Memories Of Lincoln Ave.

I took a ride up the street on which I grew up, Lincoln Ave. It's funny, I never noticed before the interesting architectural features of its homes, all built at the turn of the 20th century. I came up to the house at 1590, where I lived from the age of 1 to the age of 17, and man, the ghosts were out this afternoon. I pictured my mom and dad sitting on the porch, on a warm summer night, eating ice cream, most likely butter pecan (I still think of that as old people ice cream). Or my mom sipping an iced tea and my dad drinking a beer, most likely Duke or POC. Maybe they are joined by my brother Mike, or Uncle Jim, waiting for my sister Betty to walk up the street, getting off the Franklin bus, from her job at the Westgate Higbees.

I could almost hear all the kids making all their racket. The five Anello girls, the seven Sammon kids tormenting my little brother Danny, the Hyland children, all 2,397 or so, the Kellys, and Fitzgerlds and Homans and Girards. And just to show we weren't just a street of Irish, the Nebezars, Staskos, Lacavas, Gluvna and Massas.

I remember the games of kick-the-can, red rover and street football. And the call of "Car!" when a vehicle came down Lincoln. I remember cutting through Kelly's backyard to get to Marlowe. As a matter of fact, we could cut through the backyards to get all the way from Warren Rd. to the high school.

I went up my old driveway and pictured the parade of Chevys and Oldsmobiles, long since forgotten in rusty old junkyards. And how my dog Lucky would bark at the "garbage men" until they came to get the trash cans and he would run and hide. I know that since I lived there someone put a small deck in the backyard and added a two-car garage, but, man, our backyard is soooo small now. We had an 18-foot diameter above-ground swimming pool (which definitely increased our popularity with the neighbor kids). I don't think you could fit a kiddie pool back there now. It's funny how 47 years don't erase the memories or bring them into focus. They soften the pains and the joys, maybe idealize them. But they are still all there, I swear, just waiting for me to pluck them from my past.

Tom Fahey has lived in Lakewood 42 of his 63 years, and still lives here today.

Tom Fahey

Tom Fahey has lived in Lakewood 42 of his 63 years, and still lives here today.

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Volume 14, Issue 16, Posted 7:15 PM, 08.21.2018