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.)

Back in the late 60’s and through the 70’s and into the early 80’s, there was one favorite spot for Somerville kids to hang out at. It was The Mystic Lakes in Medford. Of course, back then we called it Meffa. Okay, so we still call it Meffa but it’s all in fun. We know what they call us.

As soon as we were able to drive and convince our parents to let us use the car at night, we headed “down the Mystics.” And if we could also convince a female friend to accompany us we would find a spot to park and watch the submarine races. Of course, there were no actual submarine races at the Mystic Lakes. It was what we called it when we were, well, parking. We parked so we could “get better acquainted” with a companion that was with us in the car. We were necking, and smooching. Hopefully, that is. There were an awful lot of steamed up automobile windows on weekend nights. We are talking about those big old cars of yesteryear that had a front seat like a bench and a back seat like your living room.

During daylight hours the recreational area that was most popular at the Mystic Lakes was Sandy Beach. Families would go there and have picnics and enjoy the cool refreshing water on a hot summer day. I remember going there with my family, along with a picnic basket packed with baloney and cheese sandwiches and a cooler full of Kool-Aid.

Maybe you remember drinking White Rock soda from that canteen truck that sold burgers and other refreshments.

One of the other favorite activities that people took part in at the lakes was waxing their cars on Sunday morning. There were signs that said no car washing allowed but somehow we overlooked it. The Triple A stables is where many of Somerville kids first saw a real horse and got to actually ride one. I can still smell the manure as we galloped along the trails near the shore. You would come home smelling like a horse. Others would go to the dam and catch fish. There is a legend that claims that the MDC (Metropolitan District Commission) police had a hatred of Somerville teens. That didn’t stop us from hanging out there. Our friend, and Somerville historian, John Roderick tells us that the Mystic Lakes, until about 1905, was the supply source for Somerville’s municipal water system. Yuck.

I caught my first fish at the Mystics when we went there with the YMCA day camp. There is a part of the Mystics known as “The Point,” where some rabble rousers used to have bon fires. Hopefully there were no forest fires as a result. Many families would stop at Buttrick’s Ice Cream (recently razed) in Arlington, on the way home from an enjoyable outing at the Mystic Lakes.

And now, back to the submarine races. The cops would usually leave the parked cars alone up until 11 p.m. But after that it was open season on the make-out crew. The worst-case scenario was when you were involved in some serious kissing, and all of a sudden you would get a cop’s flashlight shined in your face. You were bagged!

I would say that “parking” at the Mystics was definitely one of the rites of youth for Somerville kids back in the 60’s, 70’s, and early 80’s. Of course, some to this day would never kiss and tell, but that’s okay. The guys would be more than willing to brag to their pals about their parking exploits.

For many Somerville people the Mystic Lakes supplies us with many awesome memories. As Mr. Roderick recalls, “It was only five minutes from Dilboy Stadium, but it always seemed like we were going to the country.”