Mule
Day in Weakley County
by Jeannie Travis
In my little hometown, Dresden, TN. there were two 'Hitch yards' where
folks could tie up their buggies , riding horses or wagons and go up a
sidewalk between buildings to get to the store fronts...There was no
shade in the one Daddy used, but it was on the side of town he shopped
at.
Another memory from this time...you could go back to the meat market
area of the grocery store and buy bologna, crackers, and Hoop cheese to
make a cheap lunch. The butcher would tear off a big piece of paper and
lay out your food on it. I guess we were not 'pore' enough for Daddy to
have to take a lunch and go eat at the wagon. Only my brothers were
allowed to go to town with Daddy on Mule Day/First Monday to do the
trading. So we could only envision the delicious boughten lunch they
told us about. What a treat !
I don't know how much this lunch cost, but you could get a big RC Cola
and a Moon pie for 10 cents. Big candy bars were a nickel, ditto a bag
of potato chips or an ice cream cone or Wonder bar. Coke floats were
high though - 10 cents and were a rare treat at the drug store. It cost
12 or 13 cents to go to the 'show' and you could stay in there all day
if you wanted to. Popcorn was probably a nickle.....Happy
memories! Jeannie T