Uncle Sam on the Fourth of July

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A Partial History of the Old Poway Park Uncle Sam

Year 2004

Once when I was in Old Poway Park on the Fourth of July, I saw the previous Uncle Sam. I did not have my picture taken with him, but I hung around for a few minutes and took a couple of my own pictures. That was it. (Click pictures to expand)

Year 2005

Then, the very next year, I saw in the paper (click to expand):

At home, I have this big felt hat that we got at the Rose Parade, and using it I would play pretend Uncle Sam at events like ball games. Becoming Poway's ceremonial guy was not really on my radar, though.

Still, I was shocked to find out that Poway's 'Uncle Sam' had died, and was keenly aware that they had empty shoes to fill.

Year 2006

Poway did have an Uncle Sam in 2006, a tall young guy, and he did his best. But people did not really warm to him.

In around 2006, I used to attend Padres games, and would wear "the hat" and sometimes more around the Fourth of July. As a camera magnet, sometimes my picture got put on the scoreboard screen. Here are a couple of pictures from that time you can click in to.

A Poway park employee saw me on the big screen once and recognized me as a Poway resident. She suggested that I might be a useful candidate for their Uncle Sam. Eventually, Suzanne Emery, the wife of Councilman Bob Emery, was called in to close the deal because Suzanne and I had met, and she was involved with the park system. So it was agreed that in 2007 I would be their Uncle Sam, and we would see how it goes.

July 4, 2007

Approximate picture count: 12 (this is a guess)

In 2007, my employer had asked me to take a business trip to Shanghai, China. Scheduling the trip was up to me, so I chose to leave on July 5, so as not to interfere with my new volunteer job. Of course this put me on pins and needles.

As in previous years, the city had a Polaroid camera, and had laid in a small supply of film. Because of the cost, they had to charge for pictures, around $1.50 I think. The park assigned an assistant, named Leslie, to take the pictures and keep things organized. The cost really reduced the number of people who wanted photos, and it was kind of a slow day. Here is a sample photo, of me with Councilman/Mayor Bob Emery. You can punch down on the thumb to get a bigger picture.

And yes, the next day I took a limo to the airport and spent the next 13 days in China. But that's another story.

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