While browsing newspapers online I was surprised to find this...

Read this, and then I will tell you what really happened.

Fresno Bee August 1964

It was a back yard "carnival", and apparently my Grandma called 
our newspaper to tell them about it. 
The Fresno Bee called our house back, 
and John (age 7) just so happened to answer the phone 
so he gave all the info and his name and age, etc. 
Truthfully I don't remember him doing any of the work. 
Maybe, he ran one of the booths.

My Grandma had encouraged me to have a carnival 
to earn money for the Mental Health Association. 
Her best friend's son had a mental illness, and she wanted to help. So I did. 


It was great fun planning and preparing for weeks. 

I made invitations and passed them throughout the neighborhood. 
My siblings and I ran the various booths in our backyard. 
Robin (age 5) sold food through the window in our playhouse.  
Another ran the little Doughboy pool (Robin remembers 
it was 10 cents for 5 laps around our small plastic pool) 
One of my siblings had to stand there and make sure 
they got out of the pool when their 5 laps were over. 


I'm sure my Mom had a huge part in all this too. 
But when you're a little kid, 
adults just seem like they are somewhere in the background. 


Now 50 years later I can't remember all that we sold and did, 

but it was a big deal to us. 
Even Peggy remembers it, and she was only 3! 
Or perhaps this was an annual event for awhile?


I remember begging my parents to call that newspaper 
back up and tell them the truth, but they wouldn't. 
I thought of course the paper would want to know what really happened. 
I thought the media was all about honesty. Imagine that.


Yeah, we looked right about like this.
Starting from the back: Richard, Jill, John, Robin, Peggy

Baby Peggy must have been in the car with Mom...
or maybe she wasn't even born yet.
Richard, Jill, John, Robin
How do like our hair cuts? Don't answer that question. 
That's the only thing my Mom ever failed at in her life...allowing her daughters to look like that.. 

And yes, we all use to squish together in that VW.

11 comments:

Karen Mortensen said...

What a fun story.

Anonymous said...

Before seat belt laws, you could take as many people as you could fit. And riding on laps was acceptable. My friend had a VW bug and went camping with her family of 5 and their large labrador. They took the back seat out, turning it into a play/nap area for kids and dog. They have fond memories of those days.
darlene

Richard said...

I remember the event well. I was the 11year old in charge and my 7 year old assistant John and I did most of the work. We had to mow the lawn, certify to the health dept that the water was changed in the pool every 20 minutes, and came up with the cigar box we used as a cash register. The biggest hit and money maker, however, was Jill's palm reading and fortune telling booth. Mom said Jill came by it naturally, because she had been left with us by a band of gypsies some years earlier...that actually explains alot.

Lisa said...

I think you guys look ADORABLE! I TOTALLY LOVED this post! What a fun memory & in the newspaper too!

Anonymous said...

Jill, your brother is hilarious! Is he like that all the time?
darlene

Richard said...

Those haircuts you girls had were quite stylish in their day. What I want to know is how Jill managed to get around in those size 13 clown shoes. It must have something to do with her gypsy heritage.

grandmapeg said...

I have learned through the years that newspaper articles usually have a few errors so I don't always know what to believe, but probably John thought he had a big part in it :-) I can believe that all of you guys fit in that car. I love those VW Bugs!!

Grandma Honey said...

Richard~ I was wondering about those shoes too. My feet were a lot bigger then than they are now, apparently. Do you remember I use to be a gypsy on Halloween most years?

grandmapeg~ Oh yes, I do agree....I understand that now but I didn't back then. After all, he was just a little boy. He answered the phone and told them what he knew.

Richard said...

Jill, you weren't acting a gypsy, you are a gypsy

Anonymous said...

Wow! I'm sorry I missed the party..!

Heidi

Grandma Honey said...

You were probably having your own party in heaven, Heidi.

Look what happened last night

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