I attended Vernondale Elementary School with Jack through 2nd grade, if I recall correctly.
He and Mike Guyton and I were very good friends.
The summer after 2nd grade, Jack left Vernondale.
The next year, as summer approached and 3rd grade was ending, Mike and I and the rest of Vernondale went to the annual school picnic at Waldameer Amusement Park, and who should we find, but Jack, riding the motor boats in Kiddie Land.
We were all grown up and no self-respecting 3rd grader would be caught dead in Kiddie Land. But there he was, smiling and ringing the bell on the front of the boat.
I can see his smile today as clearly as I see the keyboard I'm typing on.
That's all I remember about Jack.
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This is Vernondale Elementary School today. It's located on Wilkins Road in Millcreek, PA, outside Erie. It's where I attended K-6 grades:
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I think I found Mike. I recall he was in Michigan, and sure enough, there's one that looks like him on LinkedIn. I'll see if we can connect. The third member of our Vernondale trio, Rich Nickel, lived in Michigan for some time, too. Perhaps I can find him as well.
Wouldn't it be fun for 3 guys that went all the way through 6th grade together to reminisce for an evening.
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Waldameer is an Erie institution. It's been around for generations and we never gave it much thought. Presque Isle, Lake Erie, the park, they've always been there, as dependable as summer vacation, and 5 minutes from my boyhood home.
The ride into the park is down a long, shady tree-lined road between small homes. Every year, those few shady moments on the bus as we neared the park were like birthdays and Christmas mornings all rolled into one. Every child on the bus peered out half-opened windows to catch the first glimpse of the old wooden roller coaster, which roared invisibly behind tree tops. As the trees parted, the shade was gradually replaced with sunshine and the increasing volume of carnival music and screaming children.
I have no fonder memories of earliest childhood, aside from family, than those trips to Waldameer.
To this day, we go at least once a year.
Visit Waldameer >
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I enjoy writing posts like this most of all. But they take much more time, and they can be emotionally expensive.
[2013-03-16]
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