Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

Here we are staring down Labor Day weekend. In the old days we would go to our camper up in New Hampshire for the weekend. We would also rent a room at Old Orchard Beach which was a lot of fun. We did that for years. The kids grew out of spending all their time with their parents.

There have been back to school commercials on TV. When I was a kid I always hated this time of year because it meant the summer would soon be over. It’s funny that those back-to-school ads still get me nervous.

I remember one Labor Day weekend in particular. We we’re getting antsy with the impending school year starting. We were ready for a thrill.

I wasn’t allowed off the street on my new bike. I was 12 but dad was strict. Me and my friends decided to go against dad’s rules and peddled to the Western Junior High School on Holland Street. It was pretty daring of me to disregard my father’s orders and I was very nervous. I kept looking behind myself and jumping when I heard a horn beep.

From Holland Street you can see The Prudential Building way off in the distance.

We decided to peddle to the Prudential. Now mind you I wasn’t allowed off my street never mind peddling to Boston. There were four of us that day and it was pretty dangerous when we hit some big streets. I can’t remember the exact route we took but there was plenty of traffic.

I remember the thrill we got when we finally arrived at our destination. With no landmark to guide us back home, I think we stayed on Mass Ave.

All the way to Boston and back when I wasn’t supposed to leave our street. My father would have taken a hacksaw to the bike if he knew. It was very nerve wracking peddling all that way especially when I heard a horn.

I’m sure this Labor Day won’t be as exciting as that weekend almost 60 years ago when we were young and fearless.

No big plans for this Labor Day weekend yet.

Whatever you do, have fun. I know burgers and dogs will be on the food list.