On The Silly Side by Jimmy Del Ponte

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)
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When I got my first legitimate part time job at 16, the minimum wage was a whopping $1.60 an hour. Gas was around 36 cents a gallon and a year later, I paid $50 for my first “car.”
The job was at Lyndell’s Bakery in Ball Square. I dumped 50 pound bags of sugar and flour into the bins, carefully removed cakes from baking sheets and filled jelly donuts. It took me a while to grasp the proper technique and I had  to carefully discard many ruined  pastries.

I spilled lots of flour and sugar too. At day’s end I had to scrape the floors, clean the machines off, and stock the bakery supplies. I could stuff a jelly donut to be the size of a softball if I wanted. I also made gigantic mocha cakes when no one was watching.

A year before that, my friends and I worked at Hurley’s Dodge’Em Cars down Revere Beach. We were underage and working illegally. It was fun collecting tickets , re-ride money, tossing kids out, and riding the bumper cars for free.

When we were young we couldn’t wait to get out into the work world and make our own money. Many of you shared your first job experiences with me. I have listed some jobs, wages, and some of the years, as they were told to me. It’s sort of a classified section from many moons ago.

Garden Court Bakery on Somerville Ave $3.75 per hour
La Contessa Bakery  in Davis $4.00 per hour.
Hawk Cleaners. Union Square $1.90 per hour.
1974- Burger King $2.50 per hour.
1979- Burger King, $ 2.70 per hour.
Broadway Theatre, ticket taker and candy booth worker. 1965-1970.
Somerville Home for the Aged, serving dinner, $2.15 an hour.
Singing and dancing with the Sunsetters in 1974.
Patsy’s Bakery, 1968, $1.50 per hour.
The Somerville Hospital kitchen washing pots and pans.
Delivering, the  morning, afternoon and Sunday newspapers for Abe Learner at Davis Square News Agency.
The Wicker Shop/Pet shop on Mass Ave in Cambridge for around $1.75 an hour in 1970.

Dishwasher at The Woodbridge Inn ( formerly on College Ave)
M.D.C. skating rink helper.
1964-1966, cashier at Bradlees at minimum wage.
Waitress at Kay and Chips restaurant in Davis Square (after hours). Included battle pay !
Johnnies Foodmaster, 1987, $4.10 and hour, plus she met the love of her life there!
Dentist’s office in Cambridge, 10 hours per week after school for $35.
American Discount Pharmacy in Davis Square.
Rogers Foam Co. making Nerf balls at  around 1.65 hour. He said the best part of day was eating nana’s meatball sandwiches she packed for lunch.
Sweeping the Ball Square Bowling Alley for free strings of bowling.
Service Merchandise at Twin City. 3.59 per hour in 1983.
Head desk girl at Cummings in Davis Square for $6.00 an hour full time.
Playing in the band ”Shadowfax” and “Zenophon” on the streets of Somerville from 1972 to 1978 for “SomerFest.”
Dairy Queen on Cedar St in 1967 for around $ 1.50 an hour. (He got to eat all his mistakes!)
Waitress at El Sids, formerly Pal Joey’s on Broadway. Serving drinks to some pretty colorful characters !
School Department office help, 1963, for $39 a week full time.
CVS, 1972-1973, $2 an hour. Cashier & stocking shelves.

The last Western Union delivery person to deliver telegrams by bike, during the time of the Vietnam war. (This one is very cool!)Cashier at Osco Drugs, Davis Square.Bowies Sunoco on Broadway.
Although we didn’t really make a lot of money, we thought we were making a million bucks back then. We were able to buy our own records, clothes, bikes, and even cars.
It was certainly a pleasant change from the 50 cents a week I used to get for an allowance. I must say that I met some very interesting people in the early years of my work experience. I have had awesome bosses, despicable bosses, and bosses I told off.
I had co-workers I loved, and co-workers I tangled with, both verbally and physically.  There are two very specific things that have made my work experience more bearable. Thank God for coffee and Fridays.

Don’t forget to start getting your favorite , distinctive hat ready to wear on March 3rd 2011 . 3/3/11  is un-officially “Somerville Diverse Hat Day”. ( hopefully it will be official soon !) We will be in Davis Square shooting for my cable show, Seriously Somerville. More details to follow !

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