Started Ben & Me during a quick breakfast. The "me" in this case is Amos Mouse, who helped Benjamin Franklin create some of his greatest inventions, from the Franklin Stove to the Pennsylvania Gazette. Amos thinks Ben's gone too far after he has him ride in that famous electrifying kite and leaves. He begs Amos to come back during the American Revolution and help him out again. Their agreement to no more tricks becomes the basis of the Declaration of Independence.
Thank heavens Oaklyn pushed their parade back to 9 AM today. I wouldn't have seen it if it stayed at 10. Even at 8:50, it was already steamy and in the 90's. I dropped Finley's birthday gift off at Rose's house, then got a free cotton candy water ice from Yummies Palace's cart and free red, white, and blue beads from the Oaklyn Civic Association. A little boy who was already dripping sweat handed me a 250th anniversary America flag.
Thankfully, the parade was more-or-less on time. The cardboard boat with a Jaws theme won first place. I liked the group dressed as butterflies the best. There was only one other kid next to me, jumping out to gather the tons of candy all of the baseball teams and various groups threw. I gave some of my candy to the little kids in wagons behind me, some of it to him, and still had tons of Mamba, Tootsie Roll Fruit Chews, and Dum Dums lollipops leftover to share with Lauren when she visits.
Oh, and I ran into Rose and Finley towards the end of the parade. No, they weren't doing anything today. Rose was sending the kids to have a barbecue with their father at his mother's house, and she just wanted to rest. I pointed them towards the Civic Association's booth with Hot dogs, mini bags of chips and Cheetos, and baby pools filled with ice, soda, and water.
Stopped at Common Grounds Coffee House to get a cool treat. The line for drinks was long, but it moved fast. I got a Peaches and Cream Lemonade. Peach syrup with very tart lemonade topped with foam. Not bad, though that lemonade was very, very puckering!
Finished Ben & Me after I got in, then switched to classic shorts while I got dressed for work. "Patriotic Popeye" tries to keep his nephews from setting off balloons, until they end up being carried into the sky by one, and he needs spinach to intervene. "Donald's Failed Fourth" has Donald trying to set up for a picnic with Daisy in front of the fireworks, but the blanket and chairs won't cooperate.
Called Uber after the cartoons ended. It was just too hot to ride my bike. To my surprise, it only took me 7 minutes to get a ride. I figured it would be much longer on a very hot major holiday. It took me 9 minutes to get a ride home. No problems or traffic either way.
Work could have been a lot worse. It got crazy around noon and was picking up again when I left at 5, but the in between wasn't really that bad. I did spend most of the time outside pushing carts, but I had help from one of the college boys (who did most of the sweeping), and I went in for water when I got too hot. I was in and out with no trouble.
Listened to A Musical Souvenir of America On Parade when I got home. Yes, this was the music from Disney's big Bicentennial parade at the parks in 1975 and 1976. The songs are mostly instrumental versions of traditional American tunes like "Turkey In the Straw," "O Susannah," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and "I've Been Working On the Railroad," but somehow "Animal Crackers In My Soup" slips in there towards the end...and Disney being Disney couldn't resist including "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah."
Finished the night on YouTube after a shower. The owner of the Match Game Productions channel did something different and showed us how other game shows celebrated the 4th of July. One show actually started on the 4th, the 1988 Family Feud with Ray Combs. Press Your Luck had Whammies setting off fireworks and snatching cash in 1985. Markie Post and Richard Shannon (with hair!) played each other on Super Password in 1986 just prior to Post joining Night Court (and even obliquely mentioned it on the episode). A patriotic episode of Price Is Right from 1975, just a few months before they expanded to an hour, had a Bicentennial salute to George M. Cohen as one of the Showcases.
Classic Concentration was the only show to decorate for the occasion, offering flags everywhere, a trip to Washington DC, a paper mache George Washington, red, white, and blue cars to choose from, and Canadian Alex Trebek in an American flag tie. Things were more normal on 4th of July episodes of the Richard Dawson Family Feud, other than a few picnic-related questions. Susan Richardson and Wesley Eure did battle on Password Plus. The first 4th of July on Body Language had Betty White simply being outplayed by lanky Ed Begley Jr. Lisa Benet had more luck against Jason Bateman during their teen month the next year, while Kennedy set off sparklers. The Bob Eubanks Card Sharks introduced a new bonus round, while Jim Perry dealt with some pretty unique contestants, including a very funny old man named Ed, in his earlier version from 1979 and 1980.
Celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary game show style in these hilariously patriotic tributes!
Called Mom during the marathon to wish her a happy 4th. She was enjoying hers in pretty much the same way, watching Ken Burns documentaries on PBS with Keefe. Keefe's wife Julia took their children to visit her family, so they were relishing the peace and quiet. They hadn't done much today, but Keefe did take Mom to his favorite restaurant earlier in the week.
Oh, and there were no fireworks this year. Not only was it too hot, but there were some pretty bad storms later in the evening. That didn't stop people from setting off their own fireworks, including a beautiful display of sparkling green and pink just a few houses down from here on East Clinton.
Here's hoping your 4th of July was just as much fun...and a lot cooler.
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