79 Comments

ShenangoValley, a facebook friend, posted a picture of the oldest McDonald's on State Street this morning. By this afternoon, it generated 79 comments. I really enjoy reading them. I guess in a way, the nostalgia works to my benefit, since I write a lot about how things used to be.
People wrote their memories of the hang out. That spot was a huge hang out. A security guard patrolled the parking lot and moved the teens along if they loitered too long. I used to hang out there after the Buhl Park Casino dances, with live bands, every Tuesday night in the summer. We bought one order of fries and a coke for five girls.
The comments also mentioned other fast food places on the strip. Someone mentioned drag racing. In my teen years, races were on the freeway early in the morning, like two am. I had a friend who lived on Stambaugh right above the freeway and he talked about hearing the races.
As soon as a teen could drive, the exciting thing was cruising State Street. Even now, I sit across from where the old McDonald's was at the Dairy Queen that hasn't moved, watching the repeat cars on a hot summer evening. I don't think the kids cruise as much as we did. I think they hang out in the K-Mart parking lot. But I'm far from being a teen and that could have been from years ago.
One of the great things about growing up in this area was meeting kids from other towns, school districts. Living in West Middlesex, a small town with not much to do, we ventured up to then Hickory Township. I think we knew the Valley better than the young people from other communities because we had to travel.
The old pictures stir up memories and bring out the voices. We all seem to want a piece of the past.