Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

As I was walking through Powder House Park with my friend the other day, I sat down at a bench directly across from the block of stores where Dunkin’ Donuts is. I went from left to right and told my buddy about the stores that were there as far as I could recall.

From what I can recall there was Loud’s delicious homemade candy shop, Bella Meo’s Sub shop, and Goodell Drug Store. On the right in the park was the old building which housed the draft board office. It’s where I signed up for the draft around 1970.

The park used to be a popular hangout. Kids were regularly chased out by the cops. We referred to the area around the Powder House itself as “up top” and the part near College Ave. was known as “down bottom.”

Both sites had a lot of kids hanging around. There was a lot of boozing going on up top. At one time they cut down all the shrubbery up top which decreased hiding places. For many years there was a tree with my sister and her old boyfriend’s initials carved in it. I looked for it but it just faded away.

Today, up top, people let their dogs off leash. It’s kind of scary when an unfamiliar dog runs up to you. I guess they just don’t wanna make the trek to one of the dog parks in the city. I’ll tell you one thing, there used to be a huge police presence in the park but you hardly see them now. I thought letting your dogs off the lease was a violation of a city ordinance, but I guess some people just don’t care.

It’s great having Powder House Park so close to my house with all its memories and beautiful trees and, of course, the rocks which we all climbed.

It was also a popular spot for summer activities like arts and crafts. I did a whole article about gimp, which we made keychains and necklaces out of. When I go to the park I’m flooded with memories.

Wednesday, I took a walk at the park with my friend Al and I pointed out all the houses on the way where my friends used to live. We also passed the old Masonic Lodge where I was made a Mason. It’s now some kind of Russian art gallery or something. We also passed those new islands that they put on College Ave. I was surprised that the snowplow didn’t take out those curbed things.

A lot of the park was taped off because they’re taking down a bunch of trees. I don’t know why so many trees died but there’s about five that we saw that were marked for removal.

You know you’re getting old when you point out things that used to be at a certain spot which are now just a memory.

My pal Tony’s grandfather is memorialized by a tree planted in his memory with a plaque. I took a photo of the tree but the snow covered the plaque. The family home is two houses away from the park he loved.

I love Powder House Park for its beauty and its history. It’s well kept by the city and is enjoyed by everyone. Kids are sledding there as we speak!

To this day, when I smell onions I think of the great subs from Bella Meo’s Sub shop.