4th of July Memories

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The 4th of July is just about here. Although Memorial Day heralds the official start to the Summer season, the 4th of July seems to be a bigger celebration. People flock to the beach, have backyard cookouts and scout out a good place to view the fireworks. All rites of the Summer holiday.

I am sure everyone has a special memory of this holiday. Does it involve a spectacular display of fireworks, a great cook out or a sunburn from too many hours on the beach?

In my case it is a memory that spans a decade or more. And it was all done from the comfort of our living room. I absolutely loved watching Arthur Feidler conduct the Boston Pops Orchestra. The Pops always did a 4th of July concert on the Charles River Esplanade and it was broadcast on many PBS stations. Thousands of people would pack picnic suppers, grab a blanket and head to the grassy areas to wait for this free concert. A great display of  fireworks on the Charles River followed the performance.

Arthur Feidler was the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra for 50 years. That was longer than the 17 previous conductors combined. He is credited with making music fun and interesting. He was known for his popular and light classical programs.  And although I am tone deaf and had no idea what they were playing, watching him conduct was a thrill in itself.

The July 4, 1976 concert is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest single audience for classical music concert. 400,000 people attended that concert. July 4, 1976 was a very special year.

Arthur Feidler was a spirited little man who always seemed to have a twinkle in his eye. He had a head of white hair that sometimes seems a bit unruly. He just had fun with his orchestra and himself. One of his biggest likes was watching the Boston firemen do their jobs. He often went to see firefighters at work when there was a fire in the Boston area. On his 75th birthday, his family presented him with his very one full sized fire truck....wonder where you keep something like that.

Arthur Feidler died in 1979. A 32 cent stamp was created in his memory. And for me, the music was no longer the same. He was followed by John Williams as conductor of the Pops. Certainly another great conductor, but in my eyes, not an Arthur Feidler. Somehow the 4th of July has lost a bit of its sparkle

2013 National Gingerbread House Competition

The Omni Grove Park Inn

Asheville, NC

This was the twenty first year of the gingerbread house competition. It was started in 1992 with a small group of gingerbread houses built by community members. It was another way to celebrate the holiday season and no one expected it to happen again. Now it has become one of the nation's most celebrated events. The competition is fierce and the caliber of judges is astounding. 

Although it is billed as a gingerbread house competition, the winner this year were animals. A pair of pandas eating bamboo was the grand prize winner. This creation traveled from Wisconsin for the competition. It was very hard to get a good photo as it was in a glass showcase with mirrors on the back.

All items on the entry must be edible except for the base it is built on. Many were made of gingerbread and covered in fondant while others were very much bare gingerbread except for the decorations. So enjoy the show and maybe put it on your calendar for next year. It starts the week before Thanksgiving and runs through New Year's Day. There is a short period of time - I think the week of Christmas - that the top winners are taken to NYC for TV appearances.

Santa is flying in on his Canadian Goose.

Can you see the mice in the clock? The clock weights looked like pine cones.  

This was a very simple A-frame gingerbread house and then they added all the sugar work.  The snowflakes on the roof were a work of art.

And what is not to love about a trip to the amusement park on the boardwalk? 

I think this was one of my favorites. The title was "I Should Have Taken the Sleigh". Can't you just see Santa and the misses zipping around in that sporty red car?

This one was called "Mall Santa". What a familiar scene these days. 

 The details on this piece were incredible. You could stand for an hour and not see everything. Each book on the shelves was individually done. The cards on the mantle painted. There was a worn spot on the braided rug. Look at the stones in the fireplace. Talk about patience!

And one of my favorite. The simplicity of the scene is wonderful. It is called "Gingerbread in G Minor".