In the 1930's My grandma and grandpa used to take my brother and me to the Italian Street Festival on 14th Avenue that they had every summer. They had music and played games. I remember the greased flag pole that the men would try to climb and everyone would be laughing. I never knew what the purpose of that was, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. They also had a big statue of a Saint with a lot of money on it that they would push through the street. It was a lot of fun.
My grandpa worked in the Newark Public Library in downtown Newark on Washington Place for many years as a night watchman. My grandma and I used to go there once in a while to bring him his lunch. It was awesome to see so many books in that big building.
I went to Cleveland Junior High School on Bergen Street and graduated
in 1942. My older brother Karl Naecker joined the army and my younger
brother Robert Naecker joined the marines. Karl served 4 years and
Robert served 20 years. My father was an air raid warden on Springfield
Avenue during the war.
The best thing of all in those days was when a new boy named James Pollino moved into the next apartment from us. We met, we fell in love and got married. We were married for 58 years and had 3 wonderful children and 2 precious grandchildren. We moved to Lake Hopatcong, NJ and then retired and moved to Matamoras, PA. My friend Doris and I are still friends after 75 years and even though we live miles apart, we still find time for each other.
AND THOSE WERE THE DAYS MY FRIEND . . . . .
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