World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American; World War, 1939-1945 -- Prisoners and prisons, German
My mother did not get to take very many vacations in her lifetime. One
time we went up along the St. Lawrence River and another time we went
to Buffalo and took the boat trip across Lake Erie to Long Point Park.
Another time we went, in two cars, to Pennsylvania. She spent all of
life cooking, washing, sewing and caning. Saturday night was the big
night of the week for everyone. to make certain we got a parking place
downtown, my father would take the car down in the late afternoon and
after supper we would walk down to shop and watch the people in town.
I can remember sitting on the front fenders of the car and watching
the shoppers. There was a popcorn wagon by a building on South Main
Street and I suppose, if we had the money, we would get some popcorn
or candy. I can remember walking down Chapin Street with my mother to
see a movie in the evening.
The Playhouse Theater on Chapin Street had what they called Bank Night
on Wednesdays. They would announce a person's name in the theater and
by loudspeaker, outside. You did not need a ticket to be eligible and
I guess they picked names at random from the phone book or a list of
city residents. There would be crowds outside and you had several
minutes to answer, so if you were not there someone could come to find
you if they hurried. The prize would build up if there was no one to
claim it. I remember the time Ray Smith and I were inside and they
called our number. We won two bags of groceries. There was also a dish
night when they gave away dishes.
One Fourth of July we had a bushel basket of fireworks and were to set
them off after dark. I was sitting on the steps with the other kids
when someone threw a lighted punk (used to light firecrackers, etc.)
into the basket. The whole bushel went off at once! You never saw such
a sight; kids running in all directions with Roman candles and
pinwheels swirling around them. The house did not catch fire, but the
event charred the siding and the porch floor. Nobody was blamed for it
because no one was quite certain how it happened. It was probably the
fastest celebration of the Fourth that I ever had.....and the most
exciting!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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