Winter Solstice Party 1999

Hey, you wouldn't believe most of us were strangers a short time ago. I've never seen a party room quite like this! (Note the large "Atheist And Proud" banner in the background.)

Linda Sharlow and John Hattan compete for the foosball championship of the universe.

Us kids are going to show the grown-ups how it's done.

Thanks for a great party to our host, Richard (Dick) Hogan (on the left, that's Tim Gorski on the right). We had a wonderful time. Don't you wish you had been there?

John Hattan with some frightening concoction in the thermos.

Dick does his best to keep Everett Cox out of the kitchen.
Great burgers and fries!

The 1999 Solstice Sign

This display was originally created by Curtis Severns of Dallas for the 1998 Parker County Display. Last year it simply had orange and yellow colors with our happy sun in sunshades and rays emanating from the orb and the small lettering, "Happy Winter Solstice - The Real Reason For The Season." We changed it up some for this year so that it would be more attention getting by painting the background white, adding the firey red flames and the No-Church/State symbol in the corner. The display is here waiting patiently to be transported to the courthouse site.

View from the van following the solstice display riding in the flatbed of State Director Dick Hogan's truck.

After we had unloaded the display, the celebrants who had convoyed with us to the courthouse look on as Dick Hogan prepares for the installation.

The sign was pretty substantial. It's a 4x8 sheet of plywood with frame and braces made out of 4x4's. Here's Everett screwing one of the stakes into the ground.

Once we got the stakes all the way into the ground, all we had to do was prop up the sign.

For several years a Christian Nativity Scene had been displayed on the Parker County Courthouse lawn. American Atheists Treasurer/State-Director Richard Hogan challenged the practice in court and the county property was deemed to be an open forum to anyone who paid the small administrative fee. This is the second year Hogan has erected a "Happy Solstice" display during the December holidays season.

All of the party-goers posing with the sign.

Shown here in full view is the Parker County, Texas, courthouse with the sectarian Christian deity myth installed on the right and the Texas Atheists "Happy Solstice" newly installed on the left side. It would be ideal to have a clean lawn with no religious views represented. We will continue to work toward the goal of complete separation between government and religion.

The Texas American Atheists sponsored "Happy Solstice" display as we left it at 3pm on Saturday, December 18, 1999. A few hours later, some good Christians ran it down with their car, punching a hole in the middle.

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