Luzerne County Memories

Luzerne County Memories

Part 6

Part 6:

* Church Picnics

* A Sunday Afternoon Ride

* Christmas in the 30s

* Caroling

CHURCH PICNICS

I have been thinking of the old church picnics of years ago. This traffic about picnic grounds has precipitated some fond memories.

Some picnic grounds during that time and subsequent years were Rocky Glen, San Souci, Fernbrook, Hanson's Park, Croops Glen and Hazle Park. Our church preferred to go to parks without rides for two reasons: They liked to keep the people together for games and, also, for poor families, the rides were too expensive if the family was large. Benton Park was popular for this reason and in later years, Urana (sp?) in

Weatherly. As I recall, Hazle Park and Angela Park didn't serve our purpose because there was no ball field in either park. I could be mistaken about that.

One year, we were transported to Benton Park in an open truck. The people met at the church, bringing their food and paraphernalia in large clothes or bushel baskets. That way, the load was shared by two people, each holding onto a handle. When the truck arrived, a plank was placed near the cab. It rested on the two sides of the truck. As the people sat on the first plank, their basket was placed beneath. When that plank was filled, another was put in place and the process repeated. It was a noisy and happy group that started out indicating what kind of a day it was going to be.

Arriving at the park, there was a scramble to get a table under the shed. It really didn't matter since, if it began to rain, the tables were shared anyway. There was usually a fire going in the huge "stove" so the people could heat water or food that had to be heated. It was a place for the ladies to gather and talk while they waited for the water to boil.

When the tables were set, there was always that scrounger going from table to table to see what he could get. It was always in fun and a lot of bantering took place. I remember my mother always made a meatloaf for the meal. (I still love cold meatloaf sandwiches.) There was the usual potato salad, baked beans, macaroni salad, assorted home canned pickles and olives. The dessert was usually Welsh cookies, oatmeal cookies, poor man's cake or something similar.

Soon the word was passed that the games were about to begin. The group met at the ball field for races and games. There were races for all ages. There were novelty races, too. The three-legged race, sack race, wheelbarrow race, egg tossing and relay races were always fun. After the races came the big event. The softball game between the married men and single men! It never lasted more than two innings or so because it took too long to play one inning. The winners had the bragging rights until the following year.

After a short devotional service, the folks packed their gear and boarded the truck for the trip home. It was a subdued and quiet crowd that left the park. That is, until they hit town and then someone would break into song and the whole group would start to sing. The whole town knew we were back.

My condolences to those folks who never experienced an old fashioned church picnic.

A SUNDAY AFTERNOON RIDE

There weren't many cars in the 30's, but those who had them shared with their neighbors, friends and relatives. No one went for a ride with an empty backseat. My brother-in-law had a Terraplane that once belonged to his brother who had rolled it over and got rid of it. When we could afford the gas, we went for a ride in the country.

We stopped for gas before we started. Gasoline cost about a dollar for six gallons. If there was a gas war, you could get seven gallons for a dollar. The gas pumps at this station were right on the curb and one drove up to the curb in front of the pump. The attendant, after inserting the pump hose in the tank, would turn a crank to pump the gas. A dial on the front resembled the face of a clock and indicated the amount of gas. The attendant then proceeded to wipe the windshield, front lights, check the oil, check the radiator and, if asked, even checked the tires. Road maps, if desired, were given free of charge.

We then proceeded to take a leisurely ride. (Try taking a leisurely ride today and you'll have a little red car or a big semi on your back bumper.) During the ride, we frequently played a game we called "cows." The people on one side of the car competed against the people on the other side. They counted the cows we passed with each cow counting one point, schools counted five points, churches counted ten points and if you passed a cemetery, you were wiped out. The game always elicited comments like "slow down," or "hurry and go faster."

It depended upon which side you were on.

There was no air conditioning. Some cars had a vent in the middle of the hood which one opened by means of a lever under the dash. Other cars had a little crank by which they could open the windshield. Still others had little vents on either side of the car near the driver's side and passenger side. At any rate, it was hot riding in the summer and required the windows to be open. This meant that we were vulnerable to bugs and bees that flew into the car. When that occurred, a lot of yelling, swinging and swatting resulted until the culprit was killed.

Farmers frequently had tables alongside of the road where they displayed the produce that was in season. Sometimes, there was someone to serve you, but many times it was the honor system. You simply took what you wanted and left the money in a box.

Flat tires were not uncommon. The cars had a spare mounted above the rear bumper or in a tire well in the front fender. Since there was no trunk, the tools were kept under the back seat and the seat had to be removed to gain access. If the spare was flat, it meant taking the tire apart, removing the tube, finding the hole in the tube which required a little spittle to indicate the hole. The process then involved scraping the area around the leak, putting a little tire cement on the hole and putting a patch over it. One used the tire pump to put air back into the tube to check for the leak, and then proceeded to put the tire back together. (BTW, old tire pumps made great water cannons. Putting water in the pump and pushing down on the handle could cause the water to "go a mile.") Once the tire was together, one could proceed on the journey.

Another catastrophic event could occur if the car overheated. There was no permanent antifreeze, and methyl alcohol was used in the radiator. Long, hard pulls up a mountain could cause overheating which meant one had to stop until the temperature went down. If stopped by a stand or store while the engine cooled, we could enjoy a coke while we waited. Soda came in bottles in those days and one could look at the bottom of the bottle to determine its origins. Sometimes, there were prizes for someone finding a lucky bottlecap. (I should be so lucky!)

There were Burma Shave signs in those days. Burma Shave signs were a series of signs along the highway that one could read. (Try reading anything at today's speeds.) They had little poems or doggerels such as:

I hate the guys

who minimize

and criticize

the other guys

whose enterprise

has made them rise

above the guys

who criticize.

Boy, it's good to get home. Another wasted Sunday afternoon.

CHRISTMAS IN THE 30s

To write about the various ethnic groups and traditions of Christmas would take volumes. I don't intend to research any traditions, but merely speak of what I experienced. Therefore, this will be how our church celebrated the holiday.

Plans for the holiday began months before when the choirs began practicing for the Christmas cantata. (Our church had a senior choir, youth choir and a children's choir. During the Christmas season, the senior and youth choirs were often invited to sing over the radio from a station in Wilkes-Barre. It was always an honor to perform on the air.) The cantata was given on a Sunday evening or Christmas night.

The Sunday school classes had an evening when they performed their pageant. The children came dressed in their Christmas best and recited their "pieces" or memory verses before a packed crowd. Very often a short skit was performed by one of the classes. The older youth group would, on occasion, put on a play. Various musical renditions were given by individuals or a group. Afterward, gifts were exchanged between the class and the teacher. It was always a very enjoyable evening.

Christmas Eve services were held at various times by different churches. Some had an early service at 7:00 p.m., while others had an 11:00 p.m. or midnight service. At any rate, with few cars on the road, the pedestrian traffic was high.

The Sunday before Christmas, the attendance at Sunday School was large. The kids who were reluctant to attend during the year were eager to attend on this particular Sunday because candy was distributed to the members. The box was not large and contained only about 8 or 10 pieces of chocolate, but it was the only candy some kids received for the holiday.

CAROLING

Caroling was very important. Usually, the senior choir took charge and asked for volunteers. It took more than a few evenings because everyone walked since there weren't enough cars for everyone to ride. Anyway, it was a lot more fun walking because it kept everyone together as a group. Rain was the only thing that would cancel the caroling. Snow only added to the ambiance. We had to be careful not to skip a house because, if we did, we would certainly hear about it on the following Sunday. There were actually some old-timers who felt it meant good fortune for the coming year to have a group of singers come to the house. Some folks would come out on their porch and sing along with the group. I remember how the tenors hit that high note on the chorus of 'THE FIRST NOEL'. I think you could hear them across town.

Some of those old coal miners could really sing!

Afterward, the carolers all returned to the church for refreshments.

As I write this, I am reminded of the words by Longfellow:

"And the night shall be filled with music

and the cares that infest the day

Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,

and silently steal away."

On to page 7 of Luzerne County Memories.