Watermelon Days and Doo-Wop Nights

It was the 1950's in the small rural town of Rhine, GA, located half-way between Savannah and Columbus on Hwy U. S. 280. My family lived next door to the Rhine Baptist Church where my dad was pastor, We live one block from Rhine High School where he was principal. We had our "Mayberry telephone" where Mrs. Norma Conley connected us to other numbers. We had summer revivals, church picnics at Jaybird Springs, fish fry's at Stuckey's Mill Pond, fabulous support for our Rhine High basketball teams, and my family enjoyed our summer vacations at St. Simons Island, GA. Our small town of 514 was a family. When one person celebrated good news, we all celebrated. When someone suffered a tragedy we all suffered. Sitting on my grandmother's big screened porch listening to the adults talk at night was memorable. Watching "I Love Lucy" with our church friends brought about much laughter. It was a secure feeling growing up in a town where you knew everyone in each house. Some people say the 1950's were golden years in America, You can count me in that group