I was thinking today about some of the old family traditions and rituals I remember growing up as a kid in Enid and what traditions my daughters will remember once they are grown up and gone.

Of course I'll always remember shopping downtown on Crazy Day. People dressed in wacky costumes selling cheap merchandise on the sidewalk. Going from Coldirons, to Sears, to Evans, stopping by Down's Pharmacy and then on to Anthony's and Newmans. And if I really did some begging I got to go to Baker's Pawn Shop to look for comics. Then there's Tri-State and the carnival rides located between the post office and court house on Broadway. I'll never forget the smells of the funnel cakes, hot dogs and cotton candy.

Other traditions I think about were the times around Christmas when my family would all meet at Richill's, downtown, for my birthday and we would have enough people to sit in the "round" room. I still remember many of the food items served up everyday. In the summer there was the ritual of playing outside, even after dark, and riding all over town on our bikes without a worry in the world. There was the ritual of my mom taking us to Somewhere Drive In on Maple and Van Buren so we could get drinks with "good ice" and then heading to the Gaslight Theatre so she could help with the sets. I knew every nook and cranny in the old Gaslight location.

Today, we are passing along our own yearly Enid traditions which include picking out a live Christmas tree at the tree lot on west Garriott, watching our girls pick their own pumpkins from the Pumpkin Patch on Randolph and getting together with friends to watch fireworks in July. We also have our own little rituals which include a dad and daughter lunch at Oakwood every Friday, renting movies together from Hastings nearly every weekend and getting "good ice" from the Holdings on Garriott.

I hope my girls remember and appreciate the traditions that can be found in Enid, I know I do. What traditions do you think about or remember from living in Enid?

Comments are welcome.