Being American presents an odd dichotomy. On one side of the coin we’re American, but on the other we’re descendants of another culture. The latter is almost inevitable to most, considering the relative youth of the American nation itself. I’m all about hotdogs and burgers and the 4th of July, but damn do I enjoy some good sauerkraut and bratwurst.
Consequently, I feel an odd nostalgia for things which represent the spirit of either, and considering my status as a suburbanite, for the former, they can be quite Rockwelian at times.
Over the holidays, mom brought down the old Flexible Flyer sled. Now that’s Americana. Or it was, but more on that in a bit. Over the weekend we got 6 inches of snow, so it was decided that the kid would experience some sledding.
We were the only ones on the hill with Flexy Flyer. Everyone else had various plastic contraptions. I hadn’t thought them that rare, and it got me thinking.
Back home, I looked up the Flexible Flyer brand. It dated back to the early 20th century, and had apparently gone through a number of ownership changes, ultimately being sent for manufacture overseas. Disheartened that my piece of Americana wasn’t American, I checked for a label, but was pleasantly surprised to find out it had been manufactured in Olney, IL. A Wikipedia search revealed that to date the sled between 1993 and 1998. After that, they were made in China.
So, an American suburban family went sledding on an American icon, made when it was truly American. I’m fitting in with suburbia more than I ever expected.
–Simon