by Breezycycle

Created on: January 03, 2010   Last Updated: July 29, 2011

Each summer, our  "Talent Extravaganza" was one of the most anticipated events in our neighborhood . Kids put on the entire show, with no adults in sight until the audience took their seats at showtime.

Our  backyard was the venue because our driveway widened at the front of a three-car garage making the wide section of the driveway our "stage". The grassy area in front of where the driveway widened was where we set up chairs for our audience. Many neighbors had to bring their own folding chair in order to get a good seat.  The third "stall" of the garage, was our backstage area once we pushed the bikes, wagons, and skates to the back of the garage. With the garage door open and two large sheets hung for stage curtains, we were quite a production.

It was the 1950s, and these backyard shows were favorite pasttimes for the kids. The sounds coming from the voices and musical instruments of the burgeoning rock stars were sweet and melodic. Whether the children singing had talent or not, the parents and siblings in the audience applauded enthusiastically and sometimes rose to their feet in appreciation.

 We sang a lot in school in those days and what we did most was singing in rounds... the overwhelming favorite being "Row, Row, Row Your Boat Gently Down the Stream....." It never took long for the audience to join in once they had given the performers their chance to do their thing. A man named Mitch Miller had a weekly television show, a sing-along with a bouncing ball across the screen, so everyone was at ease joining in to such songs back then.

In addition to singing and an occasional violin or kazoo performance, all the kids who took any kind of lessons could demonstrate their mastery of their skill. In the  1950s,  parents did not drive their children all over the area for endless lessons and team sports. As a kid back then, you probably took one set of lessons: tap dancing, ballet, baton-twirling, tumbling. So, our talent extravaganza was our big chance to excel.

Some of us took lessons, but we  hadn't mastered our lessons well enough to perform them in public, so we had to come up with another talent to entertain the neighborhood. My friend Susan and I secured our metal skates to our shoes and with our skate key around our necks, Susan and I skated up and down that area of the driveway, in circles, and in square dance style - do-si-do.

With no adult help and not a talent scout anywhere in the area, our talent extravaganzas were pure and sincere. There were plenty of talents to go around, so there was no need for any child to outdo another or to steal the show. Our talents were that simple. The Irish dancer, the magician, the accordion player, everyone had a talent to share and to amaze the crowd.

Our parents watched us with pride, seeing us straightaway and not through the view-finder of a video camera, since they were way off in the future. As kids, we had watched enough talent shows on tv to know how to come out  on stage at the end of the show to take a bow or a curtsy. We knew enough to have an emcee, usually a boy, the neighborhood charmer.

Our experiences in our annual Talent Extravaganza did not lead to  careers in show business for any of us.  Our productions did, however,  lead to many fond memories of being together and  having carefree childhood summer fun. 

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