On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

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Powder House Park has a history that dates back to the Revolutionary War in the 1700’s. It also has another history that dates back to the 1970’s when it was the cool place to hang around.

When Archie rode a flaming skateboard from “up top” all the way “down bottom” to College Ave., that was historic. You can see more history if you look at a tree down bottom that has the initials “JF” and someone else’s initials that are now unreadable. “JF” was a kid who dated my sister. He was quite the Romeo.

Yes, the park is a treasure trove of memories. I walk my dog up there a few times a day. I’m lucky to live a short 3 minute walk to the park so I am up there a lot. In the old days I could run home from the park in 2 minutes flat, if I had to. A couple of weeks ago at the annual Spring Cleanup I had the pleasure of being assigned to clean up Powder House Park. (much like the police force back in the late 70’s!) I went to Home Depot and bought one of those “grabbers,” because I don’t bend down too good these days. My job was pretty easy because the park is kept pretty spotless by the city. Nevertheless, I picked up every little piece of paper, cigarette butt and other refuse I could find. Mission accomplished! Some of my friends joked that I would probably find an old tall can of Budweiser beer that I left up there years ago. Joke’s on them because I didn’t! (it was a bottle of Haffenreffer Private Stock!)

I spent many hours at the park in my youth with my friends Bud, Jack, and a fellow known merely as “GIQ.”

I was never in with the real tough guys that hung there, but I was friendly enough with a few of them to be able to spend time up there without getting into any hassles. It got pretty hairy on Friday and Saturday nights. When it turned nutty, we would go back to our own home base, which was the corner of Bay State and Kidder. That was our safe zone. We could always duck into Mike, Teddy, or Charlie’s house.

There were so many kids hanging around the top of park at one time, the city sent a crew up to completely get rid of all the shrubs and bushes. They figured they would eliminate hiding places and such, and allow the cops to monitor activity as they drove by.

At times there were groups of maybe 50 kids up top on a weekend night. The cops would come up, make them empty out the beers, and disperse everyone. They would pop over to Goodell Drug and pick up some smokes, and go back up top a half hour later. One of the cops was affectionately known as Barney, as in Andy Griffith’s sidekick, Barney Fife. All in all he was a pretty fair guy.

One of the former tough guys is now a grandfather and is close to retiring from the job he has had for over 30 years. Several of the other tough guys have been holding down respectable positions around the city. It’s funny, because when I see these guys, sometimes I think of how they used to wear their Powder House Park embroidered jackets and wreak havoc with their pals. One of them said he still has his jacket in his closet.

Powder House Park was a place where I set off cherry bombs, tried out new skateboards, and hung around with a crowd of kids. Today it is where I walk my dog, take brisk walks, and host the Mayor’s annual Senior Picnic. Boy, have times changed.

I can still picture some of the kids that hung up at the park like “Bolo,” “Myrtle,” and “Ment.”

Luckily, I stopped hanging around parks and corners and joined Somerville’s summer programs such as Project STAR and Somerfest. I started spending my time with actors, singers, and musicians. My band, The Tools, actually played a concert at Powder House Park in 1978 with 2 other bands.

I used to pick up six packs and head to the park. Nowadays I head to the park and pick up after the dog. But everyday I look around that beautiful park and thank God that I am still here to enjoy its beauty and it’s history. There are as many memories up there as there are trees!

Join us this Friday the 13th for an night of one act comedies and stand up comedians. All in the Timing will be presented at 7 pm in the Somerville High School Auditorium. Tickets are available at the door. Las Vegas Headliner Johnny Joyce opens the show with his unique brand of humor.