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I Remember When

Many memories growing up in Lewistown

My name is Richard Aurand. I am 93-years-old. I was born in Lewistown and I have lived here all my life. I grew up in the Lewistown Heights on Edgewater Avenue. My parents moved there in 1933 when I was three-months-old. I’ve seen a lot of changes in Lewistown in 93 years of life. In the Lewistown Heights, where I grew up, most of my friends did not have indoor plumbing or running water. I was lucky to grow up with both. In 1956, the Heights still had no street lights or paved roads. Most of it was fields. I had to walk down the hill to Walnut Street to get our mail because our ...

Summer memories of Burnham

Summers in Burnham were very nice back in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Just about every house had a garden and maybe a fruit tree. Kids played on the streets and eventually, a playground was built on the top of 4th and 5th Avenue. At the Burnham Fire House, they started having festivals and that was something to look forward to — food always, and usually a band would play. You weren’t afraid to walk the streets back then. The YMCA was here and they had activities and meetings. Everyday, the whistle from Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton (SSW) would blow for all the 7, 3 and 11 shifts. There were ...

A summer drive in the country (for corn and thrills)

When Tom Laub asked the staff at The Sentinel if they wanted to write about a favorite summer memory, my mind quickly went to my childhood and it was very difficult to choose just one. I have tried to pare it down, but apparently, based upon our submissions for our ‘I Remember When’ publication, everyone else had a problem choosing just one. Let me tell you about the first thing I thought of. I grew up in Lewistown and I fondly remember trips to get corn from local farms. We often frequented farms near the industrial park near the current Walmart. On the way back from the farm, we ...

A summer memory: Reunion of hearts

When I think of summer time memories and traditions, I think of where and when my husband and I met. My husband, Johnathon, and I met at Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg, Pa. It was a summer time tradition since I was little for my dad and me to camp at Knoebels for a week. It was also a ...

A return to the State Museum

I remember when I was in elementary school, during those few years my parents and I lived in Mechanicsburg, that the highlight of my summers wasn’t the pool or the playground or even the long, lazy evenings chasing fireflies. It was the Pennsylvania State Museum of History in Harrisburg. ...

Busy, fun-filled days of a youthful summer

I was awakened with warm, golden hour rays of eastern sunrise shining through white linen curtains, gently ruffled by the morning breeze that carried the scent of honeysuckle and blackberries. The dirt and grass-stained soles of my feet slid into my metallic silver jelly sandals, creating lasting criss-crossed diamond indentations over the tops of them. I adorned my neck, wrists and ankles with rainbow candy jewelry, and a fresh, multi-faceted grape Ring Pop on my tiny finger. I filled my pockets with packs of Fun Dip and Pop Rocks, along with Polly Pocket and a pack of Chiclets. I ...