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From mooing cows to dancing mouse, it has been a golden summer of 2009 Date published: 8/19/2009 By Ed Jones IT'S ALMOST TIME to Tops on my list is that Friday night in July at the Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair when 1960s rock 'n' roll, seasoned with a chorus of barnyard sounds, created an evening of nostalgic bliss. Picture this scene: High-schoolers from the 1960s, now turning 60, bellow out rock songs from four decades ago from a stage at the fair. On the grass in front of them, women who could qualify for senior-citizen discounts dance the night away. (I thought I was back in gym class!) In the distance, a giant Ferris wheel lights up the sky on an almost-cool evening. In the background, a couple of dozen cattle, including newborns Patrick and Patty, settle down for the evening. Give credit to Nashville-based Steve Jarrell, formerly of Fredericksburg, whose performance helped recapture those musical memories. Once a member of the legendary area band "The Prophets," Jarrell played places like the American Legion hall in Fredericksburg and the pier at Fairview Beach before heading to Nashville. Veterans of the '60s musical scene in the Fredericksburg area climbed up on the stage to help Jarrell celebrate his 60th birthday. Does it get any sweeter than this? Well, it almost did this month on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Settled into Nags Head for a week with friends, I was treated to one of those mystical mornings on the oceanfront. The ghostly outline of a deserted beach house, jutting into the ocean, could barely be made out in the mist. It was easy to imagine how all those ships wrecked over the years a few miles down the coast at Cape Hatteras. Here's a tip for your next trip to the Outer Banks. Nearby Manteo, on the mainland, is certainly worth a visit. But don't miss the "real" fishing village just a few miles Wanchese, N.C., is not spiffed up. But its hideaway seafood restaurants are local favorites. And there's a seashell gift shop where my wife spent a good portion of our vacation. Finally, my summer memories stretch to Southern California, where I spent all of three hours at Disneyland during a busy stay at the Episcopal General Convention. Disney tends to be a pretty big target for those who decry its commercialism and overdose of cuteness. But the original Disneyland, crafted and overseen by Walt himself, remains a special place for children of all ages. The light-and-music show on Tom Sawyer's Island, "Fantasmic!" starring the one and only Mickey Mouse, suffers from the usual problems But at the heart of the show are glimpses from the studio's classic 1940 animated film "Fantasia"--a landmark work that reminds us that the Walt Disney Co. is not just an entertainment conglomerate, but the legacy of a businessman who, in his prime, was one of the screen's artistic geniuses. That's a memory that won't go away anytime soon. Ed Jones: 540/374-5401
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