When you grow up in close proximity to a National Guard Armory there is always a lot of action for a youngster. The Stevens Avenue Armory holds lots of memories for me: sneaking in all hours of the day to play basketball with the guys, stoking the large furnaces with coal with Dad on the weekends, jumping over the fence down back and sitting all the army trucks were but a few. I still vividly recall feeling the floors of our house trembling and the glasses rattling, as a line of huge tanks rumbled up Stevens and into the Armory yard, having returned from their annual summer camp at Ft. Drum. It was so loud. We would scream and not hear ourselves! And how could I ever forget the '$400 All Cover' at Friday Night Beano. In high school, I 'worked the floor' carrying refreshments to the players. Soda, dogs, burgers and candy were the main staples sought by the patrons. I remember getting home dogged tired, well passed midnight, and lying in bed smelling of stale cigarettes and grease. I'd turn on WBZ radio and fall asleep listening to a strange blend of tunes, talk of UFOs and mostly idle chatter of the times with Dick Sumner and his 'Nightlife' show. I was a regular listener. BZ , way back then, taught me to love talk radio! Cripes! No wonder I enjoy late night radio and all its oddities to this day!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Armory
When you grow up in close proximity to a National Guard Armory there is always a lot of action for a youngster. The Stevens Avenue Armory holds lots of memories for me: sneaking in all hours of the day to play basketball with the guys, stoking the large furnaces with coal with Dad on the weekends, jumping over the fence down back and sitting all the army trucks were but a few. I still vividly recall feeling the floors of our house trembling and the glasses rattling, as a line of huge tanks rumbled up Stevens and into the Armory yard, having returned from their annual summer camp at Ft. Drum. It was so loud. We would scream and not hear ourselves! And how could I ever forget the '$400 All Cover' at Friday Night Beano. In high school, I 'worked the floor' carrying refreshments to the players. Soda, dogs, burgers and candy were the main staples sought by the patrons. I remember getting home dogged tired, well passed midnight, and lying in bed smelling of stale cigarettes and grease. I'd turn on WBZ radio and fall asleep listening to a strange blend of tunes, talk of UFOs and mostly idle chatter of the times with Dick Sumner and his 'Nightlife' show. I was a regular listener. BZ , way back then, taught me to love talk radio! Cripes! No wonder I enjoy late night radio and all its oddities to this day!
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Looks like a rainy day in Portland. I, too, loved late night radio. Still do.
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