My hometown

The McCullough ladies often accuse me of being a hoarder. So what that I still have all of my 45 singles and a crate of old (25 cents a pop) comic books.

Among the other memories in my basement are several relics related to my hometown – a town that’s sadly been in the news for all the wrong reasons this past week – the world’s famous playground: Atlantic City.

I pray for my friends and family in Atlantic City and up and down the Jersey Shore (in towns like Belmar and Asbury Park where I punched a clock or two early in my career). North Jersey and New York metro as the clean up and rebuilding continues.

But my heart is especially heavy for my beloved home town.

I don’t know what drove me earlier this week to go through one (of the many) boxes of collectables (some might say junk) from my youth. Maybe I just needed a break from seeing Ali Velshi standing in flood water in the middle of downtown Atlantic City.

I came across an old photo from Easter Sunday, circa 1974. It’s a picture of my big sister, my neighbor Marvin and a rather husky young man with really nice hair.

I don’t remember at whom I was waving!

For me, as a kid, Easter Sunday meant hearing Reverend Neil preach and then heading to the Boardwalk for a stroll to show off my new Easter threads (after that came the famous McCullough family Sweet Potato Puff, but we’ll save that foodie memory for another post).

In this shot – if you can see past my Afro – you can see folks enjoying some of the rides.

I wish I had more Easter Sunday Boardwalk photos.

Unfortunately, back in those days, I was more interested in throwing back Fralinger’s Salt Water Taffy than taking pictures – even though I often carried the latest in high-tech: my Kodak Instamatic.

Sandy left wounds that will not quickly heal, but I know – in time – the impacted region, Jersey in particular, will slowly recover, rebuild and come back stronger than ever.

The Afro may not make the trip, but I’m looking forward to throwing on a new suit and traveling back home and once again taking an Easter Sunday stroll down the AC Boardwalk.

2 comments

Leave a comment