I have a habit of doing this, hooking up with retro groups. Why? If you look around the world right now, the "now" isn't really all that much to brag about. The TV shows suck, the movies aren't worth spending ticket and snack money on, and do NOT get me started on the satanic Gregorian chants that are labeled as music these days!
The way I see it, living in the past the THE way to be! No, we can't get the old days back and, sadly, I think we'd find the times were probably not as idyllic to us as adults as they were when we were kids, or even early adults. It wasn't all shits or roses or Riddler giggles, but we tend to remember a calmer time pertaining to where our lives were...most of us.
One of the groups I joined is all about the 1970s. One might say here, "You FIEND! How dare you defile our glorious decade with mere childhood memories?"
This is true, I was merely 7 when the 1970s ended, although I can remember certain aspects of that decade somewhat well. Plus, endless oldies and classic rock radio listenings have given me good material, not to mention what I remember hearing back then. Also, there is the television of the era.
The question is, how far back can I go without making up a lot of crap? This blog is about FACTS...at least according to me without any AP or Reuters confirmation. So with that in mind, let us travel back to, say...
1975- I must state right off that these memories are strictly images. I was, after all, 2 for most of that year. We lived in Plymouth, a western burb of Detroit. Strangely enough, I remember watching Wheel of Fortune with Chuck Woolery (during its pre-botox-host years). Apart from that I remember watching Canadian kids programming (if https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV2P6P4p6Hg rings a bell, you are a Michigander , a northern USA citizen, or a jolly Canadian). I also caught this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EBar7BK8Mk , possibly making me a Marvel brat first before I transformed to DC. Apart from the media, I played with my friends Jodie James and Steven Lindrup.
1976- We started the year pretty much staying a day or so at the Lally's across the street, as we had sold our house. We then moved to Wernersville, Pennsylvania. Our neighborhood on West Charles Street was pretty new at the time, lots of sky with no trees yet. In terms of memories, I remember little of the first half of the year. Pictures from the time help a lot, though. As for the last half, I distinctly remember going to nursery school in a church basement in Robesonia (a bit west of Wernersville) with my across the street neighbor Bethany Kirkner. In fact our moms alternated driving us to and from school. Even though he was 3 years younger, I played with her little brother Andrew as well as with our next door neighbor Cindy Hewing. The only one who was my age was Bethany, and she played more with my sister anyway. As for TV, I had Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers, The Electric Company, and this little gem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYuAarJTKoI&t=19s.
1977- A great year for movies, as well as clearer memories. I can say with pride that I went to see Star Wars that year! I did fall asleep about a half hour into it, granted, but I still can lay the claim. There were 2 big vacations that year. One was to Virginia, we drove all around that state and took in some good scenery and activities. I vaguely remember horseback riding and not caring too much for it even then. Seeing Monticello then eating some good fried chicken afterward is much more pleasant. We also took a trip back to Michigan without my dad that summer, going with my aunt and her baby daughter. That fall I started Kindergartedn, though I wasn't really with it due to thyroid problems. That led to lots of doctor visits and lots of blood tests....I grew to hate them for a long time due to that period. One last memory is my fifth birthday, memorable as I got my first record player along with many small 33s and 45s. In terms of TV, much of the same as 1976, though I was allowed to stay up until 8:30 to watch The Fonz on Tuesdays! Ultraman on channel 17 was another favorite.
1978- What I remember most from this year is the summer. First, we went to Disney World via train, and the train had AC problems right from the start. I remember the Howard Johnson hotel that had a great pool as well as the bus shuttle going bakc and forth formt eh hotel to the theme park. There were many rides I couldn't go on due to my age and size, but it was still fun. Also that summer my mom was watching two other kids for a friend who worked. We spent a lot of time outside playing with the neighbors and running through the oscillating sprinkler on really hot days. I made a new friend that year in new neighbor Matthew Brown. It was great to finally have a regular friend my age! He was also a Star Wars fan, and had some of the new toys before I did! Due to my thyroid issues, I ended up in Kindergarten again to catch up on what I'd missed while I was 'in space', so to speak. It was a much smoother year than before.
1979- This year's first half was pretty normal for the most part, at least in winter. By the spring, changes were brewing. My dad was away more often, and my mom went with him on a trip to North Carolina while my grandparent 'Monny' Fitzmorris came to watch us. We all took a trip there to check things out and it was at this time that I got the idea we were moving. In June, after the school year ended, Matthew's mom threw me a going away party. Soon after, a big moving truck came with packers one day and the actual moving of property came the next day. We stayed at the Kirkners' house overnight, then took the official drive to Wilmington the next day. Like our Wernersville house had been, our North Carolina house was a new model and we stayed in a rented trailer for a few days until we could get in. There were some people in a neighboring trailer, the Masons, who watched me and Kristin on the moving day, even took us to the beach where I got my first real sunburn. That excursion did help me to be less afraid of the ocean, though. As the summer rolled on ahead, we got settled in more, got to know the local restaurants (Morrison Cafeteria at the Independence Mall and Shoney's Big Boy were my 2 favorites!), and hit the local water slide a few times. I got to know the neighbor kids down the street the Simpsons (no cartoon relation) and played with them, but it wasn't the same as Wernersville, so we didn't get super close. I started first grade in the fall at a primary school while my sister went to 5th grade at an intermediate school. One big school memory is having some of the coolest learning centers including a listening center with lots of book and record sets (Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby being one of them!) and watching the Electric Company after lunch. The Spidey skits were what I waited for, though I expect I learned some phonics skills here and there. A favorite new show? Buck Rogers in the 25th Century!
As far as specific year memories go, that's pretty much it. Some regular occurences were visits from either my mom's folks (Monny and Bompa Fitz, often accompanied by 'Aunt" Gerry Matter) or my dad's folks (Nana and Bompa Moore). Sometimes grandparents drove to us, other times they took flights. I always enjoyed going to the Reading Airport. It was a nice small-town terminal.* Sometimes my dad's parents would fly into Philadelphia...a less fun place!
*Side note: Bompa Fitz was what we call a funcitonal alcoholic, and he took me to the Reading Airport bar to have a whiskey sour or 2, watch planes land and take off, then drive home. He quit drinking in 1978 and the bar visits turned into McDonald's hot fudge sundae visits afterward.
We also took frequent trips to Michigan, especially for Christmas. I covered those trips in another article.
Apart from that, I just remember playing with friends on the street and enjoying being a kid. Everyone knew everyone on West Charles Street: us, the Kirkners, the Hewings, the Meckleys, and the Browns later. There was an Indian (as in India) family who's older daughters sometimes babysat me and Kristin when my parents had a date night. Another babysitter was Michelle Fritz, she was my favorite.
So that's my 1970s experience as far as I can clearly remember. Sometime I'll tackle the 80s, but I suspect it will be in 2 or even 3 parts, that decade is much clearer! Maybe next week, next month, or even next year...it's still fuzzy to me.
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