A pole on the front lawn of the school with brightly colored ribbons trailing down from the top. Children dancing around the pole, a ribbon in their hand, weaving in and out, the ribbons intertwining down the shaft, wrapping the pole in the colors of spring. Our parents would sit around the parking lot as each class would perform its chosen theme. We'd sit in our classroom, excited and nervous as we awaited our turn to shine.
One year a square dance, the Virginia reel I believe. I think my partner was Nancy Fleisch, or maybe Ann Trocolli, with whom I dosie doed that day. Another year we were American Indians in paper feathers and headbands. We sang a song about grinding corn: "The squaws are grinding corn on flat rocks, hey ya, hey ya, ho. They grind the red corn on the flat rocks, hey ya, hey ya, ho. Red corn, white corn, and yellow corn, ya ho."
Another time we were lions in the circus, led around in a circle to the "Teddy Bears' Picnic" song by our tamers Greg Jones and Lora Carter, the tallest in our class. Paul LaPann and I were the "bad" lions. We misbehaved and wouldn't perform our tricks, and we'd play mischief on the others.
One after the other, from Kindergarden to Eighth Grade we'd sing and dance in the warm May sun, while our parents sat, proud and smiling.
I loved this yearly ritual. For weeks our recess would be play rehearsal instead of kickball, imagination instead of sport, and I looked forward to it passionately. A chance to act, to sing and entertain. A chance to take a bow and let the applause wash over me. A time of glory.
Hard candy sticks stuck in a lemon as a straw, and chocolate covered frozen bananas.
Face painting and baked goods, and the White Elephant table, where you could buy and sell stuff nobody wanted anymore.
A chance for us all to come together on a warm spring day, to breathe the fresh clean air and share in our community. A chance to forget about H-bombs and winter's chill and what will happen in the fall.
To sing and dance and just have fun.
Rejoice! Each and every one!
1 comment:
I am very thankful for this post. I have been trying to find someone else who remembers the corn grinding song. I attended elementary from 1966-71 in Fort Worth, Texas. My memory is that I learned this song in third grade. Your recollection of the lyrics is similar to mine. I don't know why I remember this song more than 5o years later, but I do.
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