Class of 1960 Zoomers, July 17, 2025
Participants: Top Row – Dan Tontz, Marilyn Tompkins Bellert, Diane Rusch Zinn, Glenna Stearman Park; Second row – Jane Thompson Olson, Perry Ann Porter, Lee Ayres, Skip Granger; Third row – Calvin Ross, Linda Soderberg McKay, Kay Ellen Consolver.
Topic of the Day – 4th of July Memories and Experiences
Perry Ann Porter, Poulsbo, WA – I remember going to the golf course to watch fireworks. In 
our backyard, we had the little black snakes that wiggled around and left a mess. We also had a bucket of water where we would place sparklers so they wouldn’t burn us when they were finished. My most memorable fireworks were at New Years in the Philippines. A group of scuba divers created a lightshow that rose out of the water at midnight. It was spectacular. Here in the Poulsbo area, Native Americans usually explode fireworks every night from May 1 to July 4, which is very noisy for two months. They dialed it down this year because of the high risk of fires.
Dan Tontz, Dallas, TX I really couldn’t remember any 4th of July celebrations before high school
and neither could my sister. I’m hoping that as we talk today, you will jog my memories. We were a pro-military family, so we did patriotic things. My best guess is that we went to Riverside Park to watch fireworks displays. Later as adults, our families met at cabins in Oklahoma, Hot Springs, and Biloxi MS. I remember watching a fine parade in Louisiana, but it was so hot and sticky that sweat dripped off my nose. I decided never to go that far south again – it’s my Mason-Dixon dividing line.
Glenna Stearman Park, Maryland I remember watching a pow-wow with Indians in full 
costume doing native dances in Riverside Park. My dad was a musician in his free time, so we always went to Riverside for the bands. On July 4th one year, we discovered the Indian Pow-wow. Before moving to Wichita, we had a farm in Enid, OK. When my brother was in high school, my dad thought it would be great for us kids to run a fireworks stand. We had an enormous supply of fireworks, but never any. Once the 4th was over, we got to blow up everything. People came to watch us explode the unsold merchandise. It was quite a show. When we lived in Wichita, we watched the displays at Crestview Country Club from our living room window. Now, living in Maryland, we watch the Capitol Fourth from Washington DC on television. The traffic is terrible going to and from that event, so we watch it on TV. When Obama was president, my son and a friend tried to attend that celebration in person. It took them seven hours to get home.
Jane Olson, Park Ridge, IL There were four children in our family. My mom would give each of us a brown paper bag containing punks, little boxes containing black snakes, and tiny
firecrackers called “ladyfingers.” The ladyfingers were an inch or two long and came in a red wrapper. We were allowed to play with those. In the evening, we went to my uncle’s for Roman candles, cherry bombs, and other fireworks. We spent the whole day going through our bags of fireworks. We left ugly black circles all over the driveway. We also put firecrackers under tin cans, which shot up in the air. My grandkids go to big fireworks displays. From the balcony of our home, we can watch fireworks in many communities, including the huge display in Chicago.
Lee Ayres, Fresno, CA I remember watching displays from Grant Park in
Chicago when I was in college. When we lived in New Jersey, when I was in grade school, I recall sparklers and the strips of paper you would weave around the spokes on your bike wheels. We’d then have a parade around our block. Things are quiet here in Fresno, and I have no idea what the grandchildren do because they aren’t here. When they lived at home, we usually went to a ball game and watched the displays there. This year, I understand that the Sacramento police have been using their Shot Spotter tools to issue citations for violating the fireworks ordinances.
Kay Ellen Consolver, Litchfield, CN The 4th of July was always at Kiddieland for my family. There was a special fireworks display every year. We kids thought the fireworks were only for us. We got to stand close and watch everything. When I lived in London, I was part of the American community. They celebrated independence from England with a full day of traditional activities. They still do it!
Calvin Ross, Johnson City, TN I remember the two-inch firecrackers we set off on my granddad’s farm
near Wellington. He had a big patch of ground for fireworks. We would take a metal pipe, put a marble in it, then set off the firecracker at one end to propel the marble toward a tin can target. I never did hit the can. My granddad also let us use the M-80’s that were huge and lit up the whole farm when they fired. He used them to scare foxes and coyotes away from the hen house. They also scared some of the farm animals; I was afraid the M-80s would keep some of the hens from laying for awhile. In my adult experience, a favorite 4th of July memory is seeing Van Cliburn play a piano concert at a baseball field in Pittsburg. Another time, Howitzer cannons placed outside the ballfield’s walls accompanied the 1812 Overture, a 4th of July tradition in many places.
Skip Granger, Sun Valley, AZ My family went to Big Sugar Creek one year to celebrate the 
4th. We shot off Roman candles. I held mine backwards. It burned my arms and caught my clothes on fire. The next year, a Roman candle blew up in my hand. Now, the 4th of July is tamer for me in some ways but not others. We eat BBQ at a community pool. A golf course parade includes decorated golf carts and people in costumes. Some people in this community like to shoot hand guns in the air. This worries me, because what goes up must come down somewhere. I also saw the 1812 Overture performed with cannons, but I was at a hotel in Canada.
Linda Soderberg McKay, St. Louis, MO Like many of you, I recall sparklers, snakes, and Roman
candles. My children were serious about fireworks, so we looked for displays to attend as a family. When we lived in Washington DC for five years, we did take our four children one year to watch the fireworks display from the White House lawn. It was amazing. Because of my concern that my grandchildren become familiar with the history of July 4, I alternate between presents and informative activity booklets for them to complete. I only get feedback from this endeavor when I offer them money. We do play the game American Bingo frequently, and that is a good teaching tool.
Diane Rusch Zinn, Lawrence, KS I am loving all of your stories! The only thing I remember as a child is burning my hand on a Roman candle at my grandmother’s farm north of Wichita. When our four children were growing up, we always had lots of snakes, smoke bombs, sparklers, and firecrackers they could do by themselves. They would go with Dick to the big tents to buy big fireworks to set off with neighbors. Our favorite was watching the huge fireworks display at the KU stadium every year. Then, when we got home, we would go to our back yard and watch the millions of fireflies dancing around Naismith Valley Park. That was nature’s fireworks display. This area is an outlier of sorts because fireworks are still allowed, so we have the big sales tents all around town. This year, my granddaughter Maddi and I watched the display in Eudora, a few miles from here. I couldn’t believe the extravagant displays all the neighbors around there were setting off.
Marilyn Tompkins Bellert, Sycamore, IL My earliest 4th of July memory is watching my little brother shooting a Roman candle backwards up his arm. This is definitely a theme for our
generation! We also had sparklers, snakes, and lady-fingers to play with. My family always had a big 4th celebration picnic with our extended family and friends. When my kids were growing up, we went to a local park for village fireworks. Once the kids were in high school, they used to climb up onto the roof of our house and sit there to watch the fireworks. Every year they participated in the 4th of July parade with scout troops or school groups. My worst parade was the year that I was asked to be a Parade Marshal. This involved riding in a very, very slow and very, very hot police car with the windows rolled up and no AC at the front of the parade. By the time I got to my seat in the reviewing stand, I was soaked to the skin and miserable. Never did that again. My children still celebrate the 4th with their own kids. We served up hamburgers, brats, and 4th of July cake last week for family and friends.
Your Stories Invited More Recall
Calvin – There’s a town in the Florida panhandle where a concrete fireworks store is located. Their banner reads “Come on in for the biggest bang in town.”
Skip noted that flags line the streets for 4th of July in his community, and the Lion’s Club puts flags everywhere in the area.
Diane commented about all the flags on light poles, homes, and town squares in New England the week after Memorial Day. Many porches were decorated with red, white, and blue.
Dan – This discussion definitely jogged my memory. I was in Washington DC when Carter was president and heard the US Army band play the 1812 Overture, with the cannons and all. One 4th we had so many family accidents. My sister lost her wedding band down the sink drain, but fortunately it was retrieved. When we were in Biloxi, we had a flat tire and had to take all our luggage out of the trunk to get to the tire repair things. Someone stole our luggage. Once my brother-in-law fell off a casino boat, and my sister fell in trying to help him. I loved being in the band at East under Mr. Thompson and learning all the John Phillip Sousa marches.
Glenna – I remember my most annoying 4th. That was in 1976. I had planned for several months to take my family to Newport to see the tall ships. In the end, I did not get to go. They were very beautiful on television. The father of one of my teaching colleagues owned a tall ship. I went to Houston, where the ship was anchored, but didn’t get to go onto the ship. All these years, I’ve wanted to go on a tall ship, but haven’t made it.
Lee remembered attending a KU football game when Robert Goulet was singing the national anthem, and he forgot the words.
Jane added that we are spoiled because fireworks displays are not just on the 4th anymore. They are at sporting events and other venues, so the 4th displays aren’t as special as they once were. I saw 4th of July fireworks this year from New York harbor. They were really spectacular.
Linda – Tall ships remind me. The year we were transferred to New York, I was offered a job to go out with a tall ship and come in with it, so I could write public relations materials for them. That was the week we were moving back to Kansas City. Eventually, I decided to turn down the job, so I could help my family with the move.
Glenna – John Van Slyke used to participate in a sailboat race from Newport to Bermuda. Once, he asked me if I would like to try the ocean on his boat. I said, “YES!” John’s wife Bonnie offered me a motion sickness pill, but I said no, because I had not had motion sickness in years. About two minutes onto the ocean, I threw up all over everywhere. John said, “Hose her down, Bonnie.” I had brought a box of bottled water for the trip, and Bonnie used all of it to wash me off. There was still vomit everywhere. John tipped the boat 90 degrees, and waves washed the deck clean. By the time we returned, I was clean and dry.
Kay Ellen – Once when I was living in New York City, I watched the Central Park fireworks from the home of a friend who lived along the park. I made a mistake and took my poodle. Thereafter, the poodle went under the bed whenever there was a loud noise. I loved fireworks at the Washington monument. Here in Litchfield, an original colony, the town fireworks display happens on June 27, which is bizarre.
Skip said they sang patriotic songs on their Tremble Clef practice today. He is very impressed with the conductors, pianists and singers in his group. The purpose of the Tremble Clef chorus is to help Parkinson’s patients with their speech as well as provide a very enjoyable activity. Skip is writing a story for the website about his experience with this group.
Calvin offered a quote from Ram Dass to close out our discussion today:
“We’re all just walking each other home.”
Zooming with the Aces will return on Thursday, August 21, at 2:00 pm. Wichita time. By then we will have a good idea about numbers of classmates registered for the 65th reunion and activities being planned. We hope to see you here in August and for sure in Wichita in September!
