Synopsis "The Festival of States Parade: A Most Unusual Experience"
After a scrambling experience in a parade, the five boys in the tree Fort club witness an unusual sighting during the fireworks display. To investigate the sighting further, the boys meet at the tree Fort with all of their equipment. There is an old mulberry tree that stands on the outskirts of town. A tree house, which they call the Fort, was built large enough for them to use as their clubhouse. Inside the tree Fort, the boys have a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Looking out the north window, the boys can see a large meadow stretching out into the distance. Telescoping binoculars are used by the boys to study the night sky for another unusual experience. They witness the landing of a saucer-shape spacecraft in the far corner of the Meadows. Curiosity leads the boys to investigate the landing. While observing the spacecraft, the boys watch some strange animals being released. Before long, the whole town is terrorized by what the newspaper calls "the Swamp Ape." THE SERIES: Holiday Favorites is a collection of nine novellas (short stories) written by George F. Kohn. Most of the stories coincide with the holiday months of the school calendar year, each of those stories being dedicated to its special holiday. October is Halloween - The Legend of "The Hal-lo-Ween and the Motorcycle Witch" November is Thanksgiving - The First Thanksgiving December is Christmas - The Magic Christmas Tree February is Valentine's Day - A Valentine Dream March is Easter - A Big Surprise for Easter April is a celebration in St. Petersburg, Florida - The Festival of States Parade July is Independence Day - The Big Fourth The last two stories, in addition to the holiday stories, are about exploring the unknown - what if? They involve using the reader's own imagination and creativity: The Experiment - an alien mission harvests ancient implants. Neanderthal versus Cro-Magnon - different cultures and skills of two tribes are explored. INTRODUCTION to SERIES: A long time ago, before television, forests grew all around a neighborhood near the edge of the great forbidden Cypress Swamp. The people in the neighborhood all shared their lives, beliefs, and superstitions, creating an atmosphere of adventure throughout the neighborhood. In the neighborhood lived five young boys. There was an old mulberry tree that stood on the outskirts of town. Over the years, someone had built a tree house in the fork of two large limbs that spread out over the cemetery. The tree house, called the Fort, was built large enough for the boys to use as their clubhouse. Inside the tree Fort, the boys had a panoramic view of the surrounding area. Looking out the north window, the boys could see a large meadow stretching out into the distance. Through the east window, they could see far away the top of a bald cypress tree. Everyone knew that meant there was a dangerous swamp nearby. In this series of stories, some strange and incredible things happen in the area to challenge the boys' ingenuity. Utilizing their imagination and skills, the boys successfully solve one problem after another. What is real, and how much is in their imagination?
