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I Remember When

Decoration Day was always a day to remember

In our area of Philadelphia, Decoration Day (Memorial Day) was special to the people who lived there, everyone from baby to grandpa. Everyone was decked out in red, white and blue. Every house had the flag colors, some from crepe paper. There was even red, white and blue in the spokes of bicycles. The colors were put on every wagon and little children couldn’t wait to get in. Some houses had a flag on a pole. My house had a smaller flag over the railing and we thought it was the best-dressed house in the country. Big, small and in-between children came. Fire trucks and ambulances ...

Food, fellowship and the snacks of summer

My summer memories are not from the Mifflin or Juniata Counties. I didn’t know these counties existed until my family moved here when I was approaching my mid-forties some 30-plus years ago. The family I grew up in didn’t have any favorite or regular activities or traditions and only twice took a vacation that was more than a one day trip to another part of Pennsylvania. Only two of 12 cousins lived in Pennsylvania. As the oldest child of my parents, I had occasions to meet more cousins that lived far away than my four siblings had, but only a few times in my lifetime. Both of my ...

I Remember: August nights at the Vet

As long as I can recall, we were a ‘Phillies family.’ My dad was a big sports fan, and Philadelphia Phillies baseball and Kentucky basketball were his two main teams to follow. My earliest sports memory is watching the 1980 Phillies World Series parade on TV. My sports “soundtrack” ...

Sweet summer days of the early sixties

In the past couple of years I have found myself returning to Greenwood Furnace State Park and sharing my childhood memories with my adult children. I also have brought visiting friends there to hike the different trails and it was a perfect place to take my brother, Buddy, during Covid times ...

Summer family memories on the river

When I was growing up in Granville, we often went to the river to swim and/or cool down. One man would take his soap along and “take a bath.” Things changed, of course, as people started renting spots at the river. So my dad rented a spot for quite a few years in the 80s and 90s. So I ...

Summer dream: What a great day for baseball

Summertime. School is out. The sun is shining. What a great day for baseball. Let’s play two. I was eight-years-old when I made an “unofficial” appearance in a Lewistown National Little League baseball game. My Dad was manager of the Police Pals and since I was a year shy of ...