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talents of more established
artists such as Donovan, Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, and
Peter, Paul and Mary. Veteran music director Murray Lerner (MESSAGE TO
LOVE: THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL) presents a collection of archival
footage from four of Newport's '60s-era festivals featuring these and many
other legendary musicians for a vital historical document of an American
cultural institution."
I have fond memories of attending
both this Festival and the Jazz festival. I remember seeing many memorable
performances in the open field. The review above gives the names of many
of the folk stars. At the jazz festival I saw such greats as Frank Sinatra,
Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk and many more. The two
festivals were marvelous entertainment which I eventually ended because of
some small riots. The crowds grew to become too rowdy to control and the
concerts were cancelled for a number of years and came back in a different
venue and alcohol free. As a summer resident of South County, we got to
Newport by driving over the Jamestown bridge, with its ten cent toll, and
parking in downtown Jamestown. The next leg of the journey was by ferry,
and once we reached the ferry there was the long hike up the hill to the
concert site. At that time downtown Newport was still very much a Navy
town with lots of bars. The scenes from Festival show throngs of "preppys"
heading to the concerts. I will admit to looking closely to see if I or
one of my friends were there.
In any event they were a wonderful part of Rhode Island heritage. The film
is a step back in time because all of the footage is archival."
MF mf197@comcast.net
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Wow....I just
stumbled upon your site when I was searching for photos of Chepachet's
Ancient & Horribles Parade! I didn't find any of those, but was very
excited to read all the great memories written by
Rhode Islanders. I grew up in the Limerock section of Lincoln. Does
anyone remember The Friendly Farm on Great Road? It was a short lived
little place where you could go and pet the farm animals....it was a
sweet little place. How about the story of how Molasses Hill got its
name?
And Grandfather's Store? A little country store, at the bottom of what
seemed like a huge hill, where you could buy penny candy. I loved that
place! How ironic that years later I would be the current owner of Brown
& Hopkins Country Store in Chepachet....hence, the reason I was
looking for old photos of the parade. In business for 199 years now, and
we still have some candy for just a penny. I would love hearing if
anyone has any old photos or memories of their visit to Brown &
Hopkins. You may email me at shopkeeper@brownandhopkins.com
Of course, there were lots of memories of going to A & W Root Beer
in Cumberland......and drinking swampwater, which was a mixture of
orange soda and root beer, if I am not mistaken.
Then there were the summers at East Matunuck....Skip's Dock, jumping off
(I mean getting pushed off) the State Pier by the teenage boys, and
clamming in the salt marsh. Gosh, those were the days! No wonder why I
love seafood so much!
Rhode Island is such a great state! Thanks for the memories! I will be
emailing your link to all of my friends!
And I will even put it on my store blog. www.brownandhopkins.blogspot.com
Liz McIntyre
BrownandHopkins@aol.com
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"Fantastic
website: Here's some memories: I grew up next to the Providence
Barrington Bible College on State Street in Providence during the 50's.
Every night during the summer the neighborhood guys would meet at Mary's
Variety store on the corner of Chalkstone Avenue and State Street. I
could here the loud political discussions from the small apartment house
that my grand mother owned. We were right next to the bible college dorm
and adjacent to radio station WPTL-FM which played classical music. The
transmitting tower was huge. The campus was my playground and my friends
and I were always exploring. At night the place got creepy because the
campus officially closed. What a hike it was to Candace Street school
(four trips a day!) Is there anyone who lived on State Street during the
mid 50's. Love to hear from you."
Thanks,
Nick nterrenc@yahoo.com
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"This was such a special treat, sent
to me by my brother Chris, who is now living in Washington State. We
emigrated to California in 1959. Here is what I remember.
- J. C. Potter Elementary school,
where upon graduation from 6th grade, I got to wear my first pair of
pumps (hot pink with no straps!) purchased at Ann & Hope, and I
had to beg for them..................
- Goff Jr. High School, and my
first "public speaking" class. Scared me to death, I was
happy to be moving! But the dances were fun. I remember Larry's suit
jacket smelling like moth balls, still brings back that memory
everytime I smell moth balls, which out here is not too often.
- Narragansett race track.
- Cherry cokes, coffee ice=cream -
try to get that out here in 1959 - no way..
- Bubblers - laughed out of school
with that one.
- Every soft drink a
"coke".
- Dairy Delight I think it was on
Newport? Next to the old Stone Bank?
- Penuckles (???) Penaults ????
The drugstore on the corner of something in Pawtucket.
- The Boys Club where I learned
how to swim.........I can still smell that place.......
- St. Therese's and St. Leo's and
that French Church not too far away.
- CLAM CAKES.................. in
a bag at Crescent Park! I can still taste those................
Thanks for the memories."
Eunice Larkin of Pawtucket eunicelarkin@earthlink.net
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"OMG... what a
GREAT site! Thank you SO much for the opportunity to reminisce. I have
SO many fond memories of RI, but I seriously don't miss it, except for
the food... LOL! Something that really scared me as a kid was the RAG
man. I read about the ice man and the ice cream man, the milk man and
various other 'men', but no mention of the RAG man. Was I the only one
who remembers him. The hideous old truck and the toothless old man
sitting on the old flat bed yelling, "RAGS" as he was driven
through the neighborhood, ever so slowly by his chauffeur... LOL! My
mother scared the livin' daylight outta me concerning that guy. Funny
how that goes. BTW, born in St Joes Hosp, I grew up in Hoxie. Remember
Hoxie 4 corners, anyone? Went to Warren A Sherman School, which was 1st
- 6th back then. Off to a "Catholic" school in Providence for
7-12. St Charles Borromeo. Cranston St near the Cranston St Armory.
Penny (actually sometimes more than 1 piece for a penny!) candy at,
"Mary's", on the corner after school while waiting for the
school bus, which came later because it had to run the public school
kids first. And there was a NY System nearby that I remember stopping at
on the way home from visiting my grandmother, in Warren one time. My
oldest brother had a hankerin' for some 'gaggers'. I was only about 3 or
4 and had never had one. The smell made me SO sick my Dad had to stop
the car so I could get out to puke... LOL! Never had ANY desire to eat
them from that day forward...until I was grown and married and my
husband wanted to get some and I tried one and the hook was set... I was
a junkie! LOL!
My Dad, "Hurd and Goldberg's" (When Hurds WAS H&G, when
they first started their business on Reservoir Ave.) first and only
mechanic when they first went into business, worked there for 50 years,
'til he retied at age 65. Figure it out... he was just a lad at age 15
working for them. He was their head mechanic for 50 years and Salty
Brine was one of their customers who wanted only my Dad to work on his
car. There was lots of customers like that, too. Would only leave their
car for repair if my Dad would be the one working on it. He was the
BEST. And always took the best care of their cars... careful to not
dirty or scratch it. I remember him wiping off the steering wheel after
he removed the blanket he had put on the seat to make sure he left it
cleaner than he received it. Customer care... that was my Dad.
One of the foods I miss most is DePetrillos Pizza (we called them
'slugs') slices. Right there on Tiogue Ave in Coventry, where we moved
to when I was 15. My folks wanted to get out of the city (LOL) and into
the country, Johnson's Pond, where we initially had a Summer house (we
called it 'the camp') and they liked it so much they wanted to be there
year 'round.
Met my husband there on the pond and we married at St John and Paul's
Catholic Church there on Tiogue Ave. Reception at, "The ShowBoat"
with the famous 'buffet' for the dinner. It was AWESOME! Kid Blair was a
GREAT cook! And we had a, "Double Shower", which I don't think
they have anymore, at, "The Club 400". Again... AWESOME food.
The BEST macaroni ever! Not to mention the soup. I remember dancing with
Frankie Galashaw, of the, "Wright's Farm" fame, which he
wasn't back them, (but my husband used to babysit for his kids, that's
how we knew them) and he told me I shouldn't be chewing gum... LOL!
Funny the stuff ya remember, eh?!
And flying down suicide hill in Roger William's Park on my Flexible
Flyer and, especially, my Flying Saucer (later)... what a BLAST! I'm
happy to have raised my kids there, in good ol' Rody. We have lots of
fond memories. Moved away after the Savings and Loan debacle. It just
wasn't the same anymore. But, like I said, lots of fond memories... like
taking the kids to, "Hack & Livery" in Hopkinton after
Sunday Mass at St Joe's there. By this time we lived in Exeter.
I could go on forever, I think... but that's about enough. Thanks for
letting me share. It does a spirit good."
Jeanne Tessier
jmtess@yahoo.com
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