The rites of spring 1940's were a special time. For the boys of the city cold winter meant school. If there was a good snow we had our snowball fights and long long hills to sled down. We even worked out a way to hook onto the car bumpers to get a tow back up to say 10th street (10th & Dupont - Wilmington, Del). Most of the winter though was taken up with hangin- out when you could, school, and home.
As the days started getting longer and warmer a stirring to spend more quality time outside welled up in all of us. Spring had sprung and it was time to set in motion those things we did since time began for us. I can't remember the exact order but it went something like this.
Late March - Early April: The kite flying time. Kites ranged anywhere in price from ten cents to a quarter. most of us got the ten centers. And of course you needed string and a tail. My Dad worked at a factory where he had "access" to very large spools of nylon string. Man, I could put a kite a mile out. And, that was neat, because as the wind died down and the kite began to sink it took everything you had to get that kite back to you before the thing went down somewhere. It was always a neat past time. Kids would gather together run up the kites with each one trying to out do the other. And, windy days of early spring were ideal for kite flying.
Mid April - Early May: As sure as an atomic clock the kites disappeared and out came things like marbles. I hope you know what marbles are. If not please Google. We had two games. One we drew a circle about 4 feet in diameter. A marble was placed in the middle of the circle and each of us took turns trying to knock it out with our shooter marble. If you missed or weren't successful your shooter stayed in the circle. This allowed another person to knock your shooter out of the circle- and keeping it. This way you either lost all of your marbles and went home. Or you won a few and went home.
The other game of marbles involved shallow holes, (pockets) dug in the dirt 4 - 5' apart. The object being to successfully put your marble in hole #1 and proceed to #2, #3 etc until you reached the finish.Kind of like a miniature golf played with marbles. I believe you were also able to knock you competitor away from getting near a hole.
Mid May - Late May: Yo-Yo's. The Duncan yo-yo company had Philipino yo-yo demonstrators. These guys would hit all of the candy stores in town on a regular basis. They could make a yo-yo walk and talk and wiggle on it's belly like a reptile. The idea being you headed into the store and bought one. Most of us kept ours in a drawer from year to year and just pulled the old one out. They looked better because the paint had been rubbed off the edges (doing walk the doggie). Even though you had an old yo-yo you still needed new string. And the string was sold in waxed paper envelopes containing three strings. There was all kinds of tricks you learned to develop and use with the yo-yo. Hours passed with a group of guys yo-yoing. Walking the dog, around the world, rock the cradle etc, were important things we learned as we chatted and pushed and put down one another in a special way. I don't want to leave withut mentioning the Duncan "Black Diamond". This baby was all black with 6 simulated diamonds implanted horizontally on each side of the yo-yo. This was the top of the line. Very few of us had a Black Diamond. After all the cost fifty cents.
May: Mumbly Peg. You need to Google this because space does not permit me to go into this intricate past time. Somehow we all had access to a pen knife. And every conceivable stunt that could be done with a penknife was done. The object being the last person in the competition to be the winner. The first trick was easy progressing to harder and harder until one person was left. No knife fights ever broke out it was just another way we could pass a morning. Please Google this.
All through the spring until summer time were spent having a catch. Which involved two or three guys a ball and some baseball gloves. Fly balls, grounder and line drives were thrown and caught simulating and honing our skill to throw and catch a baseball. Water pistols that the teacher kept until the last day of school. Baseball Cards and flipping cards to win some more. Tossing pennies against a wall. I don't know how we had time to grow-up.
There had to be many more forms of recreation we had but these came on a cyclical basis. Just like clock work. These games were pulled out and put back on some mysterious schedule. Prepared by who, I don' know. Along with the games we also learned to get along with one another. And, without parental interference or participation. How could we learn to play and have fun without parents? The Shadow Knows.
Stay tuned for the High Dive next.
Larry P.
http://www.squidoo.com/streetgames-1940
1948 has come and gone I know that. And, maybe sometimes I think was it really like that. And just recently I got up with an old buddy (Joe Di) and yea is was like that. In between these games or pastimes were our bikes, hopping freights, rope swinging and swimming at Henry Clay. We were so free. No one even asked where we were going or where we had been. Our parents and neighborhood expected us to be kids but also behave and show respect.
Larry Pitts
Wilmington, De 1948
http://www.squidoo.com/streetgames-1940
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