I find it refreshing to see the kids in my neighborhood outside now that warm weather has arrived.
Some are on bikes. Others are “shooting hoops” or playing soccer in their backyards.
Riding bikes was probably the most popular outdoor activity for kids growing up on our street back in the ‘50s.
We all began our “biking days” on the city sidewalks. Tricycles came first, with one of our parents at our side. My tricycle was shiny red. Upon reviewing online resources to refresh my memory on its appearance, I concluded that I should have held onto it, as the eBay prices ranged from $100 to $400.
Trike riders graduated to two-wheel bikes with training wheels once we got a little older. Mine was a blue Columbia bike without any gears to shift. I wanted to be like the “big kids,” so I begged for the training wheels to come off. When that finally happened, my father kept one hand on me and one on the bike as I figured out how to balance. After some wobbly attempts by me, his hands came off, and he walked along beside me as I moved forward on my own. I recall a sense of pride when I figured it out.
Howard Avenue is a fairly long street, so riding from one end to the other satisfied most of us for quite some time. When we were allowed to venture onto neighboring streets, we had hills to deal with. If your bike didn‘t have gears for changing conditions, you had to stand up and pedal hard when going uphill.
If one kid was outside on their bike, it didn’t take long for other kids to come out of their houses. Before long, a procession of bikes was making its way up and down the street. Helmets were not thought of “back in the day.” Many of us had baskets on the handlebars of our bikes, along with horns or bells. We attached playing cards to the spokes of the bike with clothespins. The faster we went, the louder they became!
City streets were re-surfaced at times with a tar-like coating that had fine sand on top of it. Riding too fast around a corner resulted in a tumble that left your knees scratched and coated with tar and sand. It was painful to have it removed. I still have a scar on one knee from that experience.
Another popular way to get around was a two-wheel push scooter. Radio Flyer was the brand kids loved in my neighborhood. Mine was bright red with rubber handles and a kickstand. I don‘t remember a brake, but some of them had that feature. With one foot on the scooter and one foot on the road, it was a fun mode of transportation.
When I see just one kid shooting a basketball into a hoop or kicking a soccer ball into a net, it makes me think how these “solo activities” would not have been a part of our days. With about a dozen kids in our neighborhood, we needed a “team sport.” Fortunately, there was an empty lot owned by the parents of my friend, Betty. We marked out the bases, and both boys and girls played baseball. There was only one mishap when the ball went through the window of Betty’s garage. Her parents were understanding and just asked us to be more careful. I think it was “luck” more than “carefulness” that resulted in no additional broken windows.
And who would think that a large fallen tree that was probably 50 feet tall could entertain us for hours? It was located on an empty lot adjacent to our backyard. We walked from one end of the tree to another on all the branches. It was like one large “balance beam.” It served as a place for club meetings and picnics.
Another inanimate object was also the center of our attention at times. A large rock on Billings Avenue made for a great picnic spot. Many a sandwich was eaten on that rock, and if it’s still there today, I expect it would look tiny from an adult perspective.
As you can see, it didn’t take much to entertain us. All our activities were very simple and also free. They took place outdoors, so we got plenty of fresh air. When we wanted a friend to play with, we went to the kid’s house and rang the doorbell. No texting or social media…We actually talked face-to-face with one another. What a novel idea!
