Saturdays were very special to us. We attached the trailer to our 1940 Dodge
and filled it with corn. Our first stop was to back the trailer up the ramp at
Farmers Produce on Water Street to dump it into the fascinating hole with the
rotating augers that take it to the corn sheller. Mom and my sisters would go
inside to select the printed sacks that would eventually become centers of
their wardrobes.
Each of us kids (initially 4) would split a dollar for allowance (we were
happy for one of them to leave the nest since the
denominator became smaller!). We would walk to the Square for our first
decision to buy some penny candy: Miss Dennis (a wonderful woman) where we
could sit in the dimly lit back, sit on those chairs with the wire loop backs,
drink a Nehi Grape (if we could talk Mom into paying for it), and select some
candy (candy cigarettes or liquid filled paraffin items usually). OR, we could
go to Neal's (they had a different selection) for some candy and maybe an ice
cream cone. It was always great to see Mr. Neal at the Washington County Fair
in his boater straw hat playing music.
If we had 12 cents left, we would go to the theater (it seemed so large
then). After the patriotic shorts and a cartoon, we usually watched a cowboy
movie (whatever happened to Durango Kid?). Toto Bates would often shout
encouragement and narratives to the stars and offer to close the gates for the
cowboys.
After the show, it would be dark. We would walk to the Square to find our
car (usually near the lion next to the Salem Bank). Sometimes, we would have to
wait a while for Dad to finish socializing at Ratt's Tavern (now Slimo's)
before getting the trailer and going home.
I don't know how I slept so well in the back seat of that car. Good times.
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