Although the band didn’t begin playing until 7:30 pm, cars began arriving by the middle of the afternoon.
Places
The Wednesday Night Drawing at the Palace Theatre
He gives the drum a spin, and then another, as the cards with names, addresses, and telephone numbers tumble, end over end. Almost immediately the children raise their arms high and begin chanting in unison: “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.”
Celebrating the Fourth in Small Town America
At the turn of the 20th century, Americans took our country’s birthday a great deal more seriously than they do today, particularly in small towns in the Middle West. Take Elmwood, Illinois, for example, a small country town of 2,000 people, located near the middle of the state, roughly twenty miles down dirt roads to the nearest town of any size. Festivities on the 4th began early in the morning, when the sun was just coming up, and lasted until dark when space above the horizon was brightened by sky rockets just above the tree line
Stories From Small Town Illinois 