When I was a kid growing up in the 1960’s and 1970’s, the most exciting place my brothers and I could think to go was Riverside Park in Agawam, Massachusetts. If we were lucky, we could take a friend to celebrate our birthday or perhaps a friend would invite us along. My brothers even got to go with the Cub Scouts once or twice. For us, it was the most magical of places. We had never seen Disneyland, so there wasn’t much to compare it to. The only other park I had visited in the area was Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut and that was a lot smaller than Riverside.

What I remember most from Riverside are some of my favorite rides, like the umbrella chairs, the Whip, Laff in the Dark and the Round Up. One of the landmark rides at that time was the old wooden rollercoaster, the Thunderbolt. I rode it a few times that I remember, but my younger brother and I couldn’t get enough of the newer coaster, the WildCat. This steel coaster was added to the park in 1974. I remember getting off of it and running back around to the line to get on it again. In 1977, when they added a loop coaster (a single loop) called the Black Widow, it was considered a very big deal, so my mother and I were right there to try it out. Of course, now that I’m older, things have changed, and there’s no way I’d get on a rollercoaster now!

We also went to see the Demolition Derby at the Riverside Park Speedway. The race track was built adjacent to the park in 1948. My youngest brother really enjoyed it, so we’d make time to go. I never really got the point, but we always had a great time comparing those drivers to my mom.

Riverside Park first opened in 1840 as a trolley park and family picnic area called Gallops Grove. Set in an area along the Connecticut River, the park was originally owned by the Springfield Street Railway. Like many power companies and trolley owners of the time, they led their railway line to parks to encourage people to ride their trolleys. A carousel and a few mechanical rides were added by the early 1900’s to entice more people to visit. The name was changed to Riverside Grove and eventually, to Riverside Park.

The first rollercoaster was added in 1910 and was called the Giant Dip. It was removed from the park sometime after 1913. Riverside was unable to attract large crowds during the Great Depression and as a result, it was closed. It opened once again after Edward J. Carroll purchased it in 1940. In 1941 the Thunderbolt, a thrilling wooden rollercoaster, was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the park and to attract visitors to the newly reopened park. This rollercoaster still exists and is in use at the park today. The Riverside Park Speedway was built in 1948, replacing a bandstand, and in 1976 NASCAR began to hold races there. In the late 1950’s a theater and bowling alley were removed from the park to make Riverside a purely seasonal amusement park. More rides and attractions continued to be added and replaced over the years.

In 1997 Premier Parks, Inc. bought Riverside Park and after the 1999 season ended, it was renamed Six Flags New England. The speedway was removed after the 1999 season to allow for park expansion. Today the park covers more than 235 acres, has 46 rides plus a water park. There are a total of 9 different rollercoasters, with a little something for everyone. I’d like to take my kids there, but I’ll have to brace myself to see very little resemblance to the amusement park I grew up with. Maybe I’ll let them get me back on the Thunderbolt…or maybe not.

I have had “write blog about The Cedar Crest” on my to-do list for about a year now. Little did I know then, that when I finally got around to it, I would be writing its obituary. I was shocked the other day when I heard on the news that it would be closing at the end of August. I do not remember the first time I went to “The Crest” but I would guess it was when we rented space for our first t-shirt shop on Osgood St. in Methuen, MA back in 1979 or so. It was right up Route 28 from there, the food was great and so were the prices. I have been going ever since, still making the trip down to Lawrence every so often, but more like two or three times a month lately. I joke with my kids that they have been eating at The Crest since before they were born as me and my wife would stop there on the way to Lamaze classes at the Lawrence General Hospital.

“Larry’s”, as the old-timers still call it, is just one of those great old-time restaurants that serve basic comfort food—everything from club sandwiches to veal parmesan (I still think it is pork, but it is great just the same), open face roast beef sandwiches, franks and beans, fried haddock, pot roast—you name it. There is also a grill, so you can get breakfast anytime or burgers and grilled cheese. The restaurant is divided into two sections. There’s the diner or cart side that has the grill and a counter. There’s also table service for seating and the fancier restaurant side. I have been to the place hundreds of times and I think I may have gone to the restaurant side once.

But what always made The Crest even more interesting, especially years ago, were the people who worked there and the regular customers. There was Blanch who worked the cash register. When paying your bill she would always say “thank-you have a nice day” in, let’s just say, a less then sincere monotone manner. There was old Phil, the short order cook. He would shuffle back and forth between the grill and the refrigerator cooking up a storm and talking with the people sitting at the counter. Every once in a while Larry himself would come over from the restaurant side to check on things and stir the grape-nut custard. Way back when there was Maurice, the pastry chef. He would bring out all the days fresh baked goods in the morning looking dashing with his scarf, which I found out later was just a cloth napkin from the restaurant side. And he made the best custard pie! Larry also had a son, who would have taken over the business but sadly died prematurely. He would hang out at the end of the counter smoking a butt and talking to Eddie the waiter. Ah, Eddie the waiter. He has the world’s best comb over and is still there to this day. I saw him the other night swearing about a group of customers under his breath while getting them coffee. “One thing at a f@#king time for Christ’s sake”. Some things never change. At one point there was a girl named Linda who worked behind the counter. She and Eddie hated each other and their verbal battles were legendary. If my friends and I went in for lunch, we always sat at her counter to get a good seat for the dinner theater that was sure to unfold, especially if we egged it on just a touch.

I think the most memorable customer was Senator Wall. He was an old-time Massachusetts politician who ate at The Crest every night. Even though he was retired, I understand he would make the nightly rounds to the wakes paying his condolences to his constituent’s families. When the Senator would walk in the restaurant he would shake hands up and down the place irritating Eddie because he was in the way.

I am hoping that someone will come along and buy the place and keep it going. There are a lot of nice people who still work there and I feel bad for them. It is also just sad that places like The Cedar Crest are going by the wayside.

Blog-in and share your Cedar Crest memories.

Does anybody remember the Frost Arena in Lawrence, MA? I used to play a lot of hockey in that place back in the early seventies. I played on the Salem Sabers and we played in a league against the Salem Stars, the Cornels and a bunch of other teams from Lawrence, Methuen and Haverhill. Boy, that league was wild. Old time hockey, for sure. I swear Ogie Oglethorpe got his start on the Stars.

As far as a rink goes, “The Frost” left a lot to be desired. The ice was not in great shape and the boards were worse. The lighting was terrible and there was no Plexiglas around the boards but in its place was chain link fencing. Not a lot of deflections off of that stuff. The locker rooms were even worse. I remember several occasions when there was an inch of water on the locker room floors and needless to say, they never smelt very good. But back then there were not a lot of places to play hockey. I have included a few photos of some old teammates so you could get a feel for the place, especially the fencing behind the goals.

For a short time I sharpened skates in the pro shop on Friday nights when public skating was going on. I had no idea how to sharpen skates. I would clamp the skate to the machine, make a couple of passes and sparks would fly. The guy who trained me said to hold up the blade to the light when I was done to make it look like I knew what I was doing. Then I would turn the skate upside down and scrape my thumbnail down the side of the blade and a little of my nail would shave off. Not sure how sharp the skates were but it looked good. And besides, the ice was usually so soft you didn’t need very sharp skates.

I understand that in its heyday, The Frost hosted all kinds of events from wrestling and boxing and a few concerts. The original Frost Arena is long gone but the memories of some of those wild hockey games will live forever.

Blog-in and let’s hear your Frost Arena memories.

In the early 1900’s, The Hudson, Pelham & Salem Railways (HP&S) opened Canobie Lake Park as a pleasure resort to increase the excitement of the expanding trolley lines into Salem and the surrounding Greater Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill and Nashua communities.

The expanding automobile ownership of the 1920’s drastically reduced trolley use along with revenues. The Town of Salem no longer supported the prospect of continued line operation and the last trolley rolled out of town in 1929, at which time, Canobie Lake Park went out of business.

A few years later a private party purchased the park, erected the Yankee Cannonball rollercoaster and Canobie became known as an entertainment destination hosting names such as Guy Lombardo (my mother frequented the Ballroom during his visits), Duke Ellington, Harry James, Jimmy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra and later, Sonny & Cher and Aerosmith. (Yup, saw Steven and the boys there, early 70’s??) A few owners and many improvements later, Canobie Lake Park continues to delight young and old alike.

When I look back at these pictures, I only wish I had more. These pictures were taken by a friend when I was around 21 or 22 but I had been going to Canobie Lake Park since I was around 4. For the first 12 years of my life I was fortunate enough to have a gorgeous view of the lake, not the amusement park, from my back yard. My earliest memories include walking to the shore of the lake with my Dad to watch the speedboat races on Sunday afternoons and attending my first Fourth of July fireworks display at the amusement park. I clearly remember scurrying up my Mother’s shoulder to hide in her neck after the first loud explosion, with my “blankie” tightly clutched in my small hands. I’m sure we left before the conclusion of the show.

Additional lake memories include attempting to fish, (I never caught a thing), walking out onto the frozen, snow covered lake with friends only to rush back to the shore when you heard the cracking sound of the expanding ice, and of course ice skating. The lake is where I learned how to ice skate. First on those double runners that strapped to your boots and later on a pair of real figure skates I received for Christmas one year, after my infatuation with Peggy Fleming took hold. Unfortunately, you were not allowed to swim in the lake as it is the water supply for the Town of Salem. I’m sure many people have swum in the lake over the years but my mother threatened me with jail time if I did.

After the fireworks fiasco, my parents figured I would appreciate the lighter activities offered, such as the amusement rides. The Carousel (still running since 1902), Crazy Cups, Dodgems and the Caterpillar with the cover that came over your head half way through the ride, were a few of my favorites growing up. As the years went by, the larger, faster rides became more tempting, but nothing came close to the one thing I went to Canobie for day after day during summer vacation from school. Rollerskating.

At the back of the park along the shore was the skating rink. It was a round rink with wooden floors. The back side of the building facing the lake had benches lined up against large screen windows. You could sit on the benches to lace up your skates (as opposed to Roller Blades), or just hang out there sipping on a soda, gazing out over the lake or laughing with your friends. I remember one whole summer where my entire neighborhood was hooked on skating at Canobie. Each parent would take turns driving or picking us up and it seemed like we would have 10 kids in the car at one time. (No seatbelts were used back then). It was the best time ever. It was soooo hot some days. We would skate from the time the park opened until around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Canobie had an in-ground swimming pool back then so we would bring our bathing suits and wash the sweat away with a refreshing swim. By the time we were done swimming, our parents would pick us up on their way home from work. The whole ride home we were making plans for tomorrow when we would repeat the activities of the day all over again.
Sadly, both have since closed. The skating rink is used for storage (such a waste!), and the pool has been removed to make room for a newer and larger main entrance.

Time spent at the Lake and Amusement Park continued throughout my life until around the late 90’s. The company I worked for during the 80’s and 90’s held their summer company outing there each year. I started attending these outings with my friends and work buddies (see pictures). Once my nephew was around 3 years old I started taking him to Canobie during these outings. We would hang out in the Kiddie Area all day. He loved it and I loved taking him. At 24, he still has fond memories of our time there together.

Once I had children of my own, Canobie became a summertime ritual for my family. I took my children on the same rides my parents had once taken me. The park is much larger now and many rides have been retired and replaced by larger ones that promise more fun and thrills. Then one day, and it seemed to happen overnight, I did not attend Canobie with my children anymore. They asked me to drop them off at the entrance gate with their friends. I remember driving away from the entrance one day with a lump in my throat, not because I was dropping my babies off alone some place where they might get hurt or come across someone creepy, but because they would never experience the musty smell of the wood floor and the refreshing dip in the pool after a long, hot day of real, old-fashioned fun.

The Central Theater in Lawrence, MA was the last single-screen theater operating in the city when it closed in 1986. At one time, Lawrence had as many as 8 single-screen theaters in operation around the city, with most of them located on Broadway. I took these photos after the Central Theater closed, and as you can see it’s in pretty bad shape. In its heyday this must have been a beautiful theater. Anyone ever remember going to the Central? Blog-in and let us know.

Central Theater
11 Oak Street
Lawrence, MA 01841

Do you remember the first time you went to the drive-in theater? Back in the 70’s in our area of New England we probably had 6 or 8 of them that were close enough to get to on a Friday night. Today I think there are only 4 or 5 in all of New England.

The first time I went was in 1969. It was called The Merrimack Park Drive-In in Methuen, MA. My best friend’s mom took me and my mother to see a double bill, “True Grit” with John Wayne and “The Odd Couple” with Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau. We loaded into the Country Squire wagon and had a great old time.

When I got older my friends and I would go to the drive-in almost every weekend. It was always a good time. To save money a few of us would pile in the trunk of Dan’s car and sneak in. I swear that some nights Dan would drive in seemingly all alone. But they took the fun out of that when they starting to charge by the carload.

My sons have never been to the drive-in and I suppose, if I don’t bring them soon, they may never get a chance as drive-ins are disappearing fast. Admittedly, it’s not the best way to see a movie—bad sound, mosquitos, too hot, too cold—but it is something that should be experienced before they are all gone. Plus if you go, you get to hear those famous words interrupting the movie.

“ The concession stand is closing in five minutes. “

Blog in and let us hear some of your drive-in stories.

As a child growing up in Connecticut, nothing compared to trips with my mother to the department store, G. Fox & Company at 960 Main St. in Hartford. This grand institution was a family-owned, first-class department store, established in 1847. It was a cornerstone of the Connecticut economy when we shopped there in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I was unaware at the time that this store, which had once been the largest in New England, was soon to begin its decline. The original Fox family had sold the store to the May Department Stores Co. in 1965.

But in its heyday, before the invasion of malls, G. Fox was THE store to shop in. Within its 11 floors (plus a basement, sub-basement and mezzanine), you could find whatever you needed. And the service was exceptional. There were clothing departments for men, women and children, books, music, makeup, jewelry, art supplies, housewares, a fur salon and a stamp department for collector stamps.

A highlight of any shopping trip with my mother was stopping for lunch at the 1950’s lunch counter, which I believe was on the 6th floor. The restaurant was done in a classic diner style and had been preserved through renovations mostly in tact. There were booths to sit at, but I liked to sit on the chrome and leather stools that were fastened to the floor. I remember getting the best egg salad sandwiches there. It’s funny. I don’t remember the dessert, but I do remember the egg salad sandwiches.

My mother and I would make all of our usual stops at all of our favorite departments. The store was so beautiful to shop in, with its Art Deco design. The main floor was especially beautiful, with its high ceilings and marble floor. There were 8 passenger elevators. I remember taking one from the main lobby that was driven by a male uniformed elevator operator. There were also female attendants in the immaculate, black and white tiled ladies’ room.

You were so pampered at G. Fox that you didn’t even have to carry your purchases. You could have them delivered to your home the next day on the G. Fox truck, free of charge. I also remember my mother calling the store and having things delivered on approval. If it didn’t fit, or she just didn’t like the item, the truck would come out and pick it up, again, free of charge. We lived in a suburb of Hartford approximately 11 miles from the store.

The most spectacular time to visit G. Fox was during the Christmas season. The main floor was filled with poinsettias and there were old fashioned (yes—religious!) Christmas carols playing. The excitement and joy of the season made the air electric, as display cases brimmed with stylish and quality merchandise. But the real excitement began when Santa took up residence on the 11th floor. Every year, while we were young enough to appreciate it, my 3 brothers and me were taken up to the 11th floor where the Toy Department was. We would admire all of the unique toys and compile our Christmas wish lists. (As I recall, we would be allowed one expensive item from G. Fox to complement the stack of more standard games and toys selected from some place like Sears or later, ToysRUs.) I generally picked out a beautiful doll, but one year it was a stuffed white angora cat. I don’t ever remember being disappointed by not receiving this special item on Christmas morning.

Once we perused the toys, we got on the line to enter Toyland with its winter scenery, to wind our way up to where Santa was seated. Once there, we met Santa and asked him for something special and got our picture taken with him. Things usually went quite well, except for the year my youngest brother, about 4 years old, decided to tell Santa he had bad breath. My poor mother!

The day after Christmas, we returned to G. Fox. It had become a tradition to take advantage of the half price sale on Christmas wrapping paper and cards. The whole family spent a couple of hours among the crowds, selecting cards, paper and bows at 50% off for the following year. All of the shopping loot would be packed into a large box to be delivered to our home. When the box arrived, my mother and father packed it away for next Christmas.

So many of my memories of the time are tied in to that wonderful store. Going with my father to help him pick out diamond studs to surprise my mother on their 25th wedding anniversary. Buying my first real lipstick (not the cheaper version from the drugstore or 5 and dime). My older brother being old enough to drive me to purchase leather gloves for my mother, with money I had saved up. But the family sold the store in 1965, and there were so many changes made that the store lost touch with the core values it was founded on. The store closed for good in 1993.

The building at 960 Main St. in Hartford now houses both retail and professional tenants. I understand the Main St. lobby has been restored to its former Art Deco glory. But the store is gone, and I miss it and all the times we enjoyed there. I especially miss the days when a salesperson actually thanked you for spending money in their establishment.

July 29, 1980 was a dark day for Salem, NH. Early that morning a devastating fire tore through the Rockingham Park grandstands. It would be 4 years before “The Track” would open again, and some would say it was never the same. From age 10 on, I lived very close to Rockingham Park and have lots of memories of it from before and after the fire.When we were kids we used to sell sandwiches and lemonade outside the main gate during the busy summer thoroughbred meet. In the winter (the trotters season) we would climb through the mountains of snow that were created from plowing the enormous parking lots. Years later and after the fire, we would occasionally sneak out of work to place a few bets on a friend’s horse, Maguru, (later nicknamed Maglueru ). I also had a friend who was married at the park. I didn’t know it at the time, but when we were selling lemonade, my future father-in-law was out front with his taxi. When guys had a good day betting, they would ride home in style in his Crown Victoria, rather then take the bus.

My mother worked in the clubhouse and it’s also where a lot of my friends had their first jobs. At least in my world, there were endless connections to Rockingham Park, so when I heard there was a fire at the track I grabbed my camera and ran over and captured these pictures. But this blog is really about all my memories from before and after the fire, not the fire itself. Looking through my pictures just got me thinking about all my connections and memories from Rockingham Park.

Here are a couple of interesting items that I hope will remind you of some of your Rockingham Park memories that you can blog about.

The track kitchen was a dining hall down in the stables where trainers, jockeys, owners and gamblers looking for an edge would go for breakfast and lunch. It really was an interesting place with great food and lots of character and characters. The gamblers were called clockers, always looking for some inside info or hoping to overhear something that would help them out at the betting windows.

Fight night was a unique Rockingham Park event. One night a week, during the summer meet, a boxing ring was set up over by the stables for a night of boxing. I don’t remember how they matched up people—maybe some stable grudges were settled there—but it was entertaining with an almost carnival-like atmosphere.

These days the trotters are still around but the live thoroughbred racing is gone, except for simulcasts from other tracks. I would guess that unless they get some sort of slot machines or other gambling, Rockingham Park might not be long for this world, given the size of the property. If I were a betting man (and I am), I would say that unless things change we will probably see something like an Ikea in its place someday. I like Ikea, but that would be a shame.

February 2008 marks the 30th anniversary of the Blizzard Of ‘78. Arguably New England’s “Storm of the Century,” the Blizzard of ‘78 dumped 30 plus inches of snow on the area, paralyzing Boston and surrounding suburbs for a week. The snow fell for a full 33 hours and at times as much as 4 inches an hour. Even worse were the hurricane force winds and high tides that devastated the New England coastline.

Over 3,000 cars were found abandoned on the highways during the clean up which took about a week to complete. My memory of the storm was almost becoming one of those who had to abandon their cars on route 93.

A friend of mine had a job somewhere down around Route 128 in Woburn, MA. On February 6th with the storm cranking along he decides to work some overtime. By the time he leaves he is going nowhere in his Firebird so he gives me a call for a ride. Well my Father was not about to let me ride off into the storm so he volunteers to drive me down and pick him up. Talk about a long, white knuckled ride. We made it but just barely. Route 93 was nothing but a couple of ruts by the time we got back to Salem, NH sometime around midnight.

Have any memories of the “Blizzard of ‘78” ? Let us know.

Doc’s Pizza Oak St. Lawrence MA

Does anybody remember Doc’s Pizza on Oak Street in Lawrence MA ? It was in the old Italian Neighborhood between Lawrence and Jackson Streets. Man that place was good ! When my friends and I were teenagers and got our drivers licenses we would head down to Lawrence from Salem, NH every chance we had. Of course they had pizza and it was great, but they also made Italian spinach pie, meat pies and lamb pies. The spinach pies where made on a large tray and cut into squares. They where fantastic.

The lamb pies where also incredible, little triangles stuffed with lamb, pine nuts, spices and who knows what else. So good ! You had to be careful with the lambs however because sometimes you would take a bite and a big drop of oil would come squirting out. I ruined a couple of shirts at Doc’s but it was worth it.

Not exactly sure when Doc’s went out of business but it was sometime in the mid 70’s. I think the family running it just decided to close instead of moving when the neighborhood started going down hill. My friends and I were totally bummed. One guy I know bought a tray of spinach pie to freeze only to lose them when his freezer broke.

I took these photos on some of our last trips to Lawrence for spinach pies. As a young kid I lived right down the street on Erving Avenue in a tenement my Grandfather owned, but the neighborhood was much nicer way back then. Eventually the whole neighborhood was leveled as part of urban renewal. But I will always remember Doc’s Pizza, Pettoruto’s Market, Frasca Variety, The Union of Italy Grand Club and of course my old tenement on Erving Avenue where I grew up.

Doc’s Pizza, Frasca Variety on Oak Street in Lawrence MA

Doc’s Pizza Storefront Lawrence, MA

My friend Al leaving Docs with a plate full

My old tenement on Erving Avenue in Lawrence MA

Pettoruto’s Market on Oak Street Lawrence MA

Toilers Club on Oak St Lawrence MA

Union of Italy Grand Club on Short Street in Lawrence, MA