Greene County, Arkansas - Centennial Edition 5

Among my favorite childhood memories are Sunday afternoons at Harmon Playfield. Many families took a lunch and ate at the playfield. Others just came to sit under the trees or to wade in the Eight-Mile Creek. The Lily Pond was a favorite of both young and old.

We went to the playfield almost every Sunday. It was my treat for the week. A crowd could always be found there.

Another fond memory of mind spans many years. I received a pony for my sixth birthday and I'm sure many older people will remember my riding that pony all over town. He was black and white and a very friendly fellow.

There were always several of my friends at my house to ride the pony. There was a rule that the wood had to be chopped after school before I could ride.

Therefore, I usually had lots of help so we could hurry and finish any play "Cowboys and Indians" on the 22 acres of land that my parents owned, which is now the east half of Linwood Cemetery.

I rode that pony in lots of parades and showed him in several area horse shows. I remember the wonderful horse shows, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, which attracted some of the finest horses in the country.

My mare had two colts. I sold one but kept the other. After his mother died, he was the only horse I owned and my children learned to ride on him. He died several years ago at the age of 28 and because of the unavailability of a place to keep horses, we decided not to buy another.

I still miss being able to saddle up and take a nice ride in the country.