Essays

Moseying: Locations of Interest

Andrews 4th of July celebration
June 18, 2003

The 4th of July is just a couple weeks away. Where can I find a brass band playing Sousa marches in a park, and afterwards hear extemporaneous speakers holding folks spellbound? Anybody know? I probably can not find either one. But how about a parade with a 50 horse sheriff’s posse and two dozen floats of organizations celebrating their achievements of the past year, or a turtle race? How many folks here in Midland go home to a smaller town not far away, just to participate in the spirit of reunion at a small-town 4th of July? The small town 4th of July is often portrayed in movies, so it is a mythological or iconic story for many Americans.

The other day, while cleaning out a cabinet, I found my parents’ color photographs of a 4th of July in Midland in 1955. The photographs seemed overly colorful with the pastel flouncy skirts of the majorettes, and the bright finery of the horsemen. Some of the newest automobiles were mighty bright, too – was that when the original basic black of Henry Ford finally faded away? I believe I have memories of attending the events in 1957, but it might be filtered interpretations of other photographs. Didn’t Midland still have a 4th of July rodeo at the old arena on the corner of Fairgrounds and Hiway 80 until about 1960?

“Aaah, for the simpler times,” old timers always say. “The past should be remembered, by golly --” so we sit quiet and hear the same story for the hundredth time, giving respect. Some communities hold on to traditions – and I know I can go up to Andrews and watch turtle races on the 4th of July, just as folks have been doing for decades.

Andrews is an attractive town, with tree-filled parks. When a visitor comes from the east a big sign stating the town’s devotion to free enterprise is surrounded by a dozen other signs advertising services at the local churches. Sweeping around a big grand entry curve, the road straightens out for a while, and right behind the water tank is the little city park where the turtle races are held.

I got lost the first time I tried to find the park, for I didn’t recognize the water tank for being a water tank – I can be awfully blind as well as blithely stupid. But I was glad I got lost, for I found a house constructed of hard white caliche. To me, it is a wonderful folk art construction, unique to time and place, and worthy of preservation. It is just a couple blocks west of the site of the turtle-race, just a block north of the main east-west drag. Deborah and I got to the park before most of the turtle-herders, but not by much.

Box turtles are wonderful and admirable creatures. Consider their qualities – tough and enduring, watchful, tidy, quiet, dignified, purposeful, respectful, and gentle. Turtles keep trying, plan ahead, love their home territory, and are smart.

“That’s mighty anthropomorphic,” lots of folks will groan when they read the above description. Sor- reeee! But I like box turtles a whole, whole lot! Box turtles are the favorite wild animal for many Llaneros, too. Everyone knows someone with 10 to 20 turtles in their backyard – right?

When I visited the races in 2001, over 150 turtles were entered. Ten at a time are put in the middle of a circle a hundred feet in circumference. A bucket is put over them, and the race begins when it is lifted. The first to the edge of the circle wins, and then competes against the winners of other heats. Some of the kids decorate their turtles with flags, costumes, or stick-on numbers. One even had the proverbial carrot on a stick in front of its nose. Andrews County Commissioner Jerry Tochterman was the emcee that year.

The park was full of people that morning. A community-wide celebration is a unifying social event. Longtime residents enjoy the chance to finish conversations left behind in the hustle-bustle of the average day. Visitors are welcomed with a cheerful howdy and “Where you from?” When I asked about the rock house, I was led from one old-timer to another who might have had knowledge of its builder.

There are always interesting stories that can be found. I heard about an octogenarian living by herself in the sanddunes with a herd of goats – who had come to Andrews County in the 1930’s, spent years farming, and then even more years driving a school bus. Unfortunately, she had not come to town that day, so I did not get to meet her.

Despite the wide-open spaces and many miles between the towns, the southern Llano Estacado can be a small world full of intricate connections. While at Andrews that day, I met a close friend of the daughter of one of my favorite regional historians who had written about the Jones family of Three Rivers. It was Eve Ball’s book about Ma’am Jones where I discovered Magoosh, the Lipan Apache leader, who is the narrator of the displays at the Sibley Center.

The race kicks off the day’s festivities – it is held early in the morning. My memory says 8.30 a.m. If you want to go to the turtle races, I recommend that you get up early and go explore the town, then stop and get coffee or breakfast at one of the local cafes. I love being one the first folks stirring around, especially in towns I am visiting. There is a wonderful crystalline freshness that enhances the experience “perfectly” by starting off the morning early. It helps make the day an adventure!

When daytripping, I like to do things untethered and unfettered, spontaneous, with eyes wide open, and hitch a ride on a whim. It is the best way, for me, to look at familiar surroundings without preconceptions, to see the time and place without the judgementalness with which the past can taint new experience.

I sincerely hope that you go to Andrews and see the turtle races. Andrews is only forty miles away, so you can be home for lunch. The experience is a step back into that “simpler” time that old-timers talk about so much. And I hope you make the day an adventure, too!