09/02/2026
What’s Your Story Wednesday – End of Summer
The change of seasons from summer to fall means different things for different people. For me, the end of summer means…August Bonfire. Every year dad would pile all the broken branches and dead trees collected from our yard and shelterbelt in the pasture. By the end of summer, the pile was quite impressive in size and ready to burn. The decision to burn always seemed like ‘a spur of the moment’ thing (or at least it seemed that way to me) and mom would start preparing for the evening.
We loaded the back of the truck with essentials. Two large bowls, covered with aluminum foil to keep the contents from spilling, contained potato salad and baked beans. Fresh green sticks cut from the Ash tree in the yard were carefully sharpened on one end making them ready to spear hot dogs. A few things were packed in the big aluminum bread mixing bowl for safe transfer like, hot dogs and buns, a large glass jug filled with iced tea wrapped in a towel to keep it chilled, ketchup, mustard, plates, cups, and silverware. An old blanket, to spread on the grass was the final thing added before driving down to the pasture.
The fire, usually started in the early afternoon, had died down enough by sunset to cook on. Holding a stick with a sizzling hotdog over a fire can be challenging for a young person. You had to wait long enough for the dog to warm through but not so long that the dog burned to a crisp. You could always plan to have at least one hotdog fall into the fire. To this day, I maintain that hot dogs on a stick cooked over a fire taste the best!
After eating and packing everything up, the evening cooled. Night birds and bugs began to sing, stories and laughter filled the air, constellations were pointed out and falling stars streaked across the sky. It was relaxing watching dying embers glow along with the occasional flicker of flames that would erupt when a stick fell lighting the night with a golden/orange glow. I’d like to say how the evening ended but, I never exactly knew for sure. Because for me, the evening ended by waking up the next morning in bed. The bonfire tradition didn’t end when the folks moved to town, they became more controlled and happened frequently. The fires still had their magic but on a smaller scale.
Find out more things our ancestors did to celebrate at the York County Historical Association on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 9:00 until 12:00. You’ll be glad you did!
