All Over Olney
My grandparents were also Olney pioneers. They moved to their brand new home at Mascher and Grange Street in 1925. My mother attended Lowell School for two years and then to the newly established St. Helena’s School. She was an Olney High School graduate. It is fun to look at her yearbook and read the sentiments from her friends. It was a beautiful, innocent time. I grew up in that same house on Grange Street and one day as I was in the neighborhood visiting a friend who still lives there, I stopped and spoke to the African American man who now lives there. He was very gracious and liked hearing about the history of that house. My parents moved to Bustleton in 1966. I graduated from St. Helena’s and Cardinal Dougherty, got married and moved to Florida. There was so much to do in Olney during that time. We could safely walk the streets and have fun without spending a lot of money. Every weekend there were dances at Gehlert’s (later L&M), Wagner’s, the rec at A & Champlost, and LaSalle. My friends and I also ventured out of the neighborhood to go to St. Martin’s and St. Joe’s. I miss the buttercakes, crumbcakes, pizzas and hoagies of Olney. I miss the old neighbors up and down Grange Street sitting outside every summer night after dinner. Does anyone remember Tony, the water ice man riding his scooter selling water ices? We used to walk up to Guarini’s Luncheonette with a bowl to buy scoops of ice cream, stopping to talk with everyone along the way. Our driveway was also another place to socialize with neighbors on their way to the Acme. Right before the Acme was built, there was a big carnival on the grounds. Right after that, they built the Tastee Freeze. I miss all of those happy yesterdays, but continue to make new happy memories today.
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