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Strong, severe thunderstorms expected into Monday night

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‘Paint your pets’ class benefits shelter for dogs

<p>&#8220;So, what do you think?&#8221; gushed my buddy Alner, exiting his car and displaying a nice new pair of sport shoes.</p><p>&#8220;They look nice and comfy,&#8221; I nodded. &#8220;Have any walking tours planned?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Nah,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Wouldn&#8217;t want to mess them up with &#8230;&#8221;</p><p>Evidently my grin tipped him off, because with a cry of &#8220;oh, no, no&#8221; he took off for the front door of his house.</p><p>But I was too quick for him. Within seconds, thanks to my power of metaphysical travel, we were back in Wyoming Valley of the early 20th century.</p><p>&#8220;Relax, Alner,&#8221; I laughed. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to take a look at the way people used to spend their summers around here. Our little history walk should help break in your new clodhoppers.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Clodhoppers?&#8221; he shouted, as people around us on the banks of the Susquehanna turned to look at him. &#8220;I&#8217;ll have you know&#8230;&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Look around,&#8221; I said. &#8220;We&#8217;re in the brand-new Kirby Park.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Where did those classy looking buildings come from?&#8221; he asked.</p><p>&#8220;The original park had a bandshell, a reflecting pool, a flower garden and even a mini-zoo,&#8221; I told him. &#8220;When the levee was built that whole section was cut off and forgotten. Today it&#8217;s called the Natural Area, and you can tour it and see the ruins &#8211; that is, if you don&#8217;t mind getting a little dirt on your&#8230;&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re sport shoes,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and they cost&#8230;&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;OK, you&#8217;re Mr. Fashion,&#8221; I replied. &#8220;Now let&#8217;s check out some other parts of town. But first take a gander at that nearby stadium, Artillery Park. It&#8217;s where Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s minor league baseball team plays before packed stands all summer long. Ever hear of Bob Lemon?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Boy, he&#8217;s an old timer.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Right, we&#8217;ve just skipped ahead a few years and he&#8217;s on the field today. In time, he&#8217;ll be the mainstay of the Cleveland Indians pitching staff. Babe Ruth played a barnstorming game there once and hit a homer he said was his longest ever. In our time, we have a plaque about it.&#8221;</p><p>I whisked us off to a playground teeming with children.</p><p>&#8220;What a mob scene,&#8221; he said.</p><p>&#8220;The city of Wilkes-Barre once had a vast system of playgrounds,&#8221; I said. &#8220;The kids met their friends, played games, sang in pageants and had a great time, all under the supervision of older kids and adults. At summer&#8217;s end, the playgrounds would hold a field day and give awards.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;No hanging out with &#8216;nothing to do,&#8217;&#8221; he smiled.</p><p>&#8220;You got it, Alner,&#8221; I said.</p><p>I explained that the next stop on our walking tour would be the 1950s.</p><p>&#8220;Hey, that looks like fun,&#8221; said Alner, pointing to a roller coaster that suddenly appeared in front of us.</p><p>&#8220;This is Sans Souci Park,&#8221; I said. &#8220;It has all kinds of rides, plus a swimming pool and a picnic area.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;You sure don&#8217;t see these anymore.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll show you something else you don&#8217;t see anymore. Look at that big pavilion over there. They hold dances for the young folks there at night, with live music. Doesn&#8217;t cost a fortune to get in, either. A lot of happy couples met here. There&#8217;s another nice place, called Hanson&#8217;s, out at Harveys Lake.&#8221;</p><p>Fearing that Alner had suffer sensory overload, I decided to end our trip.</p><p>&#8220;Hope your fancy sport shoes survived our walking tour of summers past,&#8221; I said as we materialized in front of his house.</p><p>&#8220;Hey, we&#8217;re back already?&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Yes, I &#8230;&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;What about that roller coaster?&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Tom Mooney Remember When </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TOM_MOONEY-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Tom Mooney Remember When </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Tom Mooney</p><p>Remember When</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Tom Mooney is a Times Leader history columnist. Reach him at tommooney42@gmail.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Remember When: A walking tour of summers past in the Wilkes-Barre area