Each week, I share something from my childhood or younger years with my grandsons.
Question: Using all five senses, describe the city or town you grew up in.
I was born in Marietta, Georgia which is a suburb of Atlanta. When I was born, Marietta was still a small town or it had a small-town feel to it. Built around a square, there were family-owned stores like Goldstein’s, Saul’s, McClellan’s, and Woolworth’s–I loved Woolworth’s! It was HUGE and had the biggest toy department I’d ever seen. They had old wooden floors that squeaked with every step, and all these crooks and nannies that were perfect for a kid to hide out in.
There was also the Strand Theatre there. It was the first place I ever saw a movie. Mom would take us every week during the summer–they ran a discount deal where you could see a movie for something like seventy-five cents, a dollar if you wanted a drink and popcorn. We’d meet all the aunts and cousins up there for a movie, then play in the park for a little while afterward.
We also had a trick shop. Eddie’s had everything a kid could want–fart balloons, magic tricks. My favorite was the bubble gum cigarettes that blew smoke. You wouldn’t believe the looks I’d get walking around the square, blowing on those things!
Marietta knew how to throw a party! We always went to the Fourth of July Celebration and the North Georgia State Fair parade. July Fourth was always fun–there was a huge parade with bands and floats. People threw candy at us kids which was great because we didn’t get much candy in those days. And the contests were fun! They had one where you’d climb a greased flagpole–if you reached the top, there was a fifty-dollar bill waiting for you!
We also had this beautiful bank–the front was made from white marble and the interior had high ceilings and lots of mahogany. One of my favorite memories involves the bank. One fall when I was in fifth grade, they ran a contest in the newspaper where they would write out the verse and you had to find it in the Bible. Tons of people entered from all over the county. So my mom was surprised when she got a phone call from the bank letting her know I’d won the contest. Daddy drove me through a snowstorm to the bank to collect my prize–a brand new Bible. I also got my picture in the newspaper.
Until next time, I love you to the ends of the Solar System and back!
Nana
