Embarrassing National Tom Sawyers Days Photos From My Past (Part Two)

I must be a glutton for punishment.  As if yesterday's slideshow of Tom Sawyer badness from my childhood wasn't enough, here we go again.  Yes, it's true.  I was a Tom Sawyer back in 1979.  Well, I was one of the final five at least.  Jim Cary went on to be the actual Tom Sawyer representative, but that didn't stop me from parading through downtown Hannibal with the full garb on.  Behold.

In the second picture, it's me and Jenny Viorel-Hilbert awaiting the verdict downtown when they were getting ready to announce the winner of the Tom and Becky competition.  The third picture shows us Tom and Becky people getting hoisted around town in the 1970's version of the Twainland Express.

In pics three and four, you can see what we shall refer to as "The Band Years".  I was a trumpet player who greatly feared the Fourth of July parade.  Anyone who has tried to play a trumpet while following the horses will tell you about that terror.  It was especially "fun" to do that barefoot.  I'm not sure what they feed the horses prior to the Fourth of July parade, but whoever is responsible should be arrested.

Picture five shows me and two of my best friends during my childhood, Kevin Coleman and David Day.  I'm not even sure that picture was taken during the Fourth of July or National Tom Sawyer Days.  Many times we would dress up as Tom Sawyer on a dare.

Picture six shows me walking away in shame when I realized that other kids in other towns didn't do this all the time.  You gotta love growing up as a redheaded kid in Hannibal.