“The Basement Summer was 1968. Some of us had been off to college for a year or two but gravitated back to Kennett, Missouri, as young people from small towns often do. This web site is about those people and that time. This would have been a lot easier if I had actually kept a diary or journal thirty years ago. But I didn’t, so the only record I have is a few thousand photographs and a lot of fuzzy memories. The time frame is roughly 1966 -1976. If you were there, no further explanation is necessary… if you were not, none is possible.”
That was the intro to one of the first websites I created (March, 1998). I say was because this morning I deleted the entire site. How I managed to do this is of no consequence. I believe I have a back-up in our safe deposit box, but can’t find a copy among the countless CD’s and external hard-drives that clutter my home office.
Given the sentimental importance of this site, I’m surprised by how calmly I’m dealing with this. I spent hundreds of hours creating the site but I didn’t know what I was doing in those early days and the tools weren’t very good. And the resulting site looked like what it was, an early effort by an amateur.
And I have all of the images. Digital and prints. I can do a much better job the second time around. I don’t think I could/would recreate the copy. So I’m hoping I have that back-up. And I feel bad for anyone that might have linked to the original site. Those links are dead. If you were among those immortalized in The Basement Diaries, watch this space for updates.
Update: Seems I did have the foresight to tuck a copy away at the bank. I’ll start rebuilding immediately.
I posted a short video clip last month of some of Sheryl Crow’s clothing and costumes which she donates to raise money for a childrens home in Kennett, Missouri.
I’m a little fuzzy on just how this works but I think those who contribute to the fund drive are eligible to win a prize. This year it’s an autographed guitar. If I’m wrong about the mechanics, we’ll rely on Sheryl Crow fan Ann to clear it up.
When KBOA went on the air (July 19, 1947), one of their first –and most popular– programs was “Ole Camp Meetin’ Time.” It was the creation of Ray Van (Hooser), the station’s first program director. The program featured hymns and gospel music but was far more than a “record show.” And it was immediately and immensly popular.