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?

DeFiore Enterprises, 2007


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