To Anonymous, (posted sat. feb. 10 at 8:25 PM) Mom, if you want to chat with people from the old neighborhood you have to give them your e-mail address. Also, what are you doing posting messages on a Sat. night?? You should be out partying!! What would the yentas at Parkside say if they knew you were home instead of out dancing with Dad.
We lived on Arnow & Olinville Ave in the Parkside Project for 27 years. It was 7th heaven on the 7th floor, after moving from the Quonset homes on Sound View Ave. & Bruckner Blvd. Our two boys played stick ball & all those games. Now they’re playing with their grandchildren. After my youngest, (daughter),got married we moved to Las Vegas. We’d love to hear from some of our old neighbors. Still love the Bronx. Looking into all the web sites I can find about “da Bronx”
I grew up in the Bronx near P.S. 76 and Evander H.S. we’d play just about everything: we had certain seasons when the Pea shooters would come out. Soda straws and chick peas, I think, and we would be shooting each other for hours. It’s a bit dangerous, but that was the fun. Not as dangerous and shooting paper clips and we did that to, with rubber bands. We’d normally play both of those shooting war games hiding behind cars. Not to many rules, just teams played until one side surrendered. We also played marbles, but we used elaborately designed shoe boxes with ramps and holes that contestants would have to roll their marble through or lose it. If they got their marble up the ramp and into the shoe or cigar box they won any number of marbles. This was Las Vegas before we knew it.
After getting together after 25 yrs., the 3 of us girls grew up in Canarsie, Brooklyn. We searched for jacks, and began playing one day. Trying desperately to remember the different rules, esp. “Fancies.” We even put our hair in pigtails to try to recapture the “olden days.” We remembered:5 fancies. Squeeze the lemon, the bride and groom, around the world, jack be nimble, and lick the lollie. When we were kids we would play mostly on hard surfaced floors where ever and whenever we could. WE WERE OBSESSED! Does anyone know of books or sites to find more fancies? We are planning on playing more often now.
In the late 50s and early 60s: Imatra Hall on 40th street,where we could dance to Nils’ accordion and get the BEST hamburger from the older ladies in the kitchen! I’ll never forget being in a PACKED Loew’s Boro Park theatre to see PSYCHO! – Not a person left their seat for food or went to the rest rooms – nobody coughed or said a word during the entire movie-never forget the experience!
The US National Marbles Tournament is the oldest national contest for children in America. Discover the early history— “Kings (And Queens) Of The Ring” at The Marble Museum’s web site at http://www.marblemuseum.org/articles/kingofthering.html The Marble Museum is dedicated to creating the first national museum about just marbles in the United States.
The game shown in the diagram was called potsy in brooklyn in the 50’s. There was another came called curbsy that was played along the curb.
I live in Alpine but grew up in NY in a place called Spanish Harlem. I can remember as a little girl going into other neighborhoods to watch my father and his buddies challenge other teams. Most of the games were played on Sundays and the people would all take the cars off the block so the guys could play. I was Daddy’s girl and also the son he never had. Most of the games were played for big money, each man putting up a certain amount. My favorite place was Little Italy. They played right on Mott and Hester Street and I remember having a huge crush on a player from the other team. I was all of 8 years old. Those were the good old days. People would be hanging ot windows and families would be on their fire escapes with salami sandwiches to cheer their teams on. Win or lose, everyone had a good time and never did I witness any fights or hard feelings. I was always proud of Daddy and even though he is to old for stickball I’m still proud to be his little girl.
At 80 I look back happily at my girlhood in the North Bx.(E.223St and Paulding Ave.) Is the Ann Hutchinson Elementary School still in existence.? PS 78? What has become of the little girls with whom I stoop-sat hour after hour? And what about the boys ? All solid, mature , grandfathers,having survived World War 2.I’d much rather think about the endless hours of ringolevia and watching them steal icechips from the iceman’s truck when he left to deliver blocks of ice to his customers, Annette