Whistle To Go Home

I have mentioned that my father was the marshal of two small towns we lived in. It got a lot of perks for us kids.

When there were parades for homecoming or Labor Day we got to ride on top of the hoses of the fire truck.

 The very best of all was the noon whistle. Every day at precisely 12 noon the noon whistle alerted everyone that it was time for lunch. I can remember seeing men run to get home for a hot lunch. Some of the stores even closed for lunch.

The town marshal had to make sure the noon whistle was activated on time.

We would race to the city building at lunchtime every day. We hoped to be the one who got to turn on the whistle.

Now it was a really easy operation. It was like a light switch. 

The marshal kept a watch on the time. At the precise moment we flipped the switch on.

Immediately you could hear a low growl that built in strength. The pitch of its sound got higher as its strength grew.

We let it stay at the appropriate length of time. Then the marshal would have us flick the switch off. The whistle acted like it had no energy left. It slowly got less shrill and quieter until the sound was gone.

I cannot explain the thrill of blowing the noon whistle. There was power in knowing that I was the person who let everyone in town know that it was time for lunch. Also my daddy trusted me with that responsibility.

I know it was actually the marshal who was responsible. But my daddy let me feel important.