Lewistown, PA anyone? (Bellefonte, Burnham, Penn: apartment, houses, live)

[Robert Gift]

Oh, so we WERE supposed to chew the wax bottles?
Guess I should have given it a better try.

From a map I see the shop were I spent my pennies was at Pennebaker and -?- in Lewistown.

How embarrassing about the fire house burning.
(Before I joined, our station's 12x60 mobile home "sleeping quarters" burned when an exercise bike machine caught fire in the middle of the night years ago.
I blame the manufacturer. It was supposed to be left plugged in.)

Sad about your relative.
Was the trolley turning at that square I noticed in the Lewistown map?
Also you wonder how someone would be killed by a train.
Those steam engines were noisy.

I am in Denver, CO. I'll try to find that magazine on the web.

Thank you,

Robert

[Ex-Ithacan]

I remember going to a local small grocery store in Peckville, PA (near Scranton) when we visited my grandparents. They sold those little wax bottle/syrup things there too, along with a ton of other goodies. My cousins and I would get some empty bottles from the neighborhood and turn them in at the store. Then we'd load up on the candy. Fond memories.

[Robert Gift]

Weren't they called Nik-O-Nips?
Cost a nickel?
I don't knowhy I liked them so much.
What a waste of money.
But even as a six year old, I no doubt compared items carefully and spent my nickel as wisely as possible.

My favorite of all toys was a miniature cigarette lighter sometimes found dispensed from a gumball machine red stand.
Upon purchase of a gum ball, these machines would occasionally drop a little white box to a wide slot at floor level.
Many kids never noticed.
The steel lighter had a flint and little hinged cap which closed over the wick.
Put father's lighter fluid in it and it worked perfectly!
I loved walking to elementary school with this lighter in my pocket.

[sherrijean981]

Originally Posted by Christian2003

The curfew horn doesn't sound off at night anymore, they still use it as a fire call for the volunteer firemen. I'm originally from Baltimore but grew up in Lewistown and remember the curfew quite well!

Were you a teenager in the mid 60's? My 2 aunts and uncle were only a year or 2 older than my sister and I so when we went to visit they took us to the Parkway for vanilla coke's and cherry cokes.

[sherrijean981]

Originally Posted by Robert Gift

Weren't they called Nik-O-Nips?
Cost a nickel?
I don't knowhy I liked them so much.
What a waste of money.
But even as a six year old, I no doubt compared items carefully and spent my nickel as wisely as possible.

My favorite of all toys was a miniature cigarette lighter sometimes found dispensed from a gumball machine red stand.
Upon purchase of a gum ball, these machines would occasionally drop a little white box to a wide slot at floor level.
Many kids never noticed.
The steel lighter had a flint and little hinged cap which closed over the wick.
Put father's lighter fluid in it and it worked perfectly!
I loved walking to elementary school with this lighter in my pocket.

I don't remember lighters like that! That is very dangerous for a child to get hold of, even back then, when you didn't even have to have a seat belt.

I forgot to tell you the other night that the train goes down Chestnut St and crosses over a ways and then crosses Depot St to Water St and crosses over Rt 22. Also there are tracks further down toward Charles St. I'm trying to picture the roads in my head and it's funny I can't remember what streets and where they come out and I go in to the Salvation Army Thrift Shop every Friday. I am a true recyler. lol Love to find a good bargain and you can in there. $2.00 a bag day on Friday. That is my hobby, thrift shops, flea markets, antique shops, and yard sales.

Did you know they have a park at the River Bridge? It is called Victory Park and they are going to fix the old railroad tressle that will connect Victory Park and Rec Park for walkers. They have concerts in Victory Park, a stage and a lot of benches and trees now. It is real pretty.

Do you remember the milk shakes at Royal Dairy next to the River Bridge?

[Robert Gift]

Yes, thoses little lighters would never be allowed today, but I had so much fun with mine. Wish I still had it.

My father's company car had seat-belts. From day one I always wore them.
Shameful the auto manufacturers did not install seat-belts earlier and save lives. (They did not want seat-belts reminding potential customers of this negative aspect of driving. So, people died, instead.)



I also am a recycler - even taking nice things out of a townhome community dumpster to a thrift store. It is sad the nice clothing and things people discard rather than donate.

We go to thrift stores in the Denver area.
One year I found some old Christmas bubble lights.
The new ones probably have a safer liquid ether in them. That ether makes many smaller faster-rising bubbles. The old ones probably have a more hazardous ether which makes fewer but bigger bubbles which rise more slowly. I like the older ones better.

What a great idea making a pedestrian walkway connecting the parks!

Never went to the Royal Dairy.
I was 5 years old in 1956 and moved to Denver in 1966 at 15.
But I recall wonderful sausage purchased at a store I believe was just north of Lewistown. Could not stop eating it.

Does the track still go right down the middle of Water Street?
The map shows an angle and the track appears now on the south side along Water Street.
I remember when they built the overpass.
Even as a child, I was surprised that the east track crosses the 322 overpass.
Thought they would not allow a grade-crossing on that high speed limited-access highway.

Thank you,

Robert

[Ex-Ithacan]

Originally Posted by sherrijean981

Were you a teenager in the mid 60's? My 2 aunts and uncle were only a year or 2 older than my sister and I so when we went to visit they took us to the Parkway for vanilla coke's and cherry cokes.

I have great memories of going to the local deli or soda parlor and getting vanilla and cherry cokes (mixed with the real flavoring). Good stuff. Sorry about getting off topic, but I could go for a vanilla coke (a real one) right now.

[Robert Gift]

Say whatever you wish.
Don't worry about topic.

The Lewistown Chamber of Commerce has an 800 number.
A woman there kindly spoke with me.
Maybe someone within earshot of the curfew horn can call me at 10 p.m.
EST (cell phone calls are free after 9 p.m.) and I'll get to hear it.

As small children we thought that "creek", which heads north along the east side of Lewistown, was a river. Were scared when we crossed over it on the RR trestle.

[sherrijean981]

Originally Posted by Ex-Ithacan

I have great memories of going to the local deli or soda parlor and getting vanilla and cherry cokes (mixed with the real flavoring). Good stuff. Sorry about getting off topic, but I could go for a vanilla coke (a real one) right now.

Were you or are you from Lewistown? Yes, the Parkway made the real thing. I have a sister-in-law that works there now.

I was born in 1948 so Paul you are only a couple years younger. You would be between my brother, born in 1950 and my sister bor in 1952. It is funny, I was just getting married for the 1st time in 1966. That lasted until 1971. lol

[sherrijean981]

If I knew how to get pictures on here I would go in town and get you a lot of photos of Lewistown and the surrounding area. You could see the changes then. Also a picture of your Pap's house on Pennebaker, if it is still there. Any idea how to put pictures on the site?