The Reilly Thanksgiving Invitational Story As Told by Those Born of the Greatest Generation
Authors: Brent Parrott and Bryan Renfro
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Independently published (October 2, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1697180019
ISBN-13: 978-1697180015
Synopsis
In 1960, on the front lawn of an elementary school in North East Dallas, a tradition was born. A group of seventh-grade boys captured the free time before Thanksgiving dinner to engage in a game of touch football. It was a good day to play. So good, in fact, that the game would resume each year at the same time in the same place. Through the ebb and flow of lives, loves, and responsibilities, the Reilly Thanksgiving Invitational continued for five decades. Best friends Brent Parrott and Bryan Renfro have collaborated to memorialize and reminisce about their lives, the times, the game, and the traditions in their book, The Reilly Thanksgiving Invitational Story.
My Thoughts
The Holiday makes me think of the happy personal occasions I've had like eating ribbon candy with Grandma and playing touch football with family and friends.
A group of eight of us from the neighborhood, mostly boys, and a few of us girls, would get together and play touch football in an empty lot a few blocks southeast of our home.
You could say it's where I first began to fall for my husband as he lived across the street from the empty lot and was one of us players. My brother was a player too.
Ours was an unorganized game where we made up the rules. We only had a four on four with a quarterback, center, and two receivers. But boy- it was a lot of fun. And many decades later, all eight of us are still close. So, when I received a request to read and review The Reilly Thanksgiving Invitational Story, I jumped on it.
Over the years, the author's game of football received local media coverage. Six decades later, they decided to share their story which is definitely an exhilarating view of the comradery of baby boomers.
Twenty-two school kids get together on Thanksgiving Day to play a game of football at Reilly Elementary School. They started off the game tackling, but when a guy broke his arm, they switched to touch and it eventually converts to an all-pass game.
As these players progress in years, we learn sidelines are not a factor and there are no offsides. There are aching backs and they inform us they don't snap the ball any longer because they don't want to bend over.
This book is well written, full of interesting cultural details and it's genuine. We get to meet the players via their high school photos and readers will find a map of the schoolyard and view the telegrams received and the invitations they designed.
I love many things about this book but most of all I love that this book takes me back in time and makes me recall all the fun that begins in youth.
I received a copy of this extraordinary story from Brent Parrott via Arden Izzo, Public Relations Manager, at Farrow Communications. A portion of the proceeds of this book goes to The Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation.
You can find an interview with the author's here https://thereillythanksgivinginvitational.com/