By Gerry MacKenzie
I
t’s a lovely Saturday evening, June 21, 2008, the first official day of summer. A nearly full moon and an unseasonably cool evening give it the feel of early autumn, a welcome reprieve to the 3,000 to 4,000 area residents sitting in lawn chairs in front of the outdoor stage in Sesser’s City Park. It’s the last night of the Sesser Homecoming and Moe Bandy is on stage closing out his show with his signature song “Americana” – a very appropriate song to end one of the longest running festivals in Southern Illinois. Consider the lyrics:
AMERICANA
The Sesser Homecoming is certainly a little slice of the Americana that Moe Bandy sings about.
“AMERICANA” I’ve traveled all around this country In my time I thought I’d seen it all But today I took a detour down a back road Through a little town whose name I can’t recall
I knew this stop would throw me off schedule But I parked around behind the five-and-dime There’s somethin’ ‘bout a small town in the summer Like a Norman Rockwell picture back in time
Kids were courtin’ at the Rexall soda fountain There were old men on benches playing checkers Like we did before they built the shopping mall I saw so many reasons why I love this country Children playing hopscotch on the square You know some things never really change at all And high above a statue of an unknown soldier Old Glory was waving in the air As I left the two lane road and pulled back on that superhighway Suddenly I realized what I’d too long forgotten I thought back on what I’d seen back in that town Chills rose up like mountains on my skin It hit me like a freight train Overcome with the feelin’ That a stone’s throw from the fast-lane I knew I was seein’ America all over again America is still safe and sound Americana Pictures of a people proud and free I’ll keep holdin’ to the dream You’re still what livin’ means to me
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Americana Pictures of a people proud and free Americana I’ll keep holdin’ to the dream You’re still what livin’ means to me
Sesser Homecoming Commemorative Issue • June, 2009