1950’s Camp is Success

I Love Lucy was a hit. We watched til we dropped. Our oldest six grandkids came for the week and we had a 1950’s theme. Crammed full, the first day we made individual homemade pizzas and root beer floats, then brought out the karaoke machine. They sang The Peppermint Twist and Great Ball of Fire with gusto!

We visited the Big Red Barn located on Route 66 and POPS, a diner with thousands of different flavors of bottled pop, collecting bottles and bottle pops. And yes, they liked it.

Since we couldn’t go to the drive-in (the two youngest children had to be in bed before dark) we made our own cardboard cars and watched movies in the living room.

My mother, their Great-Grandma Margaret, came one afternoon dressed for the 50’s and helped us make old-fashioned molasses taffy, so we had marathon taffy pull.

Contests included: hula hoops, jump rope, tops, yoyos and bubble gum blowing. I limited swimming to one hour because of the heat here – over 110 degrees F. We blew bubbles, ate watermelon, fed the geese in the backyard, and played spoons.

Me, the picture-taker, took pictures all week, and each child worked on their scrapbook. My daughter, the scrapbooker, came to help finish up.

The big event, of course, was a Sock Hop. We spent time decorating, then dressed up in poodle skirts, cat eye glasses, and slicked back hair. Our nice neighbor owns a 1957 Chevy, and he let us take pictures in front of it. My sister loaned us her record player, so we had the authentic Elvis Presley 45rpms, including Jailhouse Rock, Shake Rattle and Roll, Hound Dog, and Don’t Be Cruel. What a party! Even I learned the hand jive.

Puppet Plays and devotional time with stories from Even Donkeys Speak by Mary McDonald. Prayer time. Crazy times. Sweet times. The kids kept me on track as to what is most important. Being together and making memories.

I’ll always remember this special week. I have some awesome, talented, God-gifted grandchildren. Each one is precious.