Wednesday, March 22, 2023
When Tommy was twelve, we were with Momma and Daddy at Huntingdon, PA. at the county fair. Of course, Momma and Daddy were working.
Tommy and I were pretty good at entertaining ourselves and that’s what we did at Huntingdon.
The local fire dept. had a bingo game at the fair. The winners won prizes instead of money. That left numerous cardboard boxes that were to be trashed. Tommy and I asked the firemen if we could have the boxes. Keep in mind these were huge boxes. They were big enough for us to fit inside them.
Tommy and I punched holes in the boxes and tied them together with wire to make a multi-room playhouse. After “building” our house and playing in it awhile Tommy became bored. When Tommy was bored and looking for something to do it just might be fun. It was sure to be interesting.
More than likely however, the activity was going to be punctuated by me telling Tommy to stop because he might get hurt and we might get in trouble. As usual Tommy ignored all warnings. He proceeded to fashion “wings” from the cardboard he wired the wings so they could be attached to his arms.
Unlike the Wright brothers in Kitty Hawk, NC, Tommy didn’t have a cliff as a launch. HE had the trailer. So, Tommy climbed on top of the trailer carrying the cardboard wings which he put on his arms after he reached the top. Tommy jumped from the top of the trailer flapping those cardboard wings with all the energy and strength he could muster. Tommy wasn’t nearly as successful as the Wright brothers. However, he crash landed on the ground without injury and he lived to pursue some equally interesting activities the next time he was bored. Setting the woods on fire comes to mind, but that is another story in the saga of Tommy Harrison the fearless adventurer.
