When my two brothers and sister were small it was exciting to climb into the old 49 Ford and ride into town with our folks as they tended to some business. That excursion happened occasionally during the week but for sure on Saturday night.

On Saturday the car not only contained the family of six but also a can of cream and chicken eggs packed and layered in special boxes designed to transport them to the creamery so that they arrived unbroken. The eggs were also immaculate. Our Mother took great pride in delivering eggs that were spotless and ready to eat. The operator of the creamery had made remarks about how clean the Larson’s eggs were and my Mom would have it no other way.

A ritual took place every time we arrived in Clinton. We had to stop at the town square and get a drink at the water fountain. The fountain was constructed of solid granite and had a granite block set in front of it so short people could reach the cool water that bubbled from the metal faucet.

The sparrows that lived in the grain elevator across the road loved the water fountain too. They used it for bathing and drinking and the whitish piles of bird poop were reminders of that. 🙂 The bird poop grossed out our Mother I’m sure but we didn’t mind as long as we got a long, satisfying drink.

Long drinks were not always easy to enjoy however as a sibling was always pushing the drinker off the granite block so they could have a turn. Many sibling battles were initiated on that granite block during those early years.

As the years went by the water fountain began to age. The metal tube carrying the water to the faucet began to rust and corrode. Finally some of the city maintenance workers removed the fountain and brought it out to the city dump. Our city’s landmark was no more! 🙁

My friend Joel spotted the discarded fountain one day. He was a ‘city kid’ and had spent many hot summer days splashing his friends with water from that fountain. Popsicle sticks had been used to float in the flowing water also. The fountain had been a gathering place for children of all ages and over the years a lot of mischievous adventures had been dreamed up and carried out as a result of gathering around that old watering hole!

Joel couldn’t bear to see the granite fountain end it’s days in a dump ground so he transported it to his house and there it sat for many years. It became a bird bath so the build up of bird poop was no longer the gross problem that it had been during its days as a fountain.

Last weekend I was sitting under my canopy tent next to the refurbished Clinton train depot trying to entice alumni attending the all school reunion to wander in and purchase a book or two to bring home as a souvenir.

The town square was visible from where I sat and I glanced over at it recalling fondly the Saturday night band concerts that I participated in during my high school years. Every Saturday night during the summer crowds gathered to be entertained by the high school musicians.

Upon the completion of each concert the band director had several rolls of quarters which he handed out to the band members. Each of us got a quarter and that’s exactly what a malt cost during that era. So every Saturday night we enjoyed a ‘musical’ malt. We knew nothing then about cholesterol or high carbs so we enjoyed the malts guilt free! 🙂

As I sat in the shade of my tent I again gazed at the town square and then I saw it. The fountain had returned! I had heard rumors of that being a possibility and sure enough there it sat in the exact spot it had been fifty-six years ago.

I took the brief hike to the city square to get a closer look at my old friend. It was suffering from several severe cracks and the water line and new faucet had to be installed on the outside of the fountain. Otherwise my old friend looked like it had those many years ago. In fact I spotted several fresh piles of bird poop. Nothing changes. 🙂

The cracks are in the process of being repaired and a leaky water main under the fountain will be dug up and repaired. That will allow the fountain to again run nonstop and entertain children and their feathered friends.

As I returned to the shade of my ‘book store’ canopy tent I suddenly got the urge to enjoy a chocolate malt. If it wouldn’t have been for that cholesterol and those high carbohydrates I would have. 🙂

Until next time.