Fourth of July past

by Peter Twitchell

I remember as a boy in the 1950s Independence Day Fourth of July celebrations in Bethel were spectacular and always fun to attend, they were a lot of games and a lot of villagers from the Kuskokwim and Yukon and even the Coast celebrating in Bethel with us.

I can say without a doubt fun was had by all and there was never a shortage of food.

It seems like everyone in Bethel helped each other to make the Fourth of July a fun day working together, setting up booths of glass jars with ping pong balls and quarters, popping balloons with darts. If there was a band playing live music with their guitars it made it that much more interesting for me.

I have fond memories of the Guinn Brothers, Johnny Bobby and Stuffer, jamming out playing the music of “The Ventures!!”

The fire department and Kevin Murphy, other local men, school employees like Max Fancher, teachers, school superintendent Mr. Skeen, teachers and others were setting up booths on the playground, and there always was bingo in the evening in one of the classrooms.

The kids had their wheelbarrow races where a kid would hold onto the ankles of another kid who used his arms and hands to scramble across to the finish line. And the adults and elders seemed to really enjoy the kids hopping across to the finish line in their gunny sacks.

The fire department always greased a pole for boys to compete in trying to get a $5 – 20 bill. When shortening was painted onto the pole it wasn’t an easy climb to get the bounty. Yet this was very popular, local boys getting their Fourth of July shirts/pants all greasy!! Many tried to reach that money to go and buy a hotdog, ice cream, or a soda pop.

I always enjoyed my iluq Elia Michael from across the Brown Slough. I noticed Elia often waited till most of the grease from the grease pole was gone to get his bounty. Elia Michael was the very first kid I saw remove his shirt and T-shirt and scale the pole 10 feet high to get that money. He had that smile and grin you could see a mile away!

When it was time for the men to run a 3 mile course from the playground to the PHS hospital and back, I would watch closely two local men who in my mind became rivals and contenders for that race: Dr. Earl Polk and Manny Koenig. Earl usually took the race but one Fourth of July I remember Manny Koenig crossing the finish line to win by inches.

The annual Fourth of July boat race was a bigger attraction and everyone from the fairground walked down to the seawall to watch it. There was one buoy in front of Mission Road about and halfway up another buoy in front of Orutsararmiut.

The boat race commenced in front of Swanson’s Marina and headed down river, circled the buoy, come back up the river, circle the buoy in front of Orutsararmiut and repeated the circle five more times before winner would be declared.

There was always three Bethel men contenders of that race: Mr. Moses Anvil, Aldrick Lekander, and Dad won his last race by borrowing Joe Mendola’s Aluminum 12 and putting his 40 horse Evinrude outboard motor with a 2 blade speed prop as his motor.

When signal was given to start the motors and go, Dad’s motor wouldn’t start as he had an idling motor, he had to kill it and flooded the motor in the desperate attempt to get his motor running again.

However, he caught up with everyone when they were circling the first buoy catching up, overcoming and passing 10 more boats and finishing the race in first place.

Have a happy and safe Independence Day and summer. Remember, always use a float coat or a life preserver on the river and be a good example to the kids who are watching. Remind them that life preservers save lives!!