It was Holiday Time 2008 when the notice came out from Pat Mertens Dvorak that the Class of 1957 would be having a mini-reunion to celebrate 52 years out of high school. The reunion would take place in September 2009. The destination for those attending would be Prairie du Chien, WI. Well, shake off the realization that I have been out of H.S. for 52 years, Miss Nancy, and get with the plans to attend.
I had to get out a map and see just where I needed to be. Imagine the joy of realizing it was right on the Mississippi. And that brought with it the wonderful sounds in my head of all the great male singers in L.S. during the 50s. Old Man River was a real favorite song for music contest. So now for 8 months that song and its lyrics have been dancing around in my head. ‘Tote that barge, lift that bale/ Get a little drunk and you land in jail’. Can’t you just hear that deep voice taking it low into bass clef?
This wonderful song comes from the classic musical ‘Showboat’ that originated in 1927. The song portrays a black worker on the docks of the Mississippi. Now times have changed and many of the singers and group that have performed the song since have changed the lyrics to be in keeping with the times.
The song, like the Mississippi, and certainly all my classmates from 1957 just keep rolling along. I can’t wait to get to the banks of the river.