"My summer was not that bad. I got to go on many boat rides, as usual, and went out berry picking. It was just the same old boring summer, but, you know, it turned out okay.

My friend, Angela, got to come home for the summer and turned my summer around. We mostly went to the pool hall, walked around and hung out. We talked about our youth and thought that nowadays it seems boring to be all grown up and have to worry about what to do.

I got a job too this summer. It wasn't all fun, but at least I had something to do. I started working down at the MFP as a laborer. I wasn't doing much, mostly easy work. I cleaned up after fishing and stayed around the office answering phone calls. And I cleaned the kitchen.

After my job ended, I got to stay with more of my friends and mostly hung out at the pool hall or I went to bingo. There's not much to do in Marshall. By mid-summer Zena Mae got into town and she made my nights fun. Zena, Bernice and I did the same old things, but as each night passed we were having more fun. We played card games most nights at the pool hall, talked about our past and our fun youth days. And we got to see drunks make fools of themselves.

I went to a couple of weddings and Vernon and Irene's 50th anniversary.

Babes and Barb got married, and they had a good reception; the fiddling went on until late that night. Also Joseph and Darlene got married the next weekend.

Vernon and Irene had their 50th anniversary on August 10. I got to help with decorating the gym along with some others. Zena, Bernice, Flora and I had fun that night at the fiddling. It's amazing to see a couple married for such a long time.

Well, this was my summer that I spent in little old Marshall. I got to watch two weddings, went to an anniversary, and hung out with my friends. It wasn't the best or the worst summer I've spent here, but it was okay. I especially got to know I had a good friend who stayed long enough to turn my summer around from being a drag."

By: Marie Papp

Interviewed by: Kathy Duny