| OCR Text |
Show 50 The Grouse Creek Cultural Survey absence is more noteworthy than the absence of cowboy song because of the ubiquity and vitality of cowboy poetry within buckaroo culture. In earlier days two celebrations marked midsummer and midwinter on Grouse Creek's calendar: Independence Day and Christmas. In recent years, the community's celebration of Christmas has been reduced from a round of dances and get-togethers to a relatively modest church service, but Independence Day is still going strong. During the early decades of this century the Independence Day celebration consisted mainly of a patriotic musical program accompanied by athletic contests-usually a baseball game and foot race-and a community dinner. In 1985 it included a western-style breakfast, a parade, a rodeo, and a dance in addition to the program, baseball game, and foot races. Many residents schedule their family reunions to coincide with the event, and Brian and Jolene Thompson scheduled their wedding reception for the day. The day's activities began with an outdoor breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and eggs. The parade that followed included children on bicycles and horses, a clown throwing candy, and four floats (decorated hay wagons pulled by trucks): a 4H float with children holding lambs; a float by the Thompson family carrying a load of children and bearing a A! m. Team roping at the Independence Day rodeo. (Carol Edison; GCCS CEB-25497/33) |
