Thursday, October 28

Thursday, October 28 - Worked 9 - 6 today. Bud had to go in early. Teamsters went back to work today and as usual the clerks are holding the bag. No health and welfare insurance.

Friday, October 29 - Bud had to go early today to practice band. Worked 10 - 7. Mickey worked 12 - 9. Went to union office and paid my dues. 

Saturday, October 30 - Got up at 5 to get Bud off for Warrensburg and then couldn't go back to sleep. Worked 12 - 9 - busy as a bee.

The Teamsters held all the cards in the Meatcutters lockout. I can't remember the exact ins and outs of this strike, but it would still be a while before the Meatcutters could go back to the stores. Until then, the Clerks were last in line. I remember my mom getting pretty steamed about the situation, complaining that the Union leadership was still drawing a salary through all of this fiasco. That we were not going to get health insurance through the union has mom sizzling. 

I had to go in early for marching band practice. We didn't practice on the football field like normal people, we marched on the streets surrounding the school. This was our way of punishing the blue-collar neighborhood for supporting us. Marching began at 7:00 a.m. sharp. We didn't march with muffled drums or with cross stick rim clicks. We marched like we meant it. God, it must have sounded awful. 

"Thelma! They're at it again! That damned band is parked in front of the house, beating those infernal drums! Don't they know it's only 7:00 a.m.?" 

"Yes Homer, I can hear them. I'll call the school again."

The Adventures of Homer and Thelma are made possible by actual people who lived in my neighborhood. 

The band, under the baton of one Mr. Harry Bianco, staged behind the school and took off, drums echoing between the houses, north on Chelsea Avenue to Budd Park Esplanade, a couple of laps around the Esplanade, a concert stop where Chelsea split the parkway, and then back to the school for an 8:15 first bell by way of Brighton Avenue. This was and is a tight squeeze down residential streets lined on both sides by Arts and Crafts bungalows. More than once, we had to break ranks to let cars through, although it was a lot more fun to stare them down and make them wait or back up.

Our drum line played a military "B" cadence, and if the band played, it was probably Sousa's "Washington Post". If we played at a football game, our celebration song was "On Wisconsin." I really don't know why. Mizzou's "Every True Son" and "Fight, Tigers!"would have been much nicer. especially for us Missouri loyalists. Jeez, even the Missouri Waltz would have been better than "On Wisconsin." 

Our school was The Vikings. There aren't many good Viking anthems, and Led Zeppelin wouldn't release "The Immigrant Song" for a few more years. I'll have to admit, it would make a nicely intimidating touchdown celebration at a high school football game, especially if the band went storming the opposition's bench, setting fire to their busses and abducting their . . . oops, sorry, I'm thinking of a football game in Bonner Springs, Kansas my senior year.

The funny part was that it really didn't make much difference. We were a small band, even by 1965 standards. I'd guess we had maybe thirty-five kids in uniform, not including majorettes and banner. Musically, we were pretty awful. This set of practices is a last-minute attempt to tighten up our marching skills before the Missouri State Marching Band Championships in Warrensburg, Missouri.

The contest started with a parade through beautiful downtown Warrensburg, followed by a massed band concert at halftime at the Central Missouri State College homecoming game. The bands were judged on marching skills, musicianship, and other intangibles, like if their white shoes weren't stained with horse crap from an earlier parade. 

It was kind of a big deal for us, and the trip to Warrensburg and back helped me make a connection with a little strawberry blonde that I had quite frankly, overlooked until we were staging for the parade. I kissed her behind the grandstand before we got back on the bus for home. It was my first real face-sucking episode, and as I remember, I enjoyed it. 

She and I were an item for the rest of the school year, and some years after that, on and off. She was my regular date in Elmwood Cemetery for music practice and homework. And other stuff.