4th of July Picnic

On the morning of the 4th of July the Jones household began buzzing early, everyone down to the youngest person was preparing for the BIG picnic at George's Island. George's Island was a huge state park located at the end of Dutch Street where visitors could picnic, fish, play and launch recreational water equipment like boats or jet skies. It was our local park where we spent many great times growing up, but the 4th of July was an exceptional event and also a major production at our house.

The Preparation:

On this special morning, Cleopatra (Mom) got up first and began to prepare the delicious food she would take to the park for the upcoming festivities. She gave marching orders to all the children of the house to help in preparation of the affair. First up, the boys: Kevin, Johnny, Butch, Rayfield (Ray), Henry, and Gregory had to wash the barbeque grills, clean the coolers, buy four blocks of ice from the ice house, get the blankets, and some extra chairs ready to load in the car. Mom drove the older boys down to George's Island (the Island) to scout out the best location for the merriment. Ray, Butch, and Henry were assigned the task of setting up the picnic area while Mom returned home to finish meal preparations. James, George, Robert, and Ronald (who were adults and had families of their own ) brought coolers full of all kinds of juices, soda, and beer. The adult boys would join the younger boys at the park to help set up the music and game areas. Next up, the girls: Carolyn, Ranee, Denea, and Delores would help Mom prepare the food, get the tablecloths, drop cloths, and utensils ready for shipment to the Island. Loretta and Maxine (who were adults and had families of their own) would meet us at the park to help out Mom with additional food preparation. Many of the tasks were small jobs but each child took pride in making sure that they completed their task with excellence.

The Road Trip:

Once all the food was prepared and packed into boxes the next project was delivering it all down to George's Island without having a food catastrophy. Carolyn (little Cleo) and Ranee would ride with Mom to make sure nothing spilled out inside of the car as each load was transported to the park. Transporting sauces, cakes, pies, and hot pots in the car was no easy task. Mom and Cleo loaded all the hot pots and placed them on the car floor in front of the passenger seat. The salads, meat trays, and frozen items such as hot dogs and hamburgers were placed on the backseat and in the truck of the car. It took mom a total of four trips to bring all the picnic items, transport tables, chairs and any remaining children to the Island for the BIG event.

The Celebration:

Our family picnics were monumental events and many of my mother's family and friends were in attendance. My mom had 12 brothers and sisters; all of these extended family members had spouses and children. Cleopatra Jones also had a number of close friends who would come to enjoy the holiday, each one was treated with the same warmth and affection as any family member. As you can imagine, it didn't take much for a crowd of people to develop during any of our family gatherings. It was at the 4th of July picnic where our family came together to share the love, fellowship and most importantly continue relationships with sibling who no longer lived in our mother's household. The wonderful times and amazing stories of the day are other chapters to be told......... they are worth the anticipation.

As the 4th of July approaches, remember how important family is in your life. Please don't take your relationships with anyone for granted. If Michael Jackson's death taught us one thing it was to cherish our loved ones while we can for tomorrow is not promised.