Coming up on 150 years

Hats off to the city of Tallapoosa for an excellent 4th of July celebration. The programs, the parade and the fireworks made for a great day that seem to capture the community spirit I have always known in our hometown. How many of your did the short drive west on I-20 to the two fireworks stores on each side of the interstate? On a trip July 3rd to the mall in Oxford there were many more people at the fireworks stores in Muscadine that at the mall. Both of those stores in Muscadine had parking lots packed with cars mostly from Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, and Carroll Counties. I saw a package for about $800 of a variety pack of fireworks. Who buys those? I am pretty much restricted to sparklers and small bottle rockets because of my girls. I applaud the people that stepped up and help Tallapoosa pull off a most impressive fireworks display on the east end of town. My kids absolutely love the Tallapoosa fireworks show on the 4th of July. I read on these pages last week that the 150 year celebration of the city of Tallapoosa is in the planning stages. The centennial celebration of 1960 is a pleasant memory for many of us as people decked out in the finery of the 1860's. There was a beard growing contest that I could not win because I was only 9. The industries of our town like American Thread had plant tours and business in town was at a fever pitch. The parade for the marking of the town's 100 year anniversary was memorable with the many floats and led by the Tallapoosa High School Red Devil band. There was a pageant at the ball park that was directed by Mrs. Morris Williams that had the rich history of how our town was founded. It was my first experience at watching live theater. Mrs. Williams later taught me 9th grade English. A friend found my 9th grade English book a while back and gave it to me. I am as proud of that book as my autographed books from any celebrities I have collected over the years including ones from Dolly Parton,& ;nbs p;and George Jones to the great writer from Mississippi John Gresham. Henry Jaillet's gift of my 9th grade book is a treasure. Isn't it strange how we get emotionally attached to simple things. I need to rent warehouse space from Ronnie Smith for finger paintings and drawings from the past 7 years. All this brings me back to emotional attachments. I ran into Mrs. Kirkland in the grocery store last weekend and remembered how her dear mother worked as a cook at my mother's venture as the owner of the Southern Cafe. I welled up in seeing her and remembering how kind her mother was to my mother. She was a magnificent cook and watching her in the kitchen gave me a fundamental knowledge of how to fry chicken and how much seasoning greens have to have to give it flavor. Ailene's son in law Hershel Kirkland has always been one of my favorite Tallapoosans because of his love for his family and our town. We worked together at American Thread and he was a wonderful storyteller and his guidance back in 1969 is still relevant in my life today. I also worked with Clarance Ballew at ATCO and I have to tell you dear readers that of everyone I have ever known from Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White, Tim Wilson, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy, no one ever made me laugh more than Tallapoosan Clarance Ballew. He is the most naturally funny person that I have ever known. Clarance's nephew Raymond Ballew is not only a dedicated peace officer for our city but is a cracker-jack television repairman. If I took my set to a repair shop in metro Atlanta I might not see it until 2019. Raymond fixed it in a timely fashion and got "Sponge Bob" and the Jonas Brothers back on before both of my girls drove me to a stint at the state hospital in Milledgeville. I need some help from you veteran parents on why a kid will watch a television show or movie a thousand times? Being a dad takes the effort of pushing a piano up Tally Mountain. Have a great next week. I have to go move a Steinw ay up the county's highest point.