A Ten Year Old's Trip of a Lifetime - Part V Columbus #1

     The week or so that we remained in Columbus at my grandparents went by in a flash.  We were kept busy visiting relatives that I had never met before.    
     Soon after we arrived a reporter from the Columbus Evening Dispatch1  arrived to take a picture of everyone.  It must have been a slow news day because we ended up in the newspaper that week.  I guess a big family who rode a train from California was news.  (This blog post was delayed because I was having trouble locating my copy of the newspaper picture.)  The quality of the picture is poor but it is all I have.  It looks like this copy was pieced together so it is unlikely that the picture was on page one.  You can also see that there was a story to the right of the picture.  I have no idea what it says.  

AFTER LONG TRIP - Col. Elmer J. Armstrong and his wife had never seen all their grandchildren until a 2500-mile train trip from California brought them together in Columbus for the Fourth of July weekend. On the floor are Dianne[Diane], 11, left, and David, 9, right.  Others left to right, are John, 12; Julie, 4; George, 7; Margaret, 1; Mrs. John Armstrong; Jane, 6; John Armstrong; and Dorothy, 2   

     On July the 4th we had a big family reunion.  All of the grandchildren (except the two that were not yet born) came to a picnic at Grandma and Grandpa Armstrong's.    
     One evening we walked to a nearby park and watched fireworks.  I always assumed that the fireworks were on the Fourth of July because out here in California fireworks are always on the Fourth.  However, I visited Ohio last July and I noticed that some towns had fireworks on different day.  So I can't say with certainly that fireworks were on the Fourth.

Note: The title of these blog postings have included 'A Ten Year Old's Trip of a Lifetime'.  You might notice that the newspaper photo identifies me as nine years old.  Technically I was nine but I turned ten a few days later while we were still in Ohio.

Grandpa and Grandma Armstrong with their four children, three of their four in-laws, and sixteen of their eighteen grandchildren. (two were born later)

1. "After Long Trip." Columbus Evening Dispatch, July 2, 1955.