The Pocono 500

My grandfather (remember Cleopatra Jones is really my grandmother and her husband, James Jones is my grandfather) loved NASCAR Racing and he shared his passion with the rest of the family by taking us to the race track. The excitement of high-performance cars speeding around an oval 500 times made the males of our house become entrenched in deep conversation. This particular year the major NASCAR conversation pertained to recruiting all the married children and their families to attend the next Pocono 500 .

The Pocono 500 ("The 500") is an annual NASCAR summer affair that happens at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. This race track is nestled in the middle of the beautiful Pocono mountains and brings a roar of activity to this rural and serene town. Every summer, about this time, thousands of people engulf the town with one mission; to see their favorite driver navigate his decal decorated, very expensive car around the track.

Once all our family members were committed to attending the NASCAR event, the logistics and planning of how we would all get to the occasion would begin. What was the best route for the carpool of 7 vehicles filled with family, food, and lawn furniture to get to "The 500"? This was the mission of the monarch of the clan, my grandfather, and he spent hours planning our approach into Long Pond. His next mission would be to plan where to set up camp once the family made it's decent onto the Raceway's middle field and he studied a map of the inner field for the best location. Finally, he planned the food and beverages we would bring to the festivities and how they were to be cooled and cooked during our family outing.

The logistics of the big day began at 4:00 a.m. when all the cars were packed with all the bounty to start our travels towards the small town of Long Pond. My grandpa drove the lead car (an El Dorado) followed by numerous cars that lobbied the roadway to obtain a closer position to grandpa's forest green car. Once in Long Pond we strategically descended on the racetrack like a football team trying to get the quarterback to the goalpost, in our case it was the best possible position on the inner field. As the males of the clan regrouped and debriefed about the logistical plans for our campsite the females unpacked the food and rallied the smaller children together for some refreshments.

The excitement of the Pocono 500 is an acquired taste which takes a novice some time to understand the phenomenon they are about to partake. Being in the inner field had it's advantages and disadvantages; one of the main disadvantages is limited exposure to the race. What does this mean?....... a viewer can only see the race when you hear the cars coming close to your section of the field. The standard protocol was to follow the sound of the hollers and as they got closer to your section you began paying attention to the track so you could see the cars pass by. Imagine 60 cars speeding by you at 250 miles per hour and you trying to make out the cars.............. I know what you're thinking.......you're right you can't see anything!.............. But we had the best times sharing each other's company, playing games and occasionally being interrupted to watch the race cars as they passed.

My mother (grandmother) always supported my grandfather in his hobbies. I am not sure she really enjoyed the races as much as he did but she set the scene so we all would follow her lead. I loved this time our family spent together!

The NAACP Dinner and Dance

My mother was a great organizer and proved her vast influence to me every year at her yearly fundraiser; the NAACP Dinner and Dance. Cleopatra's goal was to have this annual formal event at the best and biggest venue in the area which was the Colonial Terrace, a Victorian Manson in Corlandt Manor. Mom worked on this event all year long by getting local businesses to buy tables, soliciting adveristments in the journal, and hanging posters in their establishments. Cleopatra also schmoozed with the aristocrats and politicians in the area and invited them to attend, sit on the dais or speak at the event. The NAACP Dinner and Dance came to be known as "the event" of the year in the county and everyone looked forward to attending the gala with anticipation.

During the day of the big event our house buzzed with excitement, everyone in the house prepared for the night of festivities ahead. Between the trips to the beauty parlor, barber shop, tailor, cobbler, cleaner, and florist our mother orchestrated our every movement to make sure every child in attendance looked their best. Cleopatra Jones definitely lived up to her name, that year my mother went to the NAACP Dinner and Dance in a light blue and white Senegalese Bubu dress and head wrap ordained with elaborate embroidery.

The journal was filled with advertisments and letters of endorsement from local businessmen and polictians but it also contained the agenda for the evening ahead. During the cocktail reception my mother was a terrific host who made everyone of her guests feel at home and made introductions throughout the room. While dinner was served my mother conducted the introductions of the dais and set the stage for the speeches and activities to come. After all the scheduled speeches and honors were completed it was time to dance and all the guests enjoyed cutting a rug with Cleopatra. What a great time filled with great memories and the song of the evening: Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul!