President's Day

When I was growing up, we celebrated George Washington's birthday and Abraham Lincoln's birthday on their respective dates.  But that was too much bother, so the government combined the birthdays of these two leaders into a one day celebration.

I went to a two room country school and we put together programs for some events and invited the parents to school.  For a week or two previous we worked together to make the items needed to put the program together. We read stories and poems and studied the subject or subjects that our program was going to be centered around. Sometimes the teachers found plays, skits and poems that we could learn parts for.  Whatever it was, the entire school participated and eagerly looked forward to it.  The entire school usually consisted of anywhere from 15 to 25 students in grades one through eight.

One year we made shadow boxes to stage a program that included the lives of both presidents.  The wooden frame was made of 2x4s with white flannel stretched across the open box.  We cut figures and forms out of heavy black construction paper to represent the life story of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  After lunch, on the big day, we had our last dress rehearsal, pushed all the desks to the sides and back of the room and set chairs up for visitors to sit in.  Mothers and siblings arrived, usually with cakes, cookies and cupcakes and koolaide to be served later.  Since both birthdays were so close to Valentine's Day, there was always a small cupcake paper of Valentine's candy. 

The large shadow box was set up on a table at the front of the room and when everyone was ready, all of the window shades were pulled down and a lamp was used to illuminate the fabric.  Each of us had a figure or form and a part to recite as we placed the form on the white flannel. Sometimes the older children had more than one part to play.  Some of the pieces didn't want to hold by themselves, so we'd have to reach quickly to set them back in place.

After the program, we put away the stage props and the chairs and pushed the desks back in place while mothers set up the refreshments.  Valentine cards made in Friday afternoon art class were given to parents and friends in a hurried exchange.  It was a real treat to get store bought cards.  Usually the program was held later in the afternoon so that when it was over, school could be dismissed.

We looked forward to these times and now we look back upon them, fond memories.