Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Baldwyn Christmas Parade

-click to enlarge-

Here is jolly old Santa Claus on his sleigh during a parade in the early 50s. The location is on Clayton Street, power office on the left, water office behind him, and Cunningham's to the right.

The parade was winding down at this location when I took the photo. It started and eventually ended in front of the Baptist Church, with Santa "taking orders" from the younger children waiting there.

I recall one other Christmas when Santa was in a small enclosure in front of M. Gorden's store. We were trying to determine who was "Santa" and that time it turned out to be Mort Gardner.

Those Christmases were some of the better ones of our lives.

The guy to the second left of the truck rear appears to be Ellis Christian with a child on his back. Can you confirm this, Ellis?
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9 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 17, 2008 at 11:26 AM

    Hard to recognize anyone but it looks like Tom Shellnut standing at center top although he might not have been that grownup at the time. Is that Ellis Wayne at center bottom with another kid riding piggy back?

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  2. AnonymousDecember 17, 2008 at 2:27 PM

    Looks like Ellis Wayne carrying Dean Rutherford and either Aaron or Billy Weatherford in top center.

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  3. CynthiaDecember 17, 2008 at 3:17 PM

    OK, Melvin - year, make and model of the pickup.

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  4. Carl HoustonDecember 17, 2008 at 3:46 PM

    Cynthia-
    1950-52 Chevy 5-window cab series pickup truck.

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  5. Carl HoustonDecember 18, 2008 at 8:03 AM

    And a 1949 Ford F-1 to the left of the picture headed into the crowd. Directly in front of it appears to be Arthur Wilemon on someone's shoulder....

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  6. AnonymousDecember 18, 2008 at 10:12 AM

    I noticed that the street appears to be very muddy! I don't ever remember Clayton Street not being paved or concreted. Does anyone know a time frame for when Clayton would have been hard surfaced?

    Phil C

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  7. Carl HoustonDecember 18, 2008 at 5:28 PM

    All downtown streets in Baldwyn were paved in about 1928. The area that is shown in the photo does have some mud. The Buster McElroy sand and gravel piles were on the hill near where I was standing to take the pic. There may have been some runoff to cause it, Phil. The street was concrete from the highway to the railroad for as long as I can remember...

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  8. Ellis WayneDecember 20, 2008 at 6:23 PM

    Guilty, as charged. I recognize my picture and Dean's. Could not verify any others. I think this would have been 1953?

    EWC

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  9. AnonymousDecember 21, 2008 at 5:25 PM

    I think that is Billy Weatherford at top center. Nobody else but him and Aaron knew how to dress that sharp.

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