Now days every town has a festival and fireworks show. I can remember when this county only had one! It was the 4th of July Picnic held at Sylvania Lake. It was a dual celebration of Independence and the digging of potatoes. You see all those years ago potatoes were one of the largest cash crops in the county. The farmers usually dug them up the week of the Fourth. The Picnic was a place to see folks you hadn't seen in a long time and eat and have a good time. The fireworks show was usually held at the drive-in theater in Fort Payne just before the movie started.
Today's generation would be hard pressed to survive on beans and potatoes. How many could plant a garden and make it grow. Those of us who remember how need to pass that on to the next generation, because only God knows what lies ahead. Our children need to be prepared to survive.
