How one Italy family celebrated their son’s 5th birthday

ITALY – Grandmother and grandfather sit across the street on Ward St. in Italy, Texas.

They watch their daughter Sarah Tatum Reid, once a U.S. House of Representative staffer who now lives in the quiet little town just south of Waxahachie, throw her son a birthday party with shelter-in-place orders having been issued in Ellis County.

Reid and her husband have three children, and last week during the COVID-19 shelter-in place order, one of her sons had his fifth birthday.

Yale, who goes by Salamander, turned five and was not able to have a up-close-and-personal birthday party, so they put together a drive-by party instead.

Neighbors from around the town of Italy were asked to drive by and throw candy out to the young boy to say happy birthday. COVID-19 style – no close encounters of any kind.

Yale, who people call Sal (short for Salamander – his mom said he wanted a name with lots of syllables), had big smiles has he collected candy with the help of his two siblings.

Yale, his brother and sister and parents waved, laughed and made the five-year-old’s birthday memorable.

The grandparents sat directly across the street watching the birthday party in full swing from the comfort of their lawn chairs.

In fact, from what neighbor Andrea Pylant said, the grandparents sit across the street in their lawn chairs every day talking with Reid and her family at a distance.

It is safe to say Yale ended up with lots of candy for his birthday, and the entire community came out to make sure the young man had a good day.

“I love living in Italy, it has that Mayberry RFD feel,” Pylant said. “It is a place where everyone cares and watches out for everyone else and people are very welcoming to newcomers.”