When I was growing up in Miami, one evening every year, my mom (Joy Washburn Gillis) and I packed a picnic dinner and drove to Dinner Key Auditorium. My dad (William Gillis, Jr.), an avionics engineer for Eastern Airlines, would drive from his office at Miami International Airport and meet us.
Located on Biscayne Bay at Coconut Grove, the Dinner Key Auditorium was formerly a hangar at the Pan American World Airways seaplane base. My Uncle Hal was a Pan Am pilot. My mom’s first flight was on one of those seaplanes. I love that our annual family tradition took place at a venue with such an aviation history.
Mom, Dad, and I would sit at a picnic table by the bay, enjoying the evening breeze as we ate our chicken sandwiches prepared by my mom. (One of her specialties: torn-up pieces of leftover plain, baked chicken on buttered bread.) I loved being by the water and watching the boats go in and out of the docks.
Dad was still in his work attire: dress shirt, tie with clasp, dress pants, and polished shoes. I loved that he came straight from work. I felt like, for a moment, I got to be part of his professional world.
After dinner, we went across the parking lot to the enormous auditorium for the home expo. For a little kid like me, this was an exciting event. So many people, the sound of the crowd echoing around the venue. Larger-than-life exhibits.
I loved walking through the featured RV and into the mini fenced-in yard. I pictured what it would be like to camp there. Exhibits that recreate the outdoors inside have always appealed to me. It’s like stepping into another world.
I don’t remember exactly what Dad loved at the expo. He may have been thinking about getting an RV one day; that never happened. He loved landscaping at home, so if the expo had landscaping equipment that was probably a draw for him.
For me, I loved knowing we went to this event every year as a family. There’s something comforting and memorable about traditions like that. Dad was at work all day, so our evenings at home were dinner followed by TV hour. I loved the privilege of spending an evening out with him and my mom. Those memories have left a big imprint in my heart to this day.
Looking back, I don’t remember too many details about the expo, except that amazing walk-through RV. What I do remember most and with great fondness is Dad arriving from work, enjoying a picnic by the water, and getting to be part of his world. It’s a feeling I’ll always remember.
Exploring Generations 