Memories from a Balloon Seller

Elgin Centennial Parade

Ronda Arbuckle Kirk

Elgin was going to celebrate its Centennial during the summer of 1972.  The celebration was to include many things over a three-day period during July of that year.  One of the most anticipated events was to be the parade on Saturday morning.  It was being promoted as the largest parade ever in Elgin with the Shriners participating and a lot of the graduating classes from Elgin High making floats.

I wanted to be in the parade!  I was 13 that summer and had no way of being a part of the parade.  I was not in high school, so I could not march with the Elgin High band.  I certainly had not already graduated, so I couldn’t be on a float with my graduating class. I was not old enough to be a part of the Centennial “Queen’s Review,” therefore, I could not ride on a business-sponsored float.   My mother, Sydna Arbuckle, was president of the New Century Club and would be riding on their float.  My grandmother, Nancy Arbuckle, was even riding on the LETS (Lets Eliminate Tonnage Sensibly) float!  Nancy was the queen that month of LETS as she had lost the most weight since the last meeting.  (I do not know how they lost weight as they did nothing at their monthly “meetings” but eat.)  When I expressed my desire, I was told that someone had to stand on the curb and watch!

I was riding home with my mother and another lady after a Centennial Pageant meeting (my mother was in charge of the pageant on Saturday night at the football field that told the story of Elgin) when I was asked if I could make change.  Oh sure, that is something you are taught in math at school.  It wasn’t one of my favorite subjects, but I could made change.  I wondered why I was asked if I could make change, when the next question came to me.  Was I was going to be in the parade?  I thought that this was my chance; I was going to be asked to be a part of the parade.  When I replied “no,” with a lot of hope and excitement in my voice, I was asked if I would sell balloons during the parade!  No wonder she asked me if I could make change.

Sell balloons?  Was she serious?  Not be on a float, but sell balloons during the parade?  I wouldn’t even be able to watch the parade if I was supposed to be selling balloons.  Not the question that I was expecting.  I sat there in silence thinking to myself how exciting would that be?  Who would buy a balloon?  I was never allowed to buy a balloon at the circus because I was told I would just let go of it and waste the money spent. 

After realizing that an answer from me was being expected and I got that look from my mother in the front seat that meant you will do this…..I replied, “Okay, I’ll sell balloons during the parade.”  I was told that was just wonderful and I was to report to the Chamber office that Saturday morning by 8:00 a.m.!

Part of the Centennial celebration was having the “right costume” to wear.  I had a dress that my mother had made for me that was a throwback to the 1870s era.  It was long!  (My dress was just made out of cotton, but my mother’s dress had been made out of taffeta.)  It was also a typical Texas July which means it was very hot that day!  I would be wearing my “long” dress to sell those balloons.

I was taken to the Chamber office promptly at 8:00 that Saturday of the parade.  It was already beginning to heat up in the early morning.  The sun was already brightly shining! Elgin had actually received some rain the day before, so that made the air even more humid than usual.  I was wearing the Centennial dress and sandals as I wanted to be cool, if possible, somewhere on my body!

            I was told that balloons had already been blown up and were across the street waiting for me.  I went to the designated place and saw that the balloons were just waiting for me as was an empty cigar box.  I was to put the money when I sold a balloon in the cigar box.  I was let out the door and told to sell all of the balloons. 

I remember standing on the sidewalk outside of Upchurch’s Drug Store thinking that no one would buy a balloon.  They were pretty and very colorful with “Elgin Centennial 1872-1972” on every balloon.  The cost of the balloons was $.50 a piece.  I figured I would be bringing every balloon back to the Chamber office after the parade.

I began walking up and down the sidewalks of Elgin’s Main Street at 8:10 that morning.  At that early hour, there were no cars parked on Main Street.  The street had been closed the night before so that there would be plenty of places for people to stand and watch the parade without cars in their way.  There were also no people on Main Street at this time of the morning, either.  For the first 30 minutes, I sold not one balloon!  There was no one around to buy one!

At 9:00 that morning, folks began to come and stake their claim for a place to sit and watch the parade by leaving lawn chairs or blankets at various places along the parade route.  I had some begin to ask how much the balloons were and sold one or two.  I happily placed the money in the cigar box.

I was also beginning to get very hot and my arms were hurting.  I’m not sure how many balloons I was walking around with attached to my right arm, but it felt like 100.  The cigar box in my left hand was awkward.  I did not know what to do with the box.  With a few coins inside the box, I had to be careful with the lid or those few quarters might fall out onto the sidewalk.

There were people coming out of Winn’s with Icee’s.  They looked so good.  All I could think of would be how cool one of those frozen drinks would be right now, but I did not have any personal money with me.  I had the small amount of balloon money, but that would not be right to buy a cold drink for myself when the money belonged to the Chamber of Commerce!

By 9:30, the streets were filled with a lot of people coming to view the parade that would start at 10:00.  Of course, 10:00 is such a false time as that is what time the parade would begin at Elgin Elementary School.  It would take 45 minutes before the parade ever made it onto downtown “Main Street.”

All of the sudden, I had competition.  The Circus was in town for the Centennial and a clown came walking down Main Street selling balloons.  That made me mad.  I had the Centennial balloons; how dare someone else sell balloons.  I quickly found out that “my” balloons were cheaper than the ones from the circus and business began to boom!

Grandparents became the biggest customer for the Centennial balloons.  Their grandchildren wanted a balloon and the ones from the circus clown were twice as much as mine.  I also did not scare the little children as I was dressed like myself, only in a hot, long dress.  Sales were coming very rapidly as it was almost time for the parade to begin.

I crossed the street and was in front of Ramsey’s Pharmacy when it became difficult to walk down the sidewalk with the balloons.  People were lined up two and three deep to watch the parade, when someone bumped into my left arm and the cigar box filled with nickels, dimes and quarters fell out of my hand.  Money went rolling everywhere as I stood with my mouth wide open thinking I’d never find all those coins.  I had about five balloons left to sell at this point in my adventure.

People around me were very nice and began to pick up the coins and place them back into the cigar box.  I even had folks looking on the curb and asking others to please stand up to see if coins might have rolled under their lawn chairs.  It took about 3 minutes and all the change was back into that cigar box.  A very nice man lifted the cigar box up and placed it in my left hand, then told me just to go on back to the Chamber office and return those few balloons.

I took the advice offered and began to make my way back to the Chamber office to turn in the balloons and money.  To my surprise, I was able to sell the five balloons I had left before I actually arrived back across the street at the Chamber office.

By the time I returned everything, I was worn out and hot.  I was still wishing I could find some money of my own and go and purchase me an Icee, but about that time, the sirens of the lead police car could be heard and I knew that the parade had finally arrived in downtown “Main Street” Elgin.

I watched the parade as someone on the side and enjoyed it very much.  The parade was long and had many, many varied people, horses, floats, bands and clowns.  After all, it is not every day that your hometown turns 100!