Embracing Life
Labor Day 1964 — A Milestone Kind of Day
Milestones of our lives are stored safely in our minds. Those memories, like the mile markers along the highways, signify the landmarks reached along our journeys on earth.Recollections of my Labor Day in 1964 recently erupted with splendor.
That year when the calendar turned to the first Monday of September, it was marked “family reunion.” Annual potluck picnics provided the perfect excuse for family members to party in celebration of the last weekend of summer. Just days before Labor Day in 1964 a tropical storm struck Miami. Earlier that same year British music invaded the United States. To this day, I do not know which invasion scared my parents’ generation the most.
Crandon Park, located on the barrier island of Key Biscayne, was the home of our retreats. Amenities included a beautiful beach, sand dunes and pavilions. Adults played cards and reminisced about the good ‘ole days, while the youngsters hiked, swam and listened to their favorite tunes on the most up-to-date FM portable radios. Everything changed after Hurricane Cleo moved onto Key Biscayne in the early hours of Aug. 27, 1964.
Granny’s house reluctantly became the temporary location for our1964 reunion, because of to widespread coastal damage from this fierce storm. While card games (with a bit of gambling) still took place, the children were a little too close for comfort in the confined quarters of our grandmother’s quaint home. Without a beach, there was no place for the kids to swim and stay busy. Treasured thoughts of taking turns adding rock salt and grinding the ice cream churn still bring a smile to my face; these activities were a great substitute for playing in the surf.
After an early evening meal, the poker tables were re-established and the young folks retreated to the back yard. Denise, by far the coolest and most worldly cousin, took charge. She was prepared to teach her unsophisticated younger family members about the hip group that appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on Feb; 9 and 16, 1964 known as The Beatles.
Denise quizzed her dazzled group of devoted followers about George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. She knew the lyrics to all of their songs including: “All My Loving,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” Denise was determined that her cousins would know every stanza to every song and we rehearsed well into the night. Our parents stayed clear of our session, as gambling was a much safer activity.
The grand finale of the day was a family photo session including shots four generations of females on my mother’s side of the family. Little did we know, at the time, that those pictures would record the end of our Labor Day tradition.
On July 29, 2007, almost forty-three years after our final Labor Day family reunion, I attended a concert by The Fab Four, dubbed the ultimate tribute to The Beatles. It was an incredible three-hour show with uncanny renditions of songs that symbolized the change of my world. Their music opened the floodgates of my emotions, creating chills of excitement, deep healing laughter, and tears of happiness.
Sara Kirkweg, a psychologist at Missouri Western State University, describes memory as “a mental system that receives, stores, organizes, alters and recovers information from sensory input. Research has shown memory to be affected by many different factors. One of these is music, which has been found to stimulate part of the brain.”
My brain was definitely stimulated. I remembered and embraced an era in my life nearly forgotten.
Crandon Park recovered from Hurricane Cleo, but my family was never the same. Great-grandmother passed away shortly after that unforgettable day in 1964. Granny moved to a tiny trailer in a mobile home park. Denise joined a commune. Aunts, cousins, and uncles relocated away from Dade County. The Beatles became the best-selling musical group to date.
The Beatles disolved their partnership in 1975 and John Lennon was tragically murdered in 1980. In 1988, the Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their music not only affected my life, but revolutionized rock music and transformed pop culture world-wide. While they would never admit it, I would wager a bet that my parents secretly grew less fearful of the group that made American history in 1964.
