Union Suit Fans:  It's June 21, 2022, The First Day of Summer

Boyhood Memories - Summer Daze 

        by Miles Sneed, Guest Contributor

These hot summer days, at least here in Atlanta where I now live, remind me of how we boys use to cool off in Transylvania County, North Carolina years ago. After our chores, most of them anyway, we would sneak off to our pre-arranged swimming hole, we called "Skinny Dip Falls.” Peeling off our clothes and leaving them on the bank, we hit that cool water with abandon, splashing, yelling, pushing and wrestling each other under water. What fun we had. Except for maybe Christmas mornings and Thanksgiving dinners, that has to be my favorite boyhood remembrance.

The other night, I tuned into FreeVee TV and found a really fine family show, suitable for all. It centered around the life of a boy named “Will” and his love of baseball near the town of Newton, South Carolina. He grew up as an upper middle class kid who was discouraged by his father from associating with the "mill boys" whose daddy's worked in the local textile mill. You see, they were lower class boys, beneath the dignity of the more affluent families. Those boys lived in “Milltown” and were to be avoided.

But, Will's desire to play ball was greater than obeying his daddy. One hot summer day, rather than attend a music recital as he was suppose to do, he snuck away to play baseball with the Milltown boys instead. He played well enough and was liked by most of the boys that Sunday afternoon. After the game he was invited to join them down at their swimming hole.

Just like me and my friends did, the boys ran down to the water's edge, stripped down to their underwear, and jumped in. For awhile they had a great time.

Will's daddy got wind of where his son was and stomped down to find him. Will was in big trouble. Ordering home immediately, Will was to get a licking out behind the ole wood shed. 

Years later Will became a baseball player. Returning to Newton, he became a mentor to the then less fortunate Milltown boys. One day, he and some others loaded the boys in the back of a truck and drove them down to the lake.... 

...where the boys stripped out of their clothes, down to their BVD's and union suits, ran to the lake, and jumped in. Like Will, me and countless other boys in days gone by, they had the time of their lives:

Miles: Thanks for a special summer story. You are one terrific guest contributor. I had not known of this film before, "Milltown Pride," released in 2011 by production company, Unusual Films. It is well worth watching with the whole family. I really enjoyed this story. But then, I'm a baseball fan.

Thanks again for contributing to "Union Suit Fans in the Limelight." 

Have a great summer and thanks for your memories!

...Chris