SCHOOL DAYS
I am beginning a series of articles which I will call, School Days.
When I attended school at WPSBC, during the fifties, sixties and seventies, school would formally begin the day after Labor Day. Of course, we would arrive on the afternoon of Labor Day, suitcases chock full of new clothes and new shoes. Eagerly greeting each other would be the first order of the afternoon, and catching up on what we did during our summer vacation.
The highlight of this first week of school was our eagerly awaited trip to the Rainbow Gardens amusement park, formerly located in the White Oak section in the greater Pittsburgh area. My first trip to this park was in first grade. The park would be open just for our school. Volunteers would walk around with us, ride with us, and eat lunch with us. Picture, my friends, the delight you would know as a child yourself, being able to literally eat all you wanted, anything you wanted. At the end of the glorious day, we would each be given a huge bag of treats. (The most vivid memory of my virgin trip was lunch. Along with the older high school kids, we sat in the shade of the gazebo and ordered our burgers and hot dogs. No sooner had I taken a bite of my hamburger, than I felt a burning sensation in my lower lip. The condiments must have been extra hot that day, I figured, only to realize when I went home later, that I had been stung by a bee on that lower lip.
I’m happy to report that these wonderful memories still happen for our current students. They, too, are treated to the delights of Kennywood amusement park, which is located in the Duquesne area.
Ellen Goldfon