Papa’s World-Growing up Eldred Pa. – part Six.

August 17, 2019August 16, 2019 / Tom / 2 Comments

Eldred – a small community situated by the Allegheny River

Among the rolling hills know as the old mountain range

” The Allegheny Mountains “

I wrote a blog a short while ago –

about the title before there was ” STAND BY ME “

There was Eldred –

where everybody knows your name.

Bob – me ( Tom ) – Greg – Mike – John – Sully – Gerry – Gus and Pat

We were friends – we were buddies –

we had each others back

And we once took a little trip down that river .

Canoeing the Allegheny River
I believe our Sophomore year

Our little group grew and grew –

We were part of a national group known as The Exployer’s !

Raising money for our trips –

Staying out of trouble –

Almost all of my buddies belonged

And the younger kids started to follow.

We played sports –

we were not into trouble –

we did not smoke – which back then was a big deal !

A few who did got kicked off the team.

We lived – played and grew up in a small Western Pa. town

close to the South Western New York border

where every one knew your name

In all the years before – and the years since –

The faces have changed –

the names also –

but to this day it remains

The little town – where every one knew your name

Of ELDRED PA .

Thank you for reading

Papa’s World – Growing up Eldred Pa.

The grade school across from the park
with South Main Street
in the background

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From the park to Park Avenue
and Mechanic Street

For Health and Nutrition

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Thank you for reading

PAPA’S WORLD

GROWING UP – ELDRED PA.

Before there was STAND BY ME –

There was ELDRED PA.

Papa’s World – Growing up Eldred Pa. Part Five

August 16, 2019August 16, 2019 / Tom / Leave a comment

There was industry in Eldred Pa.

Manufactured Glass – two that I know of !

Both were located where the elementary school is now

and either by the park or Park Avenue.

Elementary school where the glass factory was

They were long gone when I was growing up –

but I heard about them.

My time was spent many long days at this ball diamond –

and to the right – beyond the little building for the bathrooms –

was Barden Brook Creek !

I would play in the water there – catching craw fish –

and just on the other side –

were a myriad of dirt paths –

heading off into the woods –

I was scared to venture far –

and I remember them branching off in different directions.

Many of my grade school classmates lived in this area –

I was from the other side of town

North Main Street –

Slavin’s furniture was the big white building on the left –

To the right – the red building – the Fire Hall

And just up from that – The Masonic Hall –

Doctor’s office and the dentist office.

On the left side is now the Eldred Museum

with a tank coming out of the wall –

That was Frisbee’s Insurance when I was growing up

He always sent me a birthday card as we had the same birthdays !

You can just barley see my house on the left

5 or 6 houses up the street

This is where I played – roller skated

rode my bike –

I had to walk all the way down this street from North Main Street

to go to school – as far as you can see on the left –

I would guess it to be over a mile.

Eldred school – grades one through twelve.

I went four grades here before the new grade school was completed

and at that time the three towns

Eldred – Rixford and Duke Center along with Eldred Township

formed one school district –

Otto -Eldred High School – grades 7 through 12 .

Thank you for reading Papa’s World – Growing up Eldred Pa.

Part Six is the next blog

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Growing up ELDRED PA. part five

Papa’s World – Growing up – Eldred Pa. part four

August 15, 2019August 10, 2019 / Tom / 1 Comment

I remember each and everyone of these men –

This was the volunteers for the fire department –

In every facet of my life growing up –

I most likely came in contact with them all at one time or other.

GROWING UP ELDRED PA. part four of Papa’s World.

Fire department
just down the street from my house

This was a busy building – where the men came together –

all volunteers and the ladies auxiliary also met.

And just across the street next to the Post Office was “SLAVINS ” !

Local hangout bar and meeting place for most of these people !

Run by Russ and Tootie Slavin – a local family –

who in each Slavin branch – all very good athletes

and known through NWPA !

I can remember every year – the firemen would come along the curb

in front of our house on North Main Street –

and with chalk would write and mark where each unit was to line up

and this would go all the way back to the Kendall bridge !

The MEMORIAL DAY PARADE marked the end of the school year

and the beginning of Summer !

I was always told that this bridge was one of only two –

The other I think was in Japan.

It was a two lane bridge – with a road coming off in the middle –

Spanning a railroad track – another road –

and a river running under it !

I do not know if that was true or not –

with a gas station ( Kendall) across from the entrance.

but it is still there today !

The parade back then and today – is always led by the veterans of the town

It seems like that number down through the years never dwindles.

For such a small town – ( 800 to 1000) people

It has provided the military of scores of men

in all the conflicts fighting for their country.

Terry – Ron – Freddie -Paul and Skeet
my brothers close friends

Two are now gone – three remain – four played baseball with my brother

Freddie was in the little league World Series.

Four played for my father

Ron and my father
Clarence Russel Fitzsimmons
known as Bob or Fitz

I was too young – I never went –

But there were families of friends who went every year

To far North in Canada fishing !

We had a old red barn down back –

three stories tall and a stable underneath –

I can still see in my mind

The red front and the big sliding gray door –

and to the left

DOZENS of fish heads nailed up on the wall

Muskie – Pike

Fish that they caught and brought home.

Roger went but I was born ten years younger

I never went but looked at hundreds of pictures !

Thank you for reading Papa’s World part four.

Growing up Eldred Pa.

Part five is next !

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where friends and family meet.

Papa’s World – growing up Eldred Pa. – part three !

August 14, 2019August 9, 2019 / Tom / 2 Comments

I grew up with my niece – Terri Luce and my brother Mike –

This was my early World – they were almost the same age .

Donna – my sister – became pregnant –

just after my younger brother Mike was born.

Donna was 15 years older than me & 20 years older than Mike.

We played together all the time – she was a little blond –

and Mike had curly Red hair .

I miss them both as they are now gone.

It was at this time – my mother would not let me go shirtless !

I was so skinny she thought people would think she was starving me !

It seemed as I was growing up – we always had a flood !

One such flood – I was maybe ten years old –

I was told not to go down the street to the water !

Well – I did what I was told not to do !

I went behind Slavin’s furniture – and dug up some wooden pallets –

Somewhere I found some inner tube –

and I made a raft !

I launched it by the body shop – I had a long stick –

The water on main street was maybe 2 to 3 feet deep –

I did not know how to swim –

Unknown to me – a reporter from the paper was there

The Bradford Era !

He took a picture of me – standing on my little raft

With that stick in my hand –

pushing my raft down the street in front of Slavin’s bar.

To my surprise – that picture was printed the next day –

To the Bradford Era – the very same paper my dad always read –

delivered each morning – before he left for work!

Nothing was said until after supper that night .

I first was asked if I had gone downtown to the water ?

I said nothing – I could tell they knew !

Then – there it was – a picture of me on my raft with stick in hand !

Front page !

I got into trouble –

but deep inside

I had pride –

I had made the front page !

Just like my father had – after winning a bet on a heavyweight boxing match

He bet Herkie that Patterson would win –

And the loser had to wheel a wheel barrow down main street

with the winner riding inside.

My mom kept that picture and my sister also had it

along with dad being rolled down main street – FRONT PAGE !

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Part Four of Growing up Eldred Pa. next blog

Thank you for reading PAPA’S WORLD

Papa’s World – Growing up Eldred Pa. Part two !

August 13, 2019August 8, 2019 / Tom / Leave a comment

Those huge telephone poles –

with lights on top for night baseball games –

I never saw them lit up-

Games were played in late afternoon and early evening –

It was magical – Cars would line the first base line –

all the way down and then form a semi circle beneath the trees

in the outfield !

The men would stand and lean against the the chain mail fence

also running down the roadway –

They were the regulars –

This was growing up ELDRED PA.

The park – where my life circled around –

To the creek – wading in the water –

The swings and teeter totter –

The thing that went around and around – whatever you called it !

The Volleyball court –

and of course the ball diamond –

where they would continue to DRAG it year after year !

A old bed of box springs –

attached by a chain to someones truck –

around and around they would go –

circling the dirt infield –

where I swear ROCKS and PEBBLES grew !

I watched a lot of ball games there –

When I was around 5 to 7 –

My father was the Manager of what was called THE TOWN TEAM !

And – they were good – traveling to other area towns and playing –

Our main pitcher was Freddie – he actually played and pitched –

in the Little League World Series for the team that advanced !

Everyone has a Hero growing up –

Mine was my brother Roger –

seen here in the background with his friend Paul !

This would of been ’55 to ’57 –

He was ten years older than me –

I tagged him everywhere he went –

Then – he was gone – to college

He or they had a club in our basement –

I would sneak down and sit silently

watching – listening – until they found me

Later in life – he never came back – he moved on and away –

but I would always ask Mom – ” Have you heard from Roger “?

She would tell me of their conversation

or show me a letter –

The last ten or so years of his life –

we once again became close –

I cherish both those early times and the end of times.

He was my hero
The Villages
Sumter Square

There was the time I got a Davy Crockett coon skin hat –

complete with the tail and wore to school !

The Old Eldred school
where my brother graduated from
and I went till the fourth grade

There was a bridge on South Main street –

a cement bridge with opening so you could see below

That day I placed my hat on top of the cement railing

and slid my head through the opening so I could see the water below

Now going through was a little tight but doable

Then my EARS popped out –

and I was stuck !

My arms weren’t long enough to reach through and hold my ears back!

They had to call the fire department !

Well –

that made him embarrassed

Everyone thought it funny

and later – we would laugh and laugh about it !

GROWING UP – ELDRED PA.

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Part Three – next blog – GROWING UP – ELDRED PA.

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PAPA’S WORLD

where friends and family meet

Papa’s World – growing up – ELDRED PA.

August 12, 2019August 7, 2019 / Tom / Leave a comment

Sitting on the front porch of North Main Street –

It was a wide and deep porch –

The kind to sit through a rain storm –

and not get wet !

I guess that is why now when I look at houses –

The very first TWO THINGS I look at are –

Front porches and screened in back three seasons rooms with views !

My childhood had the first but not the last !

Memories – some you just can not duplicate

My grand ma – siting out there on her lap –

I somehow do remember that –

which would make me 3 or 4 years old.

Roller skates – the kind that had a key –

I would strap them on and down the street I would go.

The street on both sides was lined with huge old trees –

The kind that six kids holding hands could not encircle the trunks !

The roots had made the side walks uneven –

and to navigate them did not seem to slow me down !

I would turn around at Slavins – furniture store –

Back then it was also a service station –

And I remember Jack – he worked there.

There was a Coke machine that sat outside between the bays

Sometimes he would buy me a coke that came in a glass bottle !

I lived all the way to the top of this old picture on the left –

some of those buildings still existed when i was growingup

And a few are still there today.

You can see the beginning of those trees even back then.

Then – I got my bicycle –

A red WESTERN FLYER !

That bike – I had those streamers coming out of the rubber handle grips

And a clothes pin with a card on the spokes –

both front and back.

I rode it everywhere – to the park –

across the tracks –

Up Barden Brook –

And just making it home when the street lights came on !

The park – my second home away –

base ball diamond – tennis and basketball courts –

But – the outfield of grass –

beneath the huge telephone poles with lights on them !

Where we choose up teams

and played football for hours !

Back home playing golf in the mountains – hills

Papa’s World – Growing up ELDRED PA.

Part two to follow

after all –

to much to see and tell !

If you would like to read more – just type in

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ssherrylynn49@aol.com

Thank you for reading Papa’s World

Part two coming

Papa’s World – Positive thinking – frame of mind!

August 11, 2019August 5, 2019 / Tom / Leave a comment

This has never happened to me – but – getting older – it might !

The FISH – well – all my grand daughter talks about is –

HAVING A BUNNY RABBIT !!!! LOL

Turn the negative into a positive –

Not so sure what the parents will think !

Remaining positive does take some work –

Looking past the negative to see the message –

and make it the best you can.

Words have hidden meanings –

One such word we had a long time ago where I worked –

” TEAM “

” Together – Employees – And – Management “

Positive thoughts –

Working to improve the situation –

Understanding –

Creating the process in your mind –

Leading others to think positive –

creates balance in your life –

Now – there is a limit for me –

I AM POSITIVE I CAN NOT SING –

But – of course with CLOSE friends –

and a beer and fireball –

well – they are FRIENDS ( Positive thinking there )

Remain Positive –

Think Positive –

Smile –

and have good thoughts –

Make it your day –

and pass it on !

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Living Life Doing It My Way

Health Family friends grand children senior living

Papa’s World-Growing up Eldred Pa. – part Six.

Papa’s World – Growing up Eldred Pa. Part Five

Papa’s World – Growing up – Eldred Pa. part four

Papa’s World – growing up Eldred Pa. – part three !

Papa’s World – Growing up Eldred Pa. Part two !

Papa’s World – growing up – ELDRED PA.

Papa’s World – Positive thinking – frame of mind!

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