Curator Jessica and I went to Wilkesville to see if Long and Son General Merchandise store was still around so I could update photos of it I had done of it on an icicle day in 1969. We didn’t see anything that looked like it on the main drag, so we stopped into a small diner where we had an excellent lunch and found out that the building was long gone.
On the way out, we saw a flyer for the Wilkesville Fourth of July parade. She gave a squeal of excitement.
I gave Miz Jessica my standard “Do You Know How Many Small Town Parades I’ve Covered?” speech, but she is not one to be denied. The next morning, I found myself getting up way too early to head to the Vinton County town.
They’ll have at least two spectators
“The good news for the town,” I told her, “is that we just freed up a spot for two more people to participate in the parade. A lot of these towns are so small they have to draw lots to see who will be spectators.”
Fourth of July photo gallery
I won’t tell Curator Jessica, but it was fun to see how everybody showed up with their homemade floats and flags. I have to say that I was a little discomforted by the casual way they treated the flags, but I guess the Flag Code isn’t something covered in school these days. Click on any photo to make it larger, then use your arrow keys to move through the images.
So..was the store still there? a nice bit of Americana for sure.
No, like so many towns, people and places I photographed in that era, it is gone, gone, gone.
Unfortunately the Long and Son General store burned down in 1970 or 1971.
Thanks, that’s what Curator Jessica and I discovered when we went looking for it.
Loved the 4th of July Parades and festivities in Clear Lake, Iowa when we were there. People actually put lawn chairs and blankets out 2 days before the parade to get a “choice” spot. No one would think of moving those chairs and blankets either!! This year people complained because the parade lasted 2 hours!!! The downtown was a huge midway of rides and games lasting 4 or 5 days. There were band concerts in the park in the town center by the lake. Fireworks over the lake were the best.