Throwback Thursday - The Notebooks

To clear up some confusion, the Notebook passages posted on Throwback Thursday were written by my father and found by me after he passed away. They were his attempt to tell the family history. He was in his late 80s or early 90s when he wrote them. Today's chapter:

As Summer came around we began to work on a parade. The previous year Skip had it  and it made a big hit in town. It also was an opportunity to advocate the Club.

Charlie got the idea that if we took the sign down that said Waltham Boys Club and attached it to two bicycles, it would be a good thing. The Club would stand out.

So he went to work on this. He borrowed two bikes and we could not drill holes to hold up the sign., etc. It had to be tied to the bikes and hold as the corners were turned.

When we got through testing the rig for the sign, Charlies asked me on the Sunday that the parade was to start and well before it was to start, if I was game enough to test it. I answered you know me, I'll try anything. So we opened the rear doors of the club and pushed the bikes in the alley way. Headed for the street. We got on and that's where we began to get into trouble. I started to steer left and he right as we hit the street.

He began to yell, turn right, turn right! I obeyed and at the same time the chruch down the street was over. So we had vehicles coming at us. Anyway with more instruction we turned right and the first intersection went down away, turned around and got back into the Club. Ok. The contraption worked. So it would be safe for the two boys who would pedal it.

It was hot and Charlie was wiping the sweat off and he said, "You are the worst cyclist I know." At this time he was leaning on the attendance desk.

My reply, "I don't know. I thought I did pretty good considering that it was my first time on a bicycle."

"Is that what you meant when you said you would try anything?"

"Yes." At that his knees buckled.

When we arrived at the house before the parade was to start, he told Doris, "He almost got you my insurance this morning."

The boys club parade made a big hit. One boy had a costume on that was a goose. Another boy was after this character, put  a box down. The goose would sit, get up and the boy with the box would show an egg and other things through the parade. Good publicity.