Hunker Down with Kes: Come Watch the Parade with Me

For some, it might be the long-gone City Café. Or the Polar Bar. Or Freemen’s Menswear. Or maybe you remember buying some chocolate-covered peanuts at the Ben Franklin 5 & 10 Cent Store. Or a spiral notebook for going back to school from the Golden Rule. Or shopping for a Christmas toy in the basement of J. A. Abernathy’s Hardware…

We all enjoyed these hallowed, hallmark spots, and that is only the tip of the iceberg. I haven’t mentioned the Dixie Coffee Cup, Robert Hall’s Western Auto, Pate’s Jewelry, or Dr. Holmes’s small office on Main Street where so many of us were born.

We each have our sacred places.

My favorite spot in the whole town was a park bench on the square, facing Cedar Street. You could watch all the people hurrying in and out of the U-Tote-Em Grocery Store. You could clearly see the traffic obeying the light down where Cedar intersected with Main. And you got to wave to every passing car.

The Park Theatre was just across the street to my right. Me, and Hoppy, Gene, and Roy chased bad guys plumb off that silver screen every Saturday afternoon. That magical place brought excitement, drama, fear, laughter, love…and life, into my televisionless world.

But the building that really brought us all together was the McKenzie High School. Good merciful Heavens, the hours we all toiled fighting the educational wars in that old three-story edifice! Miss Polly was an institution. Mr. Paschall would be asking one of the Doyle brothers if he “just came to school today to be entertained?”. Arlie (Chuck) Berry and his rocking amoebas would have us lighting up those Bunsen burners. Mrs. Carter actually knew the difference between sine and cosine. 

I was sitting in the library on that fateful day in November when Coach Smith came over the loudspeaker, as solemnly as a man ever spoke, telling us that the President of the United States had been shot.

I can still hear the silence when he finished.

I fell in love for the first time in that revered building. I was a plain-looking, struggling sophomore. She was a beautiful, nice, popular, friendly, wonderful, gorgeous senior. And yet, she turned aside to notice me. Wow! You don’t ever forget times like that…

And we are all in luck because Brad Camp and the McKenzie High School Alumni Association are inviting us back HOME to relive those wonderful days of yesteryear all over again. Miss Poly would quickly tell us that “all over again” is redundant but this is so important, I’m telling you twice!

It is OUR high school reunion. It’s going to take place the weekend of September 24-26. I went last year and had the time of my life. It is like being 18 all over again! And that is never a bad thing.

If you attended McKenzie High School at any time, moment, year, decade, century, you are invited. We don’t want anyone to miss this! 

There are class reunions, the parade, a golf tournament, videos of things that you will remember, and an unbelievable McKenzie High School Historical Exhibit that you might even be in. The exhibit features old uniforms, programs, letters, pictures, stories from different eras, and other priceless memorabilia. It is a highlight for sure.

But the whole weekend is just one wonderful memory after another. Plus, I want to see you. I want to tell you the story about Leon putting one of Mr. Archie Moore’s cows into the high school auditorium. I want to tell you how Coach Scott EXPECTED me to tackle Bob Cassidy every day at football practice! I want to explain to you how the light normally atop the police car managed to get hooked up to the jukebox out at Frank’s Dairy Bar.

I want to hear your stories!

I will be easy to find. I’ll be the guy having the most fun. And if I can still fit into my old football jersey, I will have it on. I will definitely be at the tailgate party on Friday night before the game. That is another highlight, just having us all together in one spot.  

I am trying to talk Brad into letting me lead a “walking tour” of McKenzie like we are all back in 1964. You can’t miss that!

And I need your help in persuading Brad and the Alumni Committee into showing a Saturday afternoon double feature at the Park Theatre—we could open the box office at 12:30 p.m. and charge 15 cents, just like the glory days. Any western will do. But I wouldn’t mind watching the original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills and Hayley Mills. Another instant love for me the first time (1961) she appeared in OUR movie house.

If you have any questions about the reunion, call Brad. He’s got all the answers!

But I can tell you for sure, Wesley Beal will be there. And Martin Paschall. Ann Carol McCaleb, Susie Branon, Joyce Moore, LaRenda Bradfield, and the Joyner sisters. Any one of them is worth making the trip back just to spend a few moments with.

And I will be at my favorite place in the park when the parade starts. Please come and sit with me. We will talk about fast times at McKenzie High when Levi’s, ducktails, fender skirts, bobby socks, and hula hoops reigned supreme.

And listen, here is the best thing about the whole weekend: they will give you a nametag at most every event…so you won’t forget who you are…

I Love This Town,

Kes (Class of 65)

kesley45@aol.com