Pleasant Dale Centennial
Thirty years ago July 2-4, 1982, Pleasant Dale celebrated the Centennial. It was to be a three-day event and had to be "nothing less than spectacular."
When the planning committee was formed in the summer of 1981, I got on board. Ron Petsch was selected as Chairman. Highlighting the end of the three-day celebration was to be a fantastic, gigantic fireworks display which would take place on the ball diamond.
Along about February 1982, we were sitting around the table at the bar and again talking about the upcoming celebration. Ron brought up adding music over the loud speaker to accompany the fireworks; Vern thought it was a great idea. I just looked at them in bewilderment; I thought it was a great idea but HOW? With Ron's expertise, the fireworks included music in 1982.
4th of July 1983-1986
We embellished upon the idea of music with the fireworks for several years to come and added narration with specific themes for our music. One year we even set up a large outdoor theater-type screen in the outfield to display pictures. Our choices for music were NOT downloaded from Amazon; we searched high and low for records among our friends to record onto the final tape to be used. Who did the taping of all of the narrations and excerpts from several different records? A friend of Ron's at a radio studio accommodated us and did a great job.
The attendance at our fireworks programs for the Centennial and succeeding years was anywhere from 2500 to 4500. Accommodating this large a number in a town of 215 people is not an easy task but we managed.
Salute to Our Service Men and Women
Each year after 1982, we included as part of the program, the theme song from each of the branches of the military service. Veterans from our community put on their uniform. We always managed to have one from each branch. The ball diamond would be darkened except for the spotlight over the pitcher's mound. As their theme played, they would walk onto the field and the fireworks would explode overhead. BUT NOT TOO CLOSE! I must applaud our volunteer firemen who were responsible for setting off the fireworks required for each part of the program. They did a great job with Vern leading the way.
The Green Beret
It was early June, but I can't remember which year. Sandy and I were working on the
program; Ron was out of
town.
I said, "Too bad we can't find a Green Beret and add that song to our recording."
Sandy said, "Why can't we?"
And the hunt began. With very little time to spare, Sandy finally made contact with a former Green Beret who
agreed to participate in our program.
Sandy and I always stationed ourselves on the sidelines close to first base and far away from the mob of people on the grassy slope east of the ball diamond or behind us in lawn chairs or sitting on cars parked on the road. The anticipation was killing us as each part of the program went off without a hitch. Finally the time came for the presentation of the Salute to our Service Men and Women
Let me tell you, when the Green Beret Song came over that loud speaker and our Green Beret entered the spotlight, the crowd roared and proceeded to clap and sing along. Of all of the 4th of July activities I helped with in Pleasant Dale, this one moment was my top favorite.
Posted July 2012
