The last day of school. What a wonderful feeling it was to have what seemed like an endless summer stretching before you. Having celebrated the Fourth of July yesterday with a picnic and fireworks, I thought this might be a good time to think about summers growing up in a working class Youngstown neighborhood.

WHOT Day Pass (courtesy of my wife!)

Probably one of the big differences from what I see so many people doing these days were that most vacations were “stay-cations” before the word was ever invented! No trips to Europe or other exotic faraway places. Vacation might have involved a few days at Lake Milton or Pymatuning, or perhaps a cabin over in Cook’s Forest. Most families didn’t have the resources for more. I remember what a thrill it was when my grandparents took me to Gettysburg and Lancaster, PA! Even trips to Cleveland to see the Indians play or down to Pittsburgh to see the Pirates were a big deal in our family.

Until I was older and more mobile, most days were spent around the neighborhood. Mornings often included chores around the house, or cutting lawns for people in the neighborhood to earn a little spending money. Summer afternoons were often spent in one of several places–my front porch which was shaded by awnings and pretty cool even on the hottest days. If I was alone, I was probably reading one of the books I got from the West Side Library (some things never change!). Sometimes friends and I would pitch baseball cards or have marathon Monopoly games. The other place most of us hung out was Borts Swimming Pool (or Pemberton in my wife’s case). Hardly any of us had air conditioning so it was the best place to cool off, and as the hormones kicked in, to look at all the pretty girls in their bikinis. Only problem–I was terribly near-sighted, and usually left the glasses home or in the baskets we used for our clothes. Sigh!

Sam McDowell (Plain Dealer file photo)

Evenings were a good time for a pick up game of baseball down at Washington Elementary’s playground at the end of the street. Only problem as we grew older is that we hit lots of balls over the fence, and sometimes down the freeway ramp to I-680. That was an adventure, trying to recover your ball. Because the playground was asphalt, we usually wore the cover off a ball before long and then it became this black, electrical taped sphere! No umpires, so usually we either fought until someone backed down, or called a “do over.” Once it was dark, it was usually home to the front porch to catch the Cleveland Indians game on my transistor radio. I was a big Indians fan. It was an incredible thrill one year when dad got us box seats behind home plate when “Sudden Sam” McDowell was pitching. I’d never seen a ball thrown that fast and you could feel as well as hear the “smack” of the ball in the catcher’s mitt.

As I got older my friend Jimmy C. and I used to sit on his front steps in the evenings and try to solve the mysteries of life which usually had to do with figuring out girls. Not sure we ever did! Often we would walk up Mahoning Ave to the Dairy Queen, get ice cream cones and hang out for a while with friends. Sometimes we would go up to Borts Field, watching baseball games (and what else) hanging out with girls from the neighborhood trying (and usually failing) to impress them!

Idora Park sign (accessed from http://amusementparkauthority.com/park_index/defunct_parks/idora/idora.html)

Summer highlights were the Fourth of July Fireworks at Idora Park, our in-city amusement park, which closed in 1984 after a disastrous fire destroyed the Wildcat, one of the best coasters in the country, and other park buildings. We usually didn’t go to Idora Park for the display but to “Rocky Ridge”, now know as the James L. Wick, Jr. Recreation Area. From the top ridge of the park, we could see over the trees and get a great view of the display without the traffic. Of course, a summer wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Idora Park. The coasters, the fun house, the french fries under the “rockets” ride, were all great fun. The best day to go was WHOT Day. WHOT was a local radio station that sponsored special discount passes to the park every year. Local bands and national celebrities played there and you could ride the rides all day on the pass.

I could go on and on. I already mentioned the local DQ. There were also trips to Isaly’s for skyscraper cones and when I was older, we would go over to the south side of town for really good home made ice cream at Handel’s. For all I know, I could have run into my wife, unbeknownst to me, because Handels was just down the street from where she grew up. And there were the family picnics at my grandparents. Grandma Trube made the best potato salad and we would get to stay up late in the evening chasing fireflies while the citronella candles kept the mosquitoes away from the grownups.

One thing about summers in working class Youngstown–we never talked about being bored even though the stuff I write about seems pretty ordinary by today’s standards. We made our own fun (and sometimes mischief). Our parents often had to work hard, and so didn’t have lots of time to keep us entertained.  Somehow, that all seemed to work out pretty well. We knew if we got in too much trouble, our folks would hear about it from the neighbors.

Looking back on summer memories has been fun. What were some of your best summer memories, whether you grew up in Youngstown or not?