Give Me Just A Little More Time

I was eleven years old when our Festival Park hosted the Fifth Annual Beach Music Festival. It was exciting because my parents were in charge of everything but the music. I was free to roam.

Beach music in the south is totally different than bech music elsewhere. I was a big fan of rock and roll so I would have loved for it to mean the Beach Boys, or Jan and Dean, Bruce and Terry, Surfaris, or Dock Dale and is surf guitar.

No such luck. Here in the South it was The Embers, Swingin' Medallions, Chairmen of the Boad, The Drifters, The Tymes, The Showmen and the Band Of Oz. To me it was a cross between the twist and Grandma and Grandpa's swing music. It was a certain beat that got these beach music lovers to dance. This dance was called the shag and like I said already it was a relative of the twist and swing.

But I am only eleven so I am a watcher not a dancer, especially since you had to be eighteen or older to ven get into the festival.

The first four of these beach music festivals had been major successes. They lasted three days, music beginning at ten in the morning and going until almost eight o'clock in the evening. And these people would drink.

There were eight keg stations with someone at each station to change out empty kegs.

Four food stands provided the basic hot dogs and burgers, steaks and chops, chicken and my favorite pulled pork, known around these parts as pig pickin'.

So to keep me from getting bored, my parents put me in charge of picking up the trash. I was allowed to bring my best friend to help me keep the park clean.

A perk of my parents being in charge was free food. Festival goers paid forfood and drinks. Except the kegs were free.

The Embers were the first band scheduled. I was able to watch them set up which wa a lot of fun. Guess they were first because of their beach music anthem , I Love Beach Music.

When the gates opened at eight in the morning there was already a line waiting to get into the festival and get it started.

Games were set up in the back corner of the park to keep the early arrivals occupied until the music began; horseshoes, badmitton, etc.

The stage was located ten feet from the volleyball area. The dancers would use the sand to imagine they were at the beach.

As soom as the music started sp did the dancing. The bar for mixed drinks and all four keg spots suddenly had lines.

Raffle tickets were sold for a patio makeover; new grill, chairs, portable bar and more. All donated by the local business sponsors.

By noon it was so crowded that you felt like sardines in a can. An me and Toby were pretty busy keeping the trash picked up. Not as bad a job as I thought it would be. In four hours I had already found eleven dollars and some loose change. Toby had found eight dollars and a wallet with a few hundred dollars inside. Of course he turned it into my dad at the main gate. When the owner claimed it he left a twenty for Toby who as a true best friend would do, split it with me.

After me and Toby had been sent several times to refill someones beer cup, Toby got to feeling a bit brave. Before I knew what he was doing he handed me a cup of beer.

"How'd you get these?"

"Nobody is really paying any attention so I thought, why not."

"We can't be getting ourselves drunk or I for one will be grounded until pigs fly."

"Just keep snacking, the food will soak it up and nobody will ever know."

The raffle drawing was at three in the afternoon. When the band stopped playing I heard my mother summon me to the stage. I thought for sure she had found out about our sneaking drinks. When she saw me she said, "Come on up and draw our winner."

Thinking quickly I said, "Let Toby draw. I gotta go pee."

Quickly I headed for the nearest Port-o-John hoping I had dodged that bullet. Felt like I did when I found out that my school principal had won. Like he raally nedded a patio makeover.

Around five my mother tracked us own agin to see if we had been getting anything to eat. Toby started rattling off all he had had to at already.

"Wow. Much more and I will probably get a bill for you two."

Toby then excused himself for a bathroom break. With lines at the port-o-johns, Toby opted for the main bathrooms even though they were the rarthest away. Luckily they were not crowded and he was able to do his business quickly and get out.

No sooner was he out in the fresh air then four college types standing beside the building motioned him over. Thinking "tip" he went to see what they wanted.

"We've seen you and your buddy snagging drinks all day. Thought you might like a couple of tokes as well."

Toby quickly made a dash into the crowd. As he told me about it we decided to stick together for the rest of the afternoon..

One hour before the days events were to end and the gates close, there was no sign of anyone leaving early. When I heard the last band begin I knew why. Even at the ripe old age of eleven I really liked the Chairmen Of the Board. General johnson was a great singer and quite a showman. The crowd really got into it when they started their final song and their first big hit, Give Me Just A Little More Time.

Suddenly Toby grabbed my arm and asked me to stick close.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"It's those college guys coming this way. Try to ignore them and maybe they will just leave."

Not so lucky. Soon as they saw Toby they made a beeline straight for us.

"Can't believe you two little dudes are still sober. Sure you don't want a couple of hits? Got one left."

I spoke up, "my dad is in charge and he will be here any minute."

"Come on. It'll help you relax after all that hard work you did today."

Thinking quickly agin I grabbed the arm of the man closest to us.

"Thanks, dad. We are so ready to go home.. We are both exhausted."

Then I leaned in to whisper an explaination to the startled man.

"Those four college guys are trying to get us to smoke some weed with them, We'd rather not so could you hang with us until they leave?"

"Sure kid. Maybe we should report them to security or the front gate."

"Don't want to cause any trouble," Toby responded. "Just want them to get gone."

"Fine. I am in no hurry as I am actually driving our bus."

"You came in a bus?"

"Sure did. All the way from Virginia Beach. I'm Bill Deal with the Rhondells. We played about four this afternoon. We go on first tomorrow because we have to be back in Virginia for a show tomorrow night."

"Wow! I've got one of your records at home."

"Oh yeah? Which one."

"I've Been Hurt."

"One of our favorites to play. I'll get you a picture of the band and we all will sigh it for you. How'd you like that?"

"Great and thanks for playing along. Those guys gave Toby a scare beside the main restroom earlier in the day."

Toby had not let the college boys out of his sight. "It's good now. They just went out the gate."

"I'll go out to our bus for that picture but I will try to see what vehicle they get into and maybe their plate number."

"Thanks. We gotta stay and help clean up the park and thanks again for the picture."

Me and Toby got bags and started picking up the remaining trash.

"So. You gonna help me tomorrow too?"

"Let me think about it."

"Come on. Don't keep me dangling on a string."

"Don't rush me. Give me just a little more time."