“But It’s Comin’ By Gum, You Can Feel it Come...”

You know, I remember when I used to love June 1.

Of course I was in school at the time and wasn’t old enough to have to work in the summer and June 1 meant that school would be over in about three weeks. Plus the unrelenting heat of summer hadn’t really started yet (living a thousand miles south now really ruins that aspect).

But on June 1 all a child has to dream about is endless days of not having to get up early and only donning good clothing for church or going somewhere with your parents. Watermelon, cherries, Del's frozen lemonade, playing kickball on Overland Avenue, Japanese lanterns, doughboys at Oakland Beach, Dad’s vacation and trips out of state, beach excursions, picnics in a grove somewhere in South County, a trip to the zoo, later bedtime, summer replacement TV series, Dad in the summer bowling league, the Diamond Hill Music Festival, Fourth of July, Sundays in Newport on Brenton Point or at Point Judith, miniature golf, Rocky Point amusement park and clam cakes, the church feasts and doughboys sold at a booth...

There were lots reasons why that on June 1, a kid like me grabbed Mom’s “Summertime” record album and played “June is Bustin’ Out All Over” as loudly as an adult would allow and sang along...