PENFIELD – Michigan-based author Bill Jamerson will present Dollar-A-Day Boys! at Parker Dam State Park at 11 a.m. May 9 in the Environmental Education Classroom, annexed to the Park Office.
Dollar-A-Day Boys! is a musical tribute to and storytelling program about the Civilian Conservation Corps. The program is co-sponsored by the Pennsylvania Lumber Heritage Region and is free to the public.
The presentation includes telling stories, singing original songs and reading excerpts from Jamerson’s novel. Jamerson has performed at CCC reunions around the country and at CCC built national and state parks.
The program is as entertaining as it is important; as honest as it is fun. It’s about people both ordinary and extraordinary, with stories of strength, wit and charm.
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a federal works program created in 1933 by President Franklin Roosevelt during the heart of the Great Depression.
During its nine-year run, 194,000 men between the ages of 17-25 served in the CCC in Pennsylvania. The enrollees were paid $1 a day, with $25 sent home to their families each month.
The money often put food on the table for the families. The CCC boys went into nearby towns on the weekends and the money they spent helped also keep local merchants in business.
The CCC enrollees planted millions of trees, constructed thousands of miles of roads, built hundreds of bridges and dams, fought forest fires, and built many of PA’s state parks.
The CCC boys built Parker Dam State Park using local stone and wood harvested from nearby land. The camps not only revitalized the state’s natural resources but also turned the enrollees into men by teaching them discipline and work skills.
Some of the songs Jamerson performs with his guitar include Franklin D., written by an appreciative CCC Boy; Chowtime, a fun look at the camp food; City Slicker, which tells of the mischief the boys create in the woods; and, Wood Tick, about the nicknames locals gave to the enrollees. Tree Plantin’, Fire Fightin’ Blues is about the hardships of work out in the woods. The folk songs range from heartwarming ballads to foot stomping jigs.
Along with a novel and CD of songs on the CCC, Jamerson produced a PBS film, Camp Forgotten, which aired on 58 TV stations. Former CCC’ers and their families are encouraged to attend the Dollar-A-Day Boys! program and bring along photo albums and CCC memorabilia.
For more information please call the Park Office at 814-765-0630, or visit Jamerson’s Web site at: www.billjamerson.com. Further information on the CCC can be found on the internet at: www.ccclegacy.org.