summer Camp was a regular feature of our summers. I went with him for those weeks and continued as a scout leader even after he was in college. I highly recommend the Boy Scouting program. You can learn more about it at Scouting.org.
If you are not in Scouting or if you want even more summer camp experiences for your children, this link may be of interest: Kidscamps.com/summer_camps/missouri-summer-camps.html. It lets you search for summer camps in Missouri for all ages, genders and interests. There are listings for sports, computers, nature and lots more. I even saw a baseball program that is located at Heine Meine Field in Lemay. When my son played there in American Legion Baseball, I think I made the local folks angry by referring to it as “Tiny Hiney Field.” It made it worse when he hit one of the longest homeruns ever hit in that park. Perhaps, they will finally forgive me if I give them this free publicity.
When the Fourth of July comes, we think of fireworks displays. Fireworks are inherently dangerous, and young people should always be supervised when playing with them. Adults need to be very careful, as well. If you are having your own fireworks, you might review safety precautions at www.cpsc.gov/en/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Fireworks. Show-Me Missouri’s publisher, Gary Figgins, used to be in charge of the Caruthersville fireworks display, and my son and I helped several years. It was fun, but shooting them from a gravel barge on the Mississippi River made it even more dangerous.
Here in Glasgow, the Lions Club furnishes a public fireworks display. Those community displays are free and safe for the viewers. The Lions Club (LionsClubs.org) has more than 46,000 clubs all around the world. We work with eyesight problems, diabetes education, hearing and lots more. We can always use the public’s help, and we welcome new members.
This Fourth of July morning, my Sons of the American Revolution chapter (rootsweb.ancestry.com/~momgcsar) will be conducting a Patriot Grave Marking near Salisbury. John David Winn’s grave will be marked with a stone. There will be a color guard in Revolutionary War uniforms and a musket salute, as well as speakers and other activities. Mr. Winn has been buried there for almost 200 years. Everyone is invited to the event. You can read more about it and find a map at JYMiller.net/winngravemarking.html .
The county fair is a Missouri tradition. This page provides information and schedules for county fairs all over Missouri. It is a long URL, but you’ll find everything you need to know about fairs at CountyFairgrounds.net/missouri/missouri.php#.VUOVf2TF9y4 .
If we should cross paths on the Internet or IRL, don’t forget to say hello.
Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high”.
It is summertime in Missouri and the living is indeed easy or, at least, easier. School is out, watermelon and lemonade will soon make the hot afternoons more bearable, and we have more time to travel and enjoy our great state.
If your “daddy’s rich and your ma is good lookin’ …”, that is a plus. Even if they are not, snow shovels are put away and the roar of lawnmowers underline the heat of the afternoons. There are festivals, fairs and attractions that offer fun and education for the whole family.
To help you find some of those attractions, I have searched the internet so that you can, perhaps, plan a trip or even just surf the net from the cool comfort of your computer on a hot afternoon.
When my son was growing up, Boy Scout Summer Camp was a regular feature of our summers. I went with him for those weeks and continued as a scout leader even after he was in college. I highly recommend the Boy Scouting program. You can learn more about it at Scouting.org.
If you are not in Scouting or if you want even more summer camp experiences for your children, this link may be of interest: Kidscamps.com/summer_camps/missouri-summer-camps.html. It lets you search for summer camps in Missouri for all ages, genders and interests. There are listings for sports, computers, nature and lots more. I even saw a baseball program that is located at Heine Meine Field in Lemay. When my son played there in American Legion Baseball, I think I made the local folks angry by referring to it as “Tiny Hiney Field.” It made it worse when he hit one of the longest homeruns ever hit in that park. Perhaps, they will finally forgive me if I give them this free publicity.
When the Fourth of July comes, we think of fireworks displays. Fireworks are inherently dangerous, and young people should always be supervised when playing with them. Adults need to be very careful, as well. If you are having your own fireworks, you might review safety precautions at www.cpsc.gov/en/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Fireworks. Show-Me Missouri’s publisher, Gary Figgins, used to be in charge of the Caruthersville fireworks display, and my son and I helped several years. It was fun, but shooting them from a gravel barge on the Mississippi River made it even more dangerous.
Here in Glasgow, the Lions Club furnishes a public fireworks display. Those community displays are free and safe for the viewers. The Lions Club (LionsClubs.org) has more than 46,000 clubs all around the world. We work with eyesight problems, diabetes education, hearing and lots more. We can always use the public’s help, and we welcome new members.
This Fourth of July morning, my Sons of the American Revolution chapter (rootsweb.ancestry.com/~momgcsar) will be conducting a Patriot Grave Marking near Salisbury. John David Winn’s grave will be marked with a stone. There will be a color guard in Revolutionary War uniforms and a musket salute, as well as speakers and other activities. Mr. Winn has been buried there for almost 200 years. Everyone is invited to the event. You can read more about it and find a map at JYMiller.net/winngravemarking.html .
The county fair is a Missouri tradition. This page provides information and schedules for county fairs all over Missouri. It is a long URL, but you’ll find everything you need to know about fairs at CountyFairgrounds.net/missouri/missouri.php#.VUOVf2TF9y4 .
If we should cross paths on the Internet or IRL, don’t forget to say hello.