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Page 4                          The Signal/Fourth of July                  July 1,1988

     ········[the Spirit of Fourths Past






      By Daniel Hon        lndMduals ,.-ho arc copable of dQJ,.
                           ,hi,.ss, who ho1-e the rcqulsile Into  lna-
       A  kaleido cope  of pancake ,   1/0,.  and tlll,V', Is a  rdaJi1'ely small
      bnrb  ucd  bcel.  balloons, qheens,  01'e.  The,.,  ff you subtract from  this
      carnival ,  dances,  fireworks, flags,  mlriori1y the a,mpetcnt f,.dMduals ,.,ho
      floats, parades,  shootouts high  stakes  simply  will  1'01  perform  wlrtJt  the)'
      poker games, low stake bingo, greased  promise, you get dow,. 10 a small lsard
      pigs and pol  s, speech • rodeos COilon   Cl)rt of v."Orurs  who  bo1h  CAN  and
      candy watermelon . trafficheat  wind,   IV/LL
      and crowds upon crowdsor people have
      painted  the environs  or  downtown   The  editorial  w   written  in
       Newhallsincethe first officiallyspon-  S)mp:ithy for Ted Lnmkin who   the
      sored Fourth or July Parade w  held in  president  r the Old w  1   on
      1932: the epitome of smalltown Ameri-  and  wbo  ran  th:11  >  '  p.1(1lde  with
      ca in  the Santa Clarita Valley.  pnx:ious liitl  h  p. Not only 1h31,  but
                           this  was  the  YC3I  thllt  "littl  Tommy
       TI1e idcn or the celebration was born   Frew came   a giAnl firecr:1cta" .ind
      during  IJ1c  depths  of  lhe  dcprc:  ion   had IO be CJttric;ilcd from  11·  00.'>t~
      when people hen:. 3S  in  the rest or 1he   He damned  nc:ir suffoc:ucd in lhc 105
      country, had no money to use frivolou •·   degree  heat.!
      ly. The town rather.; wanted 10 si,•e the
      community a day  10 cclebr.11c  wilhout   ir.  Trueblood  Sr.  lcnew  wbcieor  be
      the need 10  pend a lot .. They succcc.dcd   spoke.  He  ran  the 31bir in  1939 30d
      beyond  their  wildest  dreams.   l~O and 3g3in  in  1952.  Even  today,
                           burnout  is  3  problem.  Organizalioos
       It has been vanously called The Bees   such 3.!  the Jaycees, ROUl.ry. Optim:sts.
      Peerade,  Placeritos  Days,  Old  West   Lions, K 1 ,r.mis and the ov·er.111 sponsor.
      Celebration and, simply, the Fowth or   the  Sanl3  Cbrilll  Valley  Chamber  of
      July. Fireworks came to ii rcgul3tly and   Comrncrcc.,  hllve  to scramble  to  keep
      in a bis way when Pat Li1_za of Bcrm11c   finding  volunteers  to  t:ike  on  such
      Powder Company first donated them to
      the community in 1952. Sevcr.11  =   diverse tasks n.s publicity. communic3-
                           tions.  noot  and  olhct  entry  judging.
      Lhcrca!tcr, the Kiwanis Club took over   breakfasts,  parade  line  up.  p:irade
      the dispby until  II  became too cxpcn·   announcers.  parade  script  11,'fitcrs.
       h·e for them (they broke e,•en one year   secretnrics.  hcrifT  coordirmtion. •
      by  ~ins the  hat  in  the, SUIOds.)   refreshments, sign painters.  VIP SJCC·
                           tcrs, con"crtible top car owners to carry
       The  Mighty  Signal  stepped  an  ten
                           politico  in  the p;aradc itself, clean up
      years ago and filled  the gap at  the lllSt   crews and a myriAd or others to hnndle
      minute when  no other fircwor~  spon-  details  too  numerous  to  e,-cn  think
      sor could  be  round.  Mugic  Mounmin   nbouL
      and the Saugus Speedway have compli-
                                                 problem bcclwseoftheFounhfalling in   Rood leading hi  lute.st kids in the SUIIS
      mcn1ed :rbc Signal·  11l rady incomp:ar-
      ablc show over lhe )'CMS with thclr own   In earlier ycars there   C\'ffl   the  middle  of summer   llon. The   nnd  Stri  •  Forever.
                           street dance where Tn:slenus Mnrl<-  p:iuclty or b:lnds bcc:ime   QC!Jtc that   Until  recently,  gnmbllng  nly.-ays
      displays. But nothing 1w been done 10   et now ta. It wu the only Sa.f'cway ln
      compare with the extro,'llj;MUI Ill  lillrt   Si~ columnist. Mimi. Wl1!  forced to   found hs way int.o the mclco. It got oul
                           the  Valley.  In  1939,  Satchell   dub the  1977 elTort   the "Plop Plop
      High  School  111111  is  peculiarly  home   McV  ya  orchctt.ra  rceclVcd  grmt   of hnnd  one  year  when  some  of our
      grown nnd loved by nil, ~'J)CCinlly when   fanfo.rc  tn  Tho  Slgn4I   being   PM1d  ," because  the  only  sound  that   more  illustrious cill1..cns set up  11  high
      1he  popcorn  I  plcnllful.   ·colored· band.  PcopJc  came  from   could be hcnrd W!l.5 lhc dropping of road   slllkc'  pok.cr  llllmc  nex1  10  thc  low
                           mllcs around to dance and be cntcr-  ppl  by horses Q.i they plodded nloni;   slllkcs  bingo  gnme  ut  Saxonlu  Park.
       Three  gencrations  or  Trueblood   tnlncd by hJa music. HOWl\l'd Wlng-  the route. A )'CM°' so l:ltcr, poor Prop.   Money~ hands furiou,ly. Thllt ls,
      M\'C run the whole sheb3ng while other   Ocld  won  the  pie  eaUng contest.   I   blamed fo, the kids not suiting   the money of the outlllndcrs passed into
      chairmen  h:lvc  come  and  gone  nllcr    up and m:irchin  -itsimply  "°' in   lhd  hands  or our cardshtltks,  In  such
      being  burned out by heavy  voluntccl-  Queens luvo como and gone.: s.b.1-  the  bud~.   huge  um  that tho Oecced oomplalned
      ism  at  the bcgiming and ending with   l'll  3ordcn.  the  s1acr  or  lol1g  time   to out or town newspapers. They raised
      the gasps of the few  who actually did   S  ugu   High  math  t.cxhcr  Judy   Tr:ldition:tlly,  however.  Hnrt  and   uch  :i ruckus  that  bingo disoppwcd.
      the wort. In 1953, Fred Trueblood. Sr.,   Stevens, Barbana Ayres. Carol Sh:!ugh-  Placcrilll l\mve  tc:uncd up  to  lllllrCh  In
      owner  and  publisher  of  The  Signal   nc:ssy, Jimmy Wright, B:wb:n Melby,   some amay  Of olhct. Usually, they arc   Then  there  was  D41.e  Taylor  who
      wrote.  in  a  moment  or pique.   Billie Siuon, Lind4 Pigg:ind one lady in   not unlfonncd but  they :alway  sound   became lhe hero of 111 lcu1 three or his
                           the  lllle '30s  who  was  the  mochct  of   good. espocwly when Larry Thornton,   girl  friends  with  whom  he shared  his
       Stagl11g a full day's activities is a job   the  V'CJICtllblc  Hart  bandrnasl.C.r,  putS
                                                                      winnings in  1956. One or the carnival
      of lllbrmous proportions in a commwti-  two!   ~ (:amous wide smile on bis fxc and   gwncs  boasu:d  huge  panda  bears  as'
      ry the size of N~hall. TM tUUnbu of   Lact  of music  has  always  been  a   marcbcs  proud  down  San  Femilndo   ~111,.,.,
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