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Remember
The Drive-In
Summer always brings back memories for me of bbq’s,
the ocean, Coney Island, Palisades Park, neighborhood and family get
togethers. However, most of all, I think of all the fun the drive-in
movies used to bring from childhood to adulthood.
During the bbq’s my dad always did the grilling and he did to
perfection, nice and rare or medium rare steaks, burgers, those
yummy hot dogs, that still couldn’t compare to the one’s we had at
the baseball games we went to. The corn on the cob and the big
garbage can of clams to steam or crabs to cook that we spent the day
clamming or crabbing for. Stopping at the vegetable stand for the
tomatoes, lettuce, radishes and scallions but only because ours
hadn’t come up yet in the garden. Once that happened we would have
our own from “our garden”. My dad and I were in charge of the garden
growing together.
The ocean, going on Friday’s with my dad to work. He would finish
early morning and off to Lido Beach we would go. We would spend all
day there, till it was time for the drive home on the L.I.E. Once
home my mom had a nice fish dinner (it was Friday night and fish was
a requirement, no meat) ready with veggies, and some potatoes, and
pudding for dessert, of course. After all, it was Friday, the start
of the weekend.
Weekends meant the Drive-in. When I was a kid, the whole family
would get in the car and make a night of it at the drive-in. We
would have a light dinner and then all get ready to go to the
movies. We got to sit in the back of the station wagon, play at the
swing area before the movie, then the great cartoons would come on
and we would all laugh. Before it was time for the movie, there was
always an Intermission so we had time for those bathroom breaks and
to get the “goodies” to watch the show with. Good n’ Plenty, Cracker
Jack’s, Milk Duds, Raisinettes, Milky Way bars, Hershey Bars, Red
Hots, Jawbreakers, Chunky’s, popcorn, hot dogs, pizza, we had so
much to choose from. Some of my favorites were Good n’ Plenty,
Cracker Jack’s and Chunky bars. I can still hear that Good n’ Plenty
and Cracker Jack jingle in my mind. Doesn’t help that I hear them
when we play our Old Radio Shows. Although I must admit I did still
remember the words before then. Ah, the space all those jingles take
up in my brain.
As I got older as most pre-teen and teenagers, you want to go with
your friends to the drive-in. Even better getting your first car and
then going to the drive-in with your friends. Now there are some
great memories. I can remember going with my girlfriends and having
a blast. Meeting our friends there, all of us parking in the same
row and yelling back and forth at one another. Making plans of where
to go after the movie. All of us scrambling to get home by curfews.
Yes, we had curfews back then and we took them very seriously. If
not, there were consequences.
Then, of course, there were those great trips to Coney Island where
my dad would check out the games they had for the season, make them
up at home, practice and win me and my sister lots and lots of
stuffed animals. Our bedrooms were crammed with them. Oh, and the
cotton candy and those delicious hot dogs. You haven’t lived until
you had a hot dog at Coney Island.
Going to Palisades Park was always an adventure and back then they
had the biggest roller coaster around. Since my grandmother had 24
brothers and sisters I had a ton of cousins in New Jersey and our
family get togethers were always fun. Plus all the cousins having a
great time climbing trees, sneaking in the orchard next to my uncle
Jim’s house and snitching some apples. Of course, when my uncle
found out we were all reprimanded. Lots of great memories.
Our neighborhood get togethers usually centered around holidays.
Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day weekend. All of us
would bring a dish and the bbq’s were all manned by the dads in the
neighborhood. As kids we all got together and played baseball games,
kick ball, dodge ball, football. My dad was usually the coach, as he
loved sports and was very good at them. Also helped that all the
kids loved my dad. Many times there were fireworks and we got to
hold the sparklers or get to light one of the smaller fireworks.
The bbqs, trips to beach, Jersey, Palisades, family and neighborhood
get togethers all bring back lots of great memories for me of
Summer. So what does Summer remind you of?
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