Summers in Iowa are defined by a few distinct things: sweet corn, watermelon, lightning bugs, mosquitos, humidity, and small town celebrations. For one weekend a year, all the little towns with funny names get to boast their small town pride. My hometown, Cambridge, proudly celebrates Skunk River Valley Days every second weekend in June (It's a stinkin' good time). To many "city" folks these celebrations may seem extremely pathetic and debatably white trashy. However, to anyone who grew up in a small town, these celebrations were some of the coolest memories we have of our childhood. They proved that our town was on the map for a reason and we should be proud of our roots and the residents that came before us.
1. Fireworks in the park/school/coop- No they weren't tech-savy light shows, but as a young kid you loved the anticipation that came when the sun went down. You waited anxiously on the tailgate of your dad's pickup for the first "BANG" and looked up in the sky with the widest eyes the entire time until the best part: The Finale. Afterwards, everyone cheered and you and your friends ran around with sparklers until your parents made you go home.
2. Being a part of the parade- Whether it was marching in the band, riding on a fire truck with your little league team, or even just riding with your dad on your grandpa's restored tractor you were in the parade every year. No it wasn't miles long with elephants and elaborate floats, but it did have one important thing: candy. Next to Halloween this was your time to stock up on the free candy from everyone in town. Naturally you rode through the parade and then ran towards the start of the parade and chased after as many Tootsie Rolls and Bazooka Bubble Gum as you could.
3. Community Band in the park- this was the one time of year grandpa and his veteran buddies got their horns and drums out. The songs were either patriotic or medleys from the Wizard of Oz or the Music Man. Every instrument needed tuned, badly, but you couldn't help but smile at how excited everyone was to show off their skills they've known for almost 50 years. It was the definition of a toe tapping good time.
4. Church Food stands- You aren't for sure how the Methodist women did it, but beef burgers and walking tacos never tasted so good. And for dessert? Homemade apple pie of course! Topped off with a big scoop of homemade ice cream and you are living the true American Dream. God bless those church food stands.
5. Street Dances- The $5 cover for the no name band was almost always worth it. It was the one time of year your parents actually let loose and danced the night away. For one night and one night only, main street was shut down just for shear entertainment. When you were younger, this was the one night you could run around town with your friends as late as you wanted to without worrying about a curfew from your parents.
6. Truck Pulls/Races/Figure 8- When you hit that age where the carnival was "for babies", you got your badass down to the track with your dad. You thought you were the coolest thing being down by the track even though you sometimes covered your ears because the engines were too loud. If you got to go into the pits you hit a new level of cool. The dirt, the smoke, the smell of burning tires, the stupid drunk fights between drivers, all stamped into your childhood memories forever.
7. Carnival- Looking back you wonder how you were so entertained by the giant inflatable slide or why you every trusted the sketchy rides ran by carneys who desperately needed a bath, but you spent hours in the carnival. It was amazing how the $10 your parents gave you could give you entertainment for the whole afternoon. The prizes were cheap and usually fell apart within the first week, but you felt so proud being able to knock those bottle down after 5 tries. You never laughed so hard as you did when you pushed your friends around in the bounce house. Nothing was exciting than when you watched those semis pull into town with the rides and booths that filled your park for two whole days.
8. Miss/Little Miss Pageants: The one person you admired as a little girl watching the parade was the young lady in an elegant prom dress with the shiny crown and sash riding in the convertible at the start of the parade. She was the girl next door. The girl who seemed practically perfect in any way. No her duties didn't extend much farther than looking pretty and riding in a car, but you didn't care. She was the girl you wanted to be when you got old enough to run.
9. Local Celebrity Dunk Tanks- Whether it was the fire department chief or the mayor, you bet your last dollar you were going to try to dunk them in the cold, dirty water. You spent as much money as you could and threw as hard as you could just to hear that signature DING and SPLASH. The money almost always went to a good cause but that's not why you participated. You just wanted to humiliate somebody. Young and old, everyone participated in tossing a few balls at the target of the dunk tank.
10. Church Sermons in the park- This was the one service a year the Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, and Catholics all worshipped together. It was very calming and humbling being able to sing the hymnals outside with God surrounding you in the early, cool summer mornings. You felt truly blessed to call your small town home and this was the perfect way to experience Him and all his glory.
I am very proud of my small town roots, as I know many others are as well. These celebrations may not be extravagant or spectacular by any means but they definitely left their mark on our childhoods and how we grew up. I wouldn't have wanted to have been raised anywhere else.
1. Fireworks in the park/school/coop- No they weren't tech-savy light shows, but as a young kid you loved the anticipation that came when the sun went down. You waited anxiously on the tailgate of your dad's pickup for the first "BANG" and looked up in the sky with the widest eyes the entire time until the best part: The Finale. Afterwards, everyone cheered and you and your friends ran around with sparklers until your parents made you go home.
2. Being a part of the parade- Whether it was marching in the band, riding on a fire truck with your little league team, or even just riding with your dad on your grandpa's restored tractor you were in the parade every year. No it wasn't miles long with elephants and elaborate floats, but it did have one important thing: candy. Next to Halloween this was your time to stock up on the free candy from everyone in town. Naturally you rode through the parade and then ran towards the start of the parade and chased after as many Tootsie Rolls and Bazooka Bubble Gum as you could.
3. Community Band in the park- this was the one time of year grandpa and his veteran buddies got their horns and drums out. The songs were either patriotic or medleys from the Wizard of Oz or the Music Man. Every instrument needed tuned, badly, but you couldn't help but smile at how excited everyone was to show off their skills they've known for almost 50 years. It was the definition of a toe tapping good time.
4. Church Food stands- You aren't for sure how the Methodist women did it, but beef burgers and walking tacos never tasted so good. And for dessert? Homemade apple pie of course! Topped off with a big scoop of homemade ice cream and you are living the true American Dream. God bless those church food stands.
5. Street Dances- The $5 cover for the no name band was almost always worth it. It was the one time of year your parents actually let loose and danced the night away. For one night and one night only, main street was shut down just for shear entertainment. When you were younger, this was the one night you could run around town with your friends as late as you wanted to without worrying about a curfew from your parents.
6. Truck Pulls/Races/Figure 8- When you hit that age where the carnival was "for babies", you got your badass down to the track with your dad. You thought you were the coolest thing being down by the track even though you sometimes covered your ears because the engines were too loud. If you got to go into the pits you hit a new level of cool. The dirt, the smoke, the smell of burning tires, the stupid drunk fights between drivers, all stamped into your childhood memories forever.
7. Carnival- Looking back you wonder how you were so entertained by the giant inflatable slide or why you every trusted the sketchy rides ran by carneys who desperately needed a bath, but you spent hours in the carnival. It was amazing how the $10 your parents gave you could give you entertainment for the whole afternoon. The prizes were cheap and usually fell apart within the first week, but you felt so proud being able to knock those bottle down after 5 tries. You never laughed so hard as you did when you pushed your friends around in the bounce house. Nothing was exciting than when you watched those semis pull into town with the rides and booths that filled your park for two whole days.
8. Miss/Little Miss Pageants: The one person you admired as a little girl watching the parade was the young lady in an elegant prom dress with the shiny crown and sash riding in the convertible at the start of the parade. She was the girl next door. The girl who seemed practically perfect in any way. No her duties didn't extend much farther than looking pretty and riding in a car, but you didn't care. She was the girl you wanted to be when you got old enough to run.
9. Local Celebrity Dunk Tanks- Whether it was the fire department chief or the mayor, you bet your last dollar you were going to try to dunk them in the cold, dirty water. You spent as much money as you could and threw as hard as you could just to hear that signature DING and SPLASH. The money almost always went to a good cause but that's not why you participated. You just wanted to humiliate somebody. Young and old, everyone participated in tossing a few balls at the target of the dunk tank.
10. Church Sermons in the park- This was the one service a year the Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, and Catholics all worshipped together. It was very calming and humbling being able to sing the hymnals outside with God surrounding you in the early, cool summer mornings. You felt truly blessed to call your small town home and this was the perfect way to experience Him and all his glory.
I am very proud of my small town roots, as I know many others are as well. These celebrations may not be extravagant or spectacular by any means but they definitely left their mark on our childhoods and how we grew up. I wouldn't have wanted to have been raised anywhere else.