Ann Filippone's Memories of Ridley Park
It was such a great surprise to receive your envelope filled with such wonderful drawings! Thank you so much. Many of you are on your way to becoming artists. Congratulations on placing second in collecting labels and pull tabs. You are all doing a magnificent job for such a worthwhile reason.
Mrs. Jones has probably told you that I am a former Lakeview student. You are fortunate to be able to attend elementary school there. I thought it would be fun to tell you about Ridley Park when I lived there.
I attended kindergarten (many many years ago) in an old two-story home. During the winter we would hold classes by the fireplace. The home was torn down in the early 1960s and Lakeview was built on the same location.
But, before Lakeview was built, first grade was in a separate building across the play area from the rest of the elementary grades. The school was called Tome Street. The main building had three stories. The outside was made of stone and inside had wood floors. The lunchroom and nurse's station were in the basement. Sometimes, when your class was quiet, you could hear the teacher and students in the next room. Yes, in 4th grade I sat at an old wooden desk with wrought iron and a place for an inkwell -- maybe you have seen pictures of these desks.
The play area only had a set of monkey bars. I dreaded Spring because it meant wasps and yellow jackets. They seemed to enjoy the 4th grade class...and me. Once I was stung and had to run down the stairs from the second floor into the basement to have the nurse remove the bee and stinger from my little finger. Both buildings were torn down and homes were built there. If your parents show you the location you might be able to find the original steps that went from the sidewalk to the school. Tome Street was near St. Madeline's School.
When Lakeview opened in 1965, I was in 5th grade. I only had the chance to attend Lakeview for 2 years because students went to the Junior High School after 6th grade. In 6th grade I was selected to be a crossing guard. What an honor that was! What was even better was the chance to be a bus safety guard. Only a few students were able to be one on the bus and they were specifically chosen by the Principal. The Principal who chose me was Mrs. Jones' father, Mr. Feller.
Junior High was at Ridley South and was for the 7th, 8th and 9th grade students. Ridley South was torn down and the new Ridley Middle School was built in its place. This is the school near Lakeview. In 10th grade I attended the "school on the hill." That is what we called Ridley Senior High.
The downtown area of Ridley Park was about one block long. Costa's was the only drug store and had a small soda fountain inside. They made the very best cherry Cokes! Langguth's had a store across the street from its present location and also had a soda fountain. Flavored Cokes cost 15¢ and regular Cokes were one dime. At least once a month my mom and I would have a grilled cheese sandwich and a milkshake at Langguth's. The Gaslight was a tiny family restaurant with terrific hot fudge sundaes. Their walls had pictures taken of Ridley Park in the early 1900's. Lobb's was a very nice clothing store for women. Smith's Gift Shop was located next to the post office. They had one of the largest selections of greeting cards and beautiful gifts for the home. However, my favorite spot was the library and, I think it is in the same building I used to visit. I spent many Saturdays checking out books. Across from the library was "the park," where everyone met. Now, I think, the fire department built a facility on part of the land. Taylor Hospital is much larger today than when I lived there. Every Spring Taylor Hospital hosted the May Fair. It was an event everyone looked forward to. Children took rides on the fire engines through areas of Ridley Park. The younger children had pony rides. There were games, painting, rides and lots of cotton candy.
Rotary or dial telephones were in style and you could select red or black. Local calls cost 10¢. Programs on television were black and white. Milk was five cents and a milkman delivered it in small bottles.
Now I live in a city called Scottsdale (located next to Phoenix). The city's nickname is "The West's Most Western Town." That might have been true when I first moved here but today Scottsdale has grown into the third largest city in Arizona. Every February the city hold "The Parada del Sol" which means The Parade of the Sun. The week before the parade is called Western Week. Anyone caught in the downtown area not wearing western clothing is arrested and put into jail. Not to worry -- this is a make believe jail and all part of the fun.
Groundhog's Day is celebrated by seeing if Aguia Fria (Aw gua Free a) Freddy sees his shadow. Freddy is a snake and every year he sees his shadow. The hottest summer was in 1992. The heat began melting parts of the airport's runway. The temperature was off the chart and we had no way of truly measuring the heat so the temperature was recorded at only 122º because that was the highest the official temperature gauges reached before breaking. The weathermwn said other thermometers reached 129º. All I know is that it was hot!
In 1996 I was an Olympic torchbearer and carried the torch for over one mile. This was an exciting event as 1996 represented in the 100th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games, the last summer Olympics to be held in the 20th century and on American soil. I was able to keep the clothing and buy the actual torch I carried. People lined the streets cheering and waving flags as the flame went by. Bil Keane, the creator of The Family Circus, sent me a personalized cartoon representing the relay.
If you would like to know more about Scottsdale, please let Mrs. Jones know and I'll try to answer your questions.
I'll be sending more labels and pull tabs. Good luck!
Ann
