Did I ever tell you about the 21st Amendment? Well, I shoun't have to tell you, on accounta you shoulda learned hit in school. But, howsumever, I mought tell you about whut hit done for the Valley. Well you do know that this fambly has been strong agin alcohol forever and ever, amen. But what you haven't prolly thought about is that opposin' alcohol and supportin' prohibition ain't 'zactly the same thing.
Now I reckon I'm talkin' my own opinion here, so if'n your Granma, or your Aunt Grace express a differin' opinion, why jus' go along with 'em. They not gonna change they minds. Whut I believe is that when this nation outlawed alcohol, they done made outlaws out'n a big part a the population. Bigger prollem than the law kin handle. The on'y way to fix it is to repeal prohibition. Which we done. Done 'er in December of '33, and so New Year's Eve that year were a boozin' legal good time a drinkin' and whoopin' it up. "Happy days are here again!" Indeedy. Now I don't hold with drinkin'. Even the Bible say, "Wine is a mocker, an' strong drink is ragin'." But I think people have to be responsible for theyselves. And they for sure gonna drink if they want to, legal or not.
So Fred Beachum, ever'body call him "Freddy" you know, had a speakeasy over to Lamar. Illegal as sin itself, but ever'body know hit were there, and ever'body whut want to drink know how to get there. Well, Freddy see the handwritin' on the wall, so to speak, and when the states start ratifying that 21st, he start makin' plans not to go out of bidness, but how to continue bidness as usual, but in a legal way. He know there'd be more competition, but he weren't worried none, on account he would be in on the ground floor, so to speak. Well, Freddy bought hisself a farm out by Kornman. Had a big ol' barn on the place, 'n he convert it into a nightclub, rolled and packed a big ol' field for parkin' and announce his grand openin' for New Year's Eve, 1933.
Party? Why I guess so! New York nor none a them big places have anythin' over on this county when it come to partyin'. Ol' Sheriff Coleman and Lamar's own Mayor Grubbs did the ribbon cuttin' ceremony. Sheriff hisself wielded the scissors! Well, no, I warn't there, but ever'body still talkin' about hit clear unto the next New Year!
© 2013 David W. Lacy
2 comments:
Yup... making a vice done in moderation completely illegal isn't much of a solution.
Shark, that is pretty much how I see it.
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