Summer Nights on Cedar Street

Cedar Street will always hold special memories that made our summer breaks from school exciting each and every day.

I recall one day when my friends and I were riding our bicycles around town when all of a sudden we rode past the old Algood Fire Station, located near the current Post Office. Many will remember it as the old Algood City Park.

Something was taking place there, so we rode as close as we could and stopped to enjoy a cold can of Fanta Grape soda from Fred Buford’s gas station just down the road.

What? I could not believe my eyes. A Ferris wheel was being set up. And oh my, what’s that? A ride called The Bullet. There was also a merry-go-round and a carnival game or two. It was all part of the Algood City Lions Club Fourth of July Celebration.

We ran home as fast as we could and started mowing a few yards and picking blackberries. My brothers and I had a plan to make money so we could ride those rides and play those games of chance.

Summertime around the Hunter home usually consisted of getting out the old green tent, airing it out, and camping in our own backyard. One particular night, one of my brother’s friends came over for a sleepover.

My brother Bobby invited a friend from church, Phillip Gibbons. Yes, the same Phillip Gibbons from Country Giant 94.7 radio. I recall my mom recently talking about hearing us boys giggling that night, especially Phillip. Those nights camping in the backyard were precious memories.

Now back to the next day as we prepared to go to the celebration. We counted our money, with a little help from Mom and Dad, Jean and Clarence Hunter, and headed over to the park.

One game in particular involved tossing dimes at assorted dishes and glasses. My brother Billy was a master at that game. I noticed every now and then the man running it would pretend to wipe off the dishes and cups while secretly spraying something on them to make the coins slide off easier.

My brother figured that out and won many plates and dishes as prizes, so many that the worker finally said, “No more.”

Then there were those crazy Coke and Pepsi glass bottles with the stretched necks and colored water inside them. Again, we each won one.

Then we hopped on the Ferris wheel. Being around six years old, that Ferris wheel was scary, especially when they stopped you at the top and the seat would sway back and forth.

Then came that old Bullet ride. It was a long pipe with a bullet-shaped cone on each end. I climbed on, and away we went. I was strapped in, but being so small, I was not held in very well. Even though it scared me, I eventually rode it again and again.

As nightfall came and a country band played, I saw a man walk by a 50-gallon drum attached to a post for garbage. He lit something, and a few seconds later, boom. The ground shook and that barrel flew up into the air. He had dropped an M-80 firecracker into that old barrel. I never knew if he got caught or who it was.

I believe that night the Lions Club auctioned off a car or truck as a fundraiser. There was nothing like the smell of hamburgers, hot dogs, cotton candy, and smoke from fireworks.

Many years have passed now, and much has changed in Algood. For many, only memories remain in a small town once filled with love and kindness.

I reflect on what God was teaching us during those times. We were always excited when something special showed up in our town.

Some of my fondest memories are events that took place at my church, Algood First Baptist Church, located on the corner of Washington and Second Avenue. Something was always happening there, from revivals to homecomings.

Now, homecomings were special. There would be guest singers and a meal that stretched halfway across the fellowship hall. Those homecomings were truly special times. To me, they were reminders that one day the return of Jesus will be the greatest homecoming of all.

I wish I could grab a plate and walk down those tables again at my old church.

There were good times of ministry and also times of grief with the passing of members of our church family. There was joy in weddings and the birth of newborn babies. Church family was a very important part of life, and it remains important to me and my family today.

I have included a picture of me and my brothers camping in the backyard of my old house at 116 Cedar Street. Pictured are me at bottom left, my brother Bobby at top left, and my brother Billy at top right. Both of my brothers have passed away and are now with Jesus.

This picture was taken in 1970.