Bell Gang, - more

tee-shirt


The Bell Gang reunion was more than I expected.

I expected we would break bread with a bunch of people who hung around Larry Bell Park – a sort of shiftless lot, who quit school as soon as they became 16.

Not so.

It might have started like that 17 years ago but now it has mushroomed into a big social gathering for any one who was a teenager of our generation who lived in Marietta. I saw old friends (and girl friend) that I haven’t seen in almost a half century.

I think this is much better than a regular high school reunion because it is not limited to just one graduation class. You see old friends older and younger than you. Some you recognize instantly and some you have to look at their name tag. Some you are amazed they haven’t change and some you are amazed they have changed.

And it is informal – which I enjoy more.

The first person I saw when we got out the car was Bobby. He lived around the corner when I was a kid. I reminded him of a 57 black Chevvy he sold to another neighbor, Larry Holcomb. And I told him as soon as Larry bought it he and I went out on a deserted highway, U.S. 41, to see what the car could do. Going full blast down a hill the car broke down. It lost all engine power and we coasted to a stop. We were trying to push it off the road when we heard and felt the comings of a big truck down the hill, probably an 18 wheeler, and we tried even harder to push the car out of the way, but the truck was getting closer. Larry took off running to get out of the way of the upcoming likely smashup. Dumb me had the bright idea to jump into the car and put my foot on the brake petal which would light up the red tail lights, thus warn the on coming truck. Which, I did as the headlights of the truck lit up the entire inside of the Chevvy. The driver slammed on his brakes and did all he could to turn his big rig, just in time not to send me to the hereafter…. The truck made all kinds of screeching and groans as it swirled, barely missing the car and me. Whew!

Larry Holcomb died several years back.

Which reminds me, many of our age are collectors and fixer-upers of old antique cars. One row in the parking lot was reserved for beautiful old antique cars – when I say antique, I mean mostly the same kind of cars we drove in the mid ‘50s. They all looked great.. and even a few Hog motorcycles.

Outside under a shed they were cooking barbecue chicken quarters. Beside it was a girl from the American Legion with a cash register and a tub of light Bud and Caffeine-free Cokes – probably the preference of people our age.

In high school I was known for my writing humorous writing ability and at least four, maybe more people, reminded me of what I wrote in their yearbooks.