Remembering...Summertime as Fun time... - Bloomfield

The time frame of the article was early 1940's.

I don’t know if I would recognize anything that was there when I was there. I do know the County Assessor of Greene County as I was Marshall County Assessor until 2006 when I retired.

My column runs every Thursday in the Pilot News. You can get it on line at : thepilotnews.com and then click on “opinions” and you can find the column there. One thing, though, when I have photos in the column they will not appear in the on line version. - Mike Boys

My view from the Pilot house … by Mike Boys. . . Published Thursday, June 25, 2009

Remembering. . . . Summertime as Fun time. . .

Sunday, June 21 was the first day of summer. So. . . . let me be the first to wish you a “Happy Summer Solstice”. I have many fond memories of those lazy summer days when I was a kid. I remember one time in particular when my mom and I (I was only around six or seven) took a trip to Bloomfield, Indiana to visit my Grandmother Dugger for a week. This became an annual summer event. We took what we called the “Doodle Bug” (the old Vandalia Railroad now abandoned) steam train from Plymouth and we ended up in Bloomfield. I really don’t remember changing trains but we must have because that railroad didn’t go to Bloomfield. I do, however, remember as a kid it seemed like the trip took forever, but it was fun because of the chug chugging of the engine and the w-o-o-o-o w-o-o-o-o of the steam whistle and the fact that it was a train ride. That was a treat when you are a kid. My grandfather Dugger would meet us at the depot and take us to their home on the outskirts of Bloomfield.

When we arrived at my grandparent’s home, my grandmother would greet us with a hug, a kiss, and a fresh glass of ice cold lemonade. Wow, that was refreshing after a long train ride. Now, remember they didn’t have air conditioning on the trains- - just open windows. It got mighty warm in those coach cars plus the cinders from the steam engine were also pouring in.

MY GRANDMOTHER’S SUMMER KITCHEN
Their home was small, but functional. One thing that just about every home had back in those days was a summer kitchen complete with a wood burning cook stove. The heat of summertime and cooking, canning etc. created heat that would chase anyone out of the main kitchen; it only made sense to have a summer kitchen. My grandmother’s summer kitchen looked like big a back porch with windows all around, which you could open to let the air circulate, a huge wood burning cook stove, and tables that my grandfather made. This wood burning stove was back to back with the main kitchen cook stove and shared the same chimney. My mom and grandmother would do a year’s worth of canning of all kinds of vegetables which she raised in her garden, preserving, jams, pickling beets and cucumbers and making apple sauce. Then the fragrance of herbs hanging to dry from the rafters was always a pleasant aroma.

One of my jobs was to go out to the wood shed and gather a gunnysack of corn cobs which was a starter for the fire for the cook stove. I would also bring in wood. My grandmother would also make yeast rolls and bread every day and that made the kitchen smell so-o-o-o-o-o good.

OTHER FUN SUMMER STUFF
Homemade ice cream was always a treat in the summer. We would use the old wooden hand cranked ice cream freezer. Everyone had a turn at the crank. The joke was that we had better turn the crank the right way or we would “un do” the ice cream.

Going to Centennial Park for picnics and to just play on the rides. We only lived a few blocks from the park, so we would ride our bicycles and stay there for hours.

Eating watermelon outside was always fun because we would have seed spitting contests.

The Huckster Wagon: Yes the wagon was pulled by a horse. Now this is going back to when I was about five and we lived at 709 N. Center Street in Plymouth, I remember this old man, probably a farmer, with his huckster wagon coming down the street selling fresh vegetables, fruit, pots and pans and I don’t know what all. I thought it was neat because he would have a scales hanging on the side and all kinds of things for sale hanging from ropes. He also had a coin changer clipped to his belt- - - now, this was intriguing to a kid. I always asked him to make the changer work and he would laugh and let me push the lever so a penny would come out.

Gathering Pea Vines was an annual summer event. About six or seven of us neighborhood kids would gather and the corner of North and Michigan Streets where hay wagons loaded with fresh cut pea vines would turn on to North Street on their way to the Plymouth Canning Factory. We would run out and grab an armful of those pea vines and run back to our “hiding place” where we would eat the fresh peas. Now that was exciting.

The Marshall County Fair was always fun. My folks used to say “We will go look at the animals first then you can ride on the rides. That tradition was carried on to my kids and grandkids. It wouldn’t be a county fair without the famous corn dog with mustard. M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m.

Going to Culver Military Academy and watching the Sunday parades.

Fourth of July fireworks and buying a roll of caps and hitting them with a hammer and then BANG!

Well, I could go on and on. I hope I stirred some memories of your summer time fun. Sit back, relax and reflect on your summertime fun. Keep those memories near and dear to your heart, because that is history for you and your family.

POP QUIZ: What was the original name of Culver?

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S POP QUIZ: The question was. . . What is the largest natural lake in Indiana? Answer: according to the DNR Lake Wawasee. It covers 3,410 acres.

Well, that’s it for now. . . so until next time. . . this is my view from the Pilot house.

The Pilot News Group
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P.O. Box 220
Plymouth, IN 46563

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Last updated 22.10.2009