The Catonsville Men's Civic Association- A Catonsville Treasure

The Catonsville Men’s Civic Association.

They are the unsung heroes who help make the Catonsville traditions special for our children. These men have brought many years of fun times and memories to our family and surely many others.

These are the men who arrive at the high school early 4th of July morning to set up the games. Piles of hay for the lollipop hunt. Ropes outlining the race courses. The tent to distribute the price ribbons. These are all completed prior to the arrival of excited children and parents dressed in red, white and blue.

The games go on despite extreme heat and sprinkling rain. Most years there is a huge crowd, including locals, returning Catonsvillians and visitors. Generations of families have grown up attending this event. The old fashion games like sack races and wheel barrow races are exciting for the kids and nostalgic for the adults. Our family favorite is the final game, the balloon toss.

Just lining up for the gum ball race is entertaining enough. The men walk along the row of kids placing gum balls onto the small plastic spoons held by little hands. The instructions include, “Place the gum ball on the spoon and run to the end of the line, without dropping the gum ball. If you drop the gum ball onto the ground, do not eat it.” Some kids look forward towards the end of the line, anticipating their winning finish. Others are eyeing the gum ball, licking their lips, thinking of a way to sneak the gum into their mouth. Others have already dropped the gum, picked it up, and popped it into their mouth, chewing away!

My kids have participated for years, even winning a blue ribbon one year. Nick’s goal was to compete and win the "big" event. Reserved for teens and adults, each player removes their shoes and surrenders them to the members of the Men's Civic Association. They are mixed and tossed and shuffled at the other end of the field. The goal is to run down the field, find your shoes, put them on and return to the starting line FIRST. After years of observing this ritual, my then middle school son entered the competition, finishing in the top 10, along side grown men, twenty somethings and teens. He voweled to return the next year and win. He remarked about his goal a few times during that year, when we reviewed the photos from that day. The morning of the 4th, one year later, he returned to claim his victory!

The Catonsville Men’s Civic Association also sponsors the Egg Hunt in the spring, the 4th of July fireworks, the CHS After Prom Party, and 2 CHS scholarships, fundraising passing a bucket and selling glow necklaces at the fireworks show. While I do not know any of them personally, I recognize them each year. They are as much a part of our Catonsville 4th of July tradition as hot dogs and potato salad.

The Catonsville Men’s Civic Association is a Catonsville Treasure.

The Chairs of Catonsville

The Chairs of Catonsville

The 4th of July Chairs on Frederick Rd appeared, to my observation, the Saturday before July 4th. One week seems a reasonable amount of time since in previous years I can recall their arrival 10 days prior, and once, 2 full weeks in advance of the 4th. After a brief exchange of letters in the Catonsville Times, debating the appropriate amount of time for the chairs to sit on Frederick Rd, a sort of self policing took effect and reasonable minds returned to 1 week to 10 days.

This phenomenon is common place to Catonsvillians, but lost on outsiders. This week I was greeted at my office in Ellicott City by irritated comments like “What’s with the chairs on the side of the road?’ and “Those people should get a life.” Why does this harmless event bother people so?

I myself find it charming. Since I generally arrive at the parade about 2:30pm and perch my family comfortably on the curb, the “reservists” don’t bother me. When I see the chairs, I am reminded it is time to break out my red, white and blue decorations. The fact that the chairs can sit on Frederick Rd for at least a week, remaining for the most part unharmed or stolen, renews my faith in human nature. The fact that others have confidence leaving their chairs, reminds me that others have that faith too. I watch the people who wait at the bus stops, “living large” for a week, relaxing in nice lawn chairs. These thought make me smile as I drive down Frederick Rd. It is part of the seasons of Catonsville.

I was in Arbutus on Monday. There were no chairs along the parade route, building the excitement and expectation, like stockings hung by the fireplace awaiting Santa. It is part of the anticipation that makes the 4th of July in Catonsville special.