A Tale of Independance

Happy 4th Of July! Happy Independence Day! It does not seem that long ago that we were all celebrating the Bi-Centennial. That's probably the one time I remember being at the fairgrounds on the 4th. We were in the grandstand for some type of concert and I remember getting a 76' flag. Most years we went to Freddie and Vickie's house, just a little bit away from the fairgrounds. Lots of people from the church would gather there and have a huge picnic and watch the fireworks.

There were several years that we went to our grandparents for the 4th. Both of our parents worked at the Aileen Clothing factory and the plant would shut down for two weeks around the 4th. As I had said before, most of our vacations were spent visiting them wherever they lived. Granddaddy and grandmas Edge liked to take us on picnics. There was one picnic that I recall we got on paddle boats and spent the day on the water. Grandmaw wore a green plaid dress, which she probably made herself, and carried their red and black plaid metal picnic basket. I don't know why I remember that, but I think there are pictures somewhere of her.

Picnic area at Seneca Rock

We also visited Seneca Rock once and had a picnic in the park below the rocks. Seneca Rock was not far from Buchannon, WV where our great grandparents lived. Seneca Rock, I thought was so cool. Granddaddy told us about the myth of how the rock was formed. I could not possibly recall the story today, and Granddaddy, I am sure, read it to us right from the visitor sign, but here it is.

     "Princess Snow Bird, who had grown to maidenhood in the shadow of the rocks and scaled their      heights many times, proposed a contest to her father, [Chief] Bald Eagle. She would climb to the crest of the rocks as prospective suitors followed. The first to take her hand would become her mate. Bald Eagle agreed, and at the end of the climb, of seven suitors, only one remained, the others having turned back from fear or fallen to their deaths. From their lofty perch, Snow Bird and her future mate surveyed the surrounding realm of the Seneca that would be theirs to rule one day."

Seneca Rock as it appears today. One of the main rocks in the formation fell several years ago.

How it appeared when we visited in the 70's.

When we were kids, the 4th simply meant that the county put off fireworks, or if we visited our grandparents, granddaddy would take us somewhere to watch them. He never liked to take us right into the action of anything, so it would have been close by. We may have gotten some sparklers or a few firecrackers, but that was it for our own personal celebration. It was nothing like the war zone we live in today on the 4th. 

I hope it was happy, I hope it was safe.