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A classmate from dear old Tally High,
Claire Allen sent me an email that really made me think of a happy time in
my life. I would have to say that growing up and riding my
Western Auto Western Flyer bicycle on the streets of our town are
among my favorite memories. Learning to skateboard on Ray Hitchcock's
driveway and going to Punk Ward's skating rink on a Friday night are things
I'll long remember. The jukebox at Junior and Frances Williams Smokehouse
Restaurant in the 60s would play
Loretta Lynn's "You
Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man" followed by "Hey Jude" by the
Beatles followed by "Folsom
Prison Blues" by Johnny
Cash and after that
Mason Williams instrumental "Classical
Gas". That jukebox had an eclectic mix that I can still visualize the
lights and sounds of that machine that made your barbecue pork sandwich just
a little more enjoyable. Claire's email brought up things that some of us
will remember well. "A Little Dab Will Do You" was the slogan for Brylcreem.
Vitalis was what Bud Dingler and Bill
Coggins would slap on
my head as a lad after a haircut. How many of you never had a pizza from
anything but a box by Chef Boy ar dee until you were out of high school? Go
to CVS sometimes and see how many varieties of Alka Seltzer there are. Many
of us can remember Speedy's "Plop
Plop Fizz Fizz Oh What A Relief It Is" jingle and only one kind of
Alka Seltzer. Can you remember a Christmas gift that changed your life? Mine
was in 1963 when my mother bought me a
reel to reel tape recorder.
I used to pretend I was a disc jockey with that recorder. When is the last
time you saw a reel to reel tape recorder? Good chance I owe my 36 years
career to that Western Auto tape recorder. I can remember nickel Coca-Colas
and Hershey Bars. How many of you wish television had more shows like "Sky
King", "The
Red Skelton Show" and "Walt
Disney's Wonderful World of Color"? The first color television I ever
saw was at Willie Cook's house and that show was on. Walt Disney is perhaps
one of the greatest American entrepreneurs of all time. He was a man of
vision who took his concept of
Disneyland in Southern
California and brought it about 450 miles southeast of our town in 1971 with
the opening of Disney World, the
happiest place on earth. The nostalgia I have for Disney World goes
back when I first went there as a college student in 1973 and I went with my
Aunt Leslie and Uncle Fletcher. It is impossible to go to any of the theme
parks and not smile. The only tears you might see is of hot and tired
children sick of being pushed in a rented stroller. It really is place that
I have enjoyed for going on four decades. Taking Presley and Callie to
Disney World last week
was a fun time. They love the
Magic Kingdom and the
Animal Kingdom parks the best. Getting up early with the kids to
watch them feed the rhinos, giraffes, and hippos at the Animal Kingdom is
something I have to do at least one morning while in Orlando. My favorite of
the theme parks at Disney World has always been Epcot. You can visit
Morocco, France, Italy, Japan, China, Germany,
Norway, Mexico, and
Canada and not have to board a plane. Epcot also has "Test
Track" which is the favorite ride of the Jones girls and their dad. I
always have to go into "Spaceship
Earth" which is the most familiar sight at
Epcot. The Magic
Kingdom is where we spend a lot of time because it is filled with a princess
every ten feet and Mickey
Mouse, Tiger, and Goofy are walking around shaking hands and posing
for pictures. A guy hollered out "Hey Goofy" and I looked around and the Disney
character wasn't there. The fellow obviously was talking to me. I
love the MGM-Disney Studios theme park with the tributes to movies and
television shows we love. They also have the
Aerosmith roller
coaster where
Steven Tyler scares the heck out of you and if that isn't enough,
there is a thrill ride dedicated to the memory of the television show the "Twilight
Zone". I have seen people leaving that ride wishing they had brought
a change of trousers. The
Disney World theme parks has something for everyone. I was lucky
enough to have worked for a radio station that was owned by the
Walt Disney Company for about 14 years. I loved working for that
company because they had Mr. Disney's vision to remember that it was all
about people. I keep hearing
Jiminy Cricket singing "When You Wish Upon A Star" singing in my head
when I see the smiles on my children's faces when they come to Disney World.
I also hear in my head Ray
Charles singing "Busted" when I get the bill from
American Express for
the trip to Orlando.
Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa native and
a member of the administrative faculty at Kennesaw State University.
Comments are welcome at P.O. Box 1001,
Tallapoosa, GA 30176 or via email at
Rhubarbjones@aol.com
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