There's Nothing to Do

How many times have your kids said that? It's gotta stagger you back sometimes when you take a gander at all of the digital gadgetry and entertainment they've got strewn all over the living room. And to top it all off, they've got the audacity to look back at you, with joystick in hand, and ask, "What did you guys do for fun before they came out with DVD's, picture cell phones, and the internet?"

Gimmie a break - right?

Truth is, we had more things to do and more places to go than our kids could shake a stick at. Granted, we didn't have one tenth of the gadgetry that these kids have today, but we had one thing they didn't have. We had Everett Ingenuity. And because of that, we had far more fun than they do, and we did so without spending so much as a single red cent.

The only time we ever asked our parents for a dime was when the ice cream truck came jingle jangling down the street. It never crossed our minds to ask for a new toy unless it was our birthday or Christmas. We hardly ever gave store bought toys a single thought.

We made our own toys. We made things you couldn't buy in the stores anyway. Using ordinary household items and things we found in the trash, we built some of the most innovative contraptions that set your imagination on fire.

Beginning with the more simple contraptions, paper airplanes have always been a huge success. With nothing more than a common piece of notebook paper, a personal message could take to the airwaves, sailing smoothly across the classroom, landing accurately at its desired destination in only seconds.

Some kids got really creative with their paper airplane designs. I've seen kids make paper airplanes that looked like a swing-wing F-111 fighter jet and flew just as masterfully. I never could make one of those no mater how hard I tried. I had to stick with the traditional five-fold standard version. That's the best I could do. Hey, you're hearing that from the kid who took thirty years to learn how to blow a bubble with bubblegum. I kid you not.

Another skillful craft that the teenagers came up with was making jewelry out of dog chains. Do you remember that fad? It was usually a standard wrist bracelet sort of thing that they made, but some kids came up with skillful variations to the norm. And shortly after that they started filing large lug nuts into fashionable rings.

The girls came up with a few crafts that boggled my imagination. They could fold paper in such creative ways that they actually constructed sculptured works of art. What first comes to mind is those little paper do-hickeys that you work back and forth to open and close until finally, you flip over one of the tabs to find the mysterious answer to the question you asked. Don't ask me what you call those gadgets, but they've always amazed me. Heck, I have a hard enough time folding a simple letter to fit into an envelope.

Another craft the girls mastered was making ornate paper chains out of chewing gum wrappers. Do you remember those? How did they do that? Each link in the chain was so intricately interwoven to the next that it looked like it was machine manufactured. It’s gotta take a lot of patience to make one of those - believe you me. My sister used to make those all the time. Leave it to those Everett girls to always outshine the boys - right?

Us guys had a different perspective of fun anyway. We found more ways to use a common bobby pin than the girls ever thought of. We bent them back to create spring tension so when you lightly touched someone's arm with the bulb at the top of the bend, it snapped forward and stung them like bee. The hardest part to making one of those was chewing that bulb of paint off the end of the bobby pin to expose that sharp edge.

What else are bobby pins good for? By wrapping an elastic around your thumb and pointing finger, you can make an awesome crossbow for shooting bobby pins. At close range they're both deadly and accurate. You could knock a pigeon off the telephone wires with one of those things.

My favorite homemade gadget was the clip clothespin match shooter. That was a blast and a half. We could twist, bend, and electrical tape a clip clothespin into a little contraption that shot out one of those self-igniting blue tipped stick matches. As soon as that match struck the sidewalk, it ignited. You'd find burned out stick matches all over the sidewalks back in the days of the clip clothespin shooter.

It was a major let down to every little boy in the city of Everett when they stopped manufacturing friction stick matches. It was just as well. My hide was getting raw from all the spankings I got for stealing my mother's kitchen matches.

I don't dare even touch upon the subject of what we used to do with a cigarette lighter and a can of our mother's hairspray. And I don't dare discuss nail-throwers. Let's just reminisce about them without giving a whole new generation any more bad ideas - okay?

If nothing else, you could entertain yourself for hours on end with a good straw and a bag of split peas - especially if you lived on a busy street. Pinging them off the heads of the people standing at the bus stop, and then ducking down behind the windowsill so nobody catches you, could entertain you all day. Heck, every twenty minutes you got a whole new slew of innocent victims to torment.

The day my big sister outgrew her roller skates was one of the happiest moments in my life. Remember those old fashioned roller skates the girls tightened to their shoes with a skate key? My sister threw hers in the trash. Do you believe that? Lucky thing I spotted them before the trash truck came along.

All I had to do was knock the toe and heel frames off and I had four good sets of casters. Nail them to the bottom of a good strong board - and bingo bango - you've got yourself one of the coolest skateboards around.

What made these skateboards far superior to the modern-day versions was the unpredictability inherent into the design. On these new skateboards, a simple lean in either direction takes you there. Lean forward to spin, lean back to slow down and stop. How boring can you get?

Our homemade skateboards had no control mechanism whatsoever. They had no balance, no center of gravity, and the only way to stop was to crash into a chain link fence. I remember zooming down the sidewalk from the top of Arlington Street with both hands flapping in the wind while yelling, "Look out - look out - look out!" Until finally, I crashed into a parked car or a streetlight. What a blast!

We had a million and one ways to pass the time away. How many of you tried this one? You go down to the corner store and buy a whole box of caps for a nickel. Then you go behind Spencer’s Sunoco Gas Station on Ferry Street, or a similar area in your neighborhood, to find a brick.

Next, you take that entire box of caps and set it on the curbstone. What happens next? Well, if you're lucky enough, you'll hammer that sucker at "top-dead-center" and your ears will ring for the next 14 minutes. If you're not so lucky, you could come straight down on top of your big toe and wind up doing the one-foot "ooh-eeh-aah" ceremonial pain dance.

We've only scratched the surface. Hey, you want some fun on a hot summer afternoon? All you need is a piece of broken glass. I'm not fooling ya. Kneel down on the sidewalk and pinpoint those hot sunrays through that piece of glass onto the back of any passing insect. Within seconds you could burn a hole through a Daddy Long Legs, a cricket, or scorch an entire mound of ants to death. For the faint of heart who are more inclined to protest the "politically incorrectness" of such an endeavor, allow me to assure you that we only did it to research the effects of gamma rays on exoskeletal matter.

My point is that with a handful of Popsicle sticks, bottle caps, or an empty box, we could find more things to do than you can with any of today's electronic gadgetry. Think about it.

Have you ever run out of ideas for things to explore while surfing the internet? Have you ever got so bored with watching the same movie over and over again on your VCR that you gave the movie away? Yes, it's great to have a cell phone. It's a convenience, but it's certainly not a good source for entertainment. And we all know far too well by now how easy it is to get bored playing video games.

Okay, so far we've only talked about the gadgetry. Now, let's talk about the reality. What is there for kids to do in Everett today? And please don't tell me that a kid can enjoy all the fun and adventure of childhood in a foam rubber surfaced playground that only has one jungle gym and three swings.

Just in Everett alone, when we were growing up, there were three movie theatres, two bowling alleys, a pool hall, three toy stores, two ice cream shops, an awesome music shop on Norwood Street, and more restaurants than you could shake a stick at.

On the Fourth of July they gave out free Hoodsies at every neighborhood playground. Down at Glendale Park they held a bicycle decorating competition, and a baby doll carriage promenade. Behind the Recreational Center the Fireman held a water-shooting competition and the kids got to play on the fire engines. Live bands played on the old gazebo and we all sat around on the lawns listening to some of the most talented musicians in the industry.

We enjoyed a parade with decorated floats, candy-throwing clowns, and watched spectacular displays of artistry by some of the most talented drum and bugle corps in the country. The evening concluded with a magnificent display of fire works that took your breath away. And throughout the summer they held competitions for the drum & bugle corps down at the stadium.

On Memorial Day, the city of Everett held another sensational parade that led us down to the Glenwood cemetery to witness an impressive memorial dedication to our fallen heroes that concluded with a twenty-one-gun salute. At the end of those ceremonies, we followed the Yankee Division National Guard all the way back to the Armory on Chelsea Street for free sandwiches, ice cream, potato chips, and soft drinks.

So far, we've only talked about what there was to do in and around Everett on specific holidays. Before anybody even begins to say we had nothing to do on other days, let me tell you what we did do on summer days, and I'm not even going to mention the Everett Pool, even though, it was an option.

Back in our day, we gathered at the local playground to play together all day long under the supervision of a school ground teacher. The city supplied board games and there were enough swings to keep us busy. At the end of the summer, each playground organized a day trip to Canobie Lake in New Hampshire. All the kids from every neighborhood met up at Canobie Lake Park for a whole day of fun and adventure.

So tell me. What are they doing for the kids at the playgrounds today?

On other days, we could all hop on our bikes and ride all over the city. We didn't have to worry about strangers bothering us because if one did, the neighbors would come running out of their houses to string the guy up on the nearest streetlight. Because of that, we could all play "stick ball, "one-foot-off-the-mud guard," "tag," and "hide-and-go-seek" safely out on the sidewalks until the streetlights came on. And we did.

We're not finished yet by a long shot. We had another option above and beyond your wildest imagination. On any given day, we could get together, hop on the 110 Wonderland bus, and take a trip to Revere Beach.

That does it. Come on. Let's hop onto the Everett time machine and journey back to a time when Revere Beach could hold you spellbound at any age. You ready? Here we go. "B-z-z-z-z-z-z-zap!"

Now open your eyes. Picture yourself standing on the sidewalk right in front of that covered gazebo at the center of the strip on Revere Beach. Wow - that's a lot of prepositional phrases, I know. Let's not use that paragraph as a reference for good writing - okay?

Look straight out towards the beach. You'll see miles of soft sand stretching out for as far as the eye can see in both directions. You'll also see hundreds, no thousands, of people laying on their beach blankets basking in the hot summer sun.

Take a closer look at all these people. Besides the ones who are burning to a crisp because they haven't got the common sense to get out from beneath the intense ultra violet rays, you'll see people buried beneath mounds of sand, kids building sandcastles, someone playing Frisbee with a dog, pretty girls in wowie bikinis gingerly sticking their toes in the water, and people playfully bobbing up and down on top of the bouncing waves.

Looking out over the ocean we see Nahant to our left and Winthrop to our right as if they were reaching out to embrace Revere Beach within their loving arms. There's always a faint cargo ship way out there near the edge of the horizon. Look hard enough into the sunspots and you'll see that lighthouse over there. And let us not forget that flock of sidewalk seagulls that flutter at the drop of a scrap of pizza.

Not only can you see the image in your mind's eye, but also hear the sounds of life in the back of your subconscious intellect harmonizing with the ocean waves as they crash along the shoreline. Listen to it for a moment. You'll hear kids running and laughing, somebody's radio belting out a tune, and the sound of carrousel music all happening at once.

Listen to those familiar screams of mindless ecstasy as the roller coaster roars down that terrifying drop. Hear the crack of the guns at the shooting gallery. Did I mention all the bells and whistles going off simultaneously at the penny arcades? That's what it sounds like whenever somebody wins a big teddy bear to wow their date.

There's so much to see and do along the Revere Beach Boulevard that it staggers the imagination. You hungry? Let's get a pizza, a foot long hotdog, an ice cream, cotton candy, or a plate of fried clams. The choice is yours. We can wash it down with a soda or a milkshake. Mom and dad can grab a coffee or an ice-cold beer right from the tap.

When we're all wore out from swimming against the tide, we'll head on over and enjoy the rides. If you've got the nerve, we'll take a turn on the infamous “Cyclone.” The most exciting part about that ninety-second joyride is the melodramatic clackitty lift to the top of that sky-high intimidating drop.

You'll know you've made a life challenging decision once you see that sign at the top that says, "Do Not Stand Up." And isn't there always a daredevil in the crowd that's got to show off by standing up and waving their hands into the air just before the deep plunge? I was never one of those - believe me.

If you don't have the guts to face the terror of the “Cyclone,” there was always the “Mouse.” That was a cute little roller coaster ride that gave a somewhat smaller thrill for the mild mannered adventure seeker.

After that, we'll hop a ride on the double Ferris wheel. Just wait until you get to look down over the tiny crowd below when it stops at the top. If you ask me, that's where they got the title for that song, "A Whiter Shade of Pale." I never knew how white my knuckles could get before that day I froze in fear, clinging for dear life, at the top of that double Ferris wheel - let me tell ya.

If you've got any money left (which we did back then), we'll hop a ride on the “Virginia Reel” to spin through the caves and jerk up over the hills until we get sick. Then we'll stand up with our hands at our sides in the cage on the “Round Up.” We'll get so dizzy our eyes will keep spinning long after we've wobbled off of that crazy thing.

Don't quit on me now. We still haven't banged the daylights out of each other yet on the “Dodge em” bumper cars. And I'm not going anywhere until I've taken a ride on my favorite wooden horse on that giant carousel at the “Hippodrome.” You simply cannot take your favorite girl on a date down at the beach without at least one romantic spin on the carousel at the “Hippodrome.”

After we've worn ourselves out on the rides, it's time for a little fun at the penny arcades. One game that really sticks out in my mind is that one where you compete with everybody else to shoot water with an air powered squirt gun at a tube to get the ball to rise to the top. The first one to get that ball up and over the top of the tube wins yet another stuffed animal.

The shooting gallery was an absolute riot. Nothing appeals to your natural animalistic instincts quite like taking aim and blasting the star out of that dangling paper target, or hitting the piano playing mannequin in the back of the head to make him belt out a tune. Did you ever stop to think how amazing it is that those guns were loaded with a sleeve of small caliber nuggets and nobody ever shot anybody else after all those years? Contrary to popular belief, we must have been sane.

At the penny arcades are those tables with the Indian rubber balls you rolled under the glass to score a tic-tac-toe by getting them into the holes at the other end of the table. My favorite was bowling a few rounds of “Ski Ball.” It took a pocketful nickels to get the hang of rolling that ball just right to hit that 100-point mark in the center of those concentric circles.

By then you should have a long enough strip of winning ticket points to get one of those little plastic rockets you throw up into the air so the cap inside explodes when it hits the sidewalk. I loved those things.

Another thing I liked to do was make my own dog tag just like the ones the soldiers wear. You dropped your quarter into the slot, turned the dial to the desired number or letter, and then pulled down the big lever to stamp the dog chain. When you finished - it dropped out of the chute and you got yourself a memorable keepsake.

Might as well compliment that piece of nostalgic memorabilia with a session in the photo booth. How many silly faces can you make in thirty seconds flat? Now all you've gotta do is wait the fifteen minutes for that strip of photos to drop out into the slot. I hated when everybody said, "Hey, look how stupid Paul looks in this picture."

Another amazing thing about all this is that it's not just fun entertainment for little kids. The teenagers and adults from all walks of life mingled right along there with us sporting big wide carefree grins on their faces - didn't they?

Once we got old enough to drive, we all cruised the Revere Beach Boulevard at night. Where else could you go to show off your wheels? And what could be more impressive than a beat up Volkswagen Beetle with a peace symbol on the hood and a feathered alligator clip dangling from the rear view mirror? What did we use those feathered alligator clips for anyway? I've forgotten.

That portion of the Boulevard across the street from the Nautical belonged to Everett. That was our turf. We owned that for many generations. Everyone met up there before dispersing to the dances and concerts in all the different bars and clubs along the beach. After a night of wild social entertainment, we parked along the sea wall with our main squeeze to gaze at the stars beneath the pale moonlight.

In case you didn't know, I've been a sound recording nut since I was knee high to a grasshopper. One of my favorite things to do at Revere Beach was to sit in that recording booth and cut a record. I made dozens of them. Many times, I brought my tape recorder along to record the sounds of Revere Beach.

Have you had enough yet? Have I made my point? Our kids are right. They have nothing to do. All this modern digital technology is great, but “virtual” reality will never take the place of “actual” reality. Think about that. What's missing from their lives is all the richly rewarding social interaction that was available in ours.

So the next time your kids, or your grandchildren, say they've got nothing to do, sit them down, and tell them what it was like to grow up in Everett. Story telling and conversation are not only effective means of communication; they are a great way to share quality time with someone you love. And we do have a wealth of life experiences to draw from to entertain them with because – “We're From Everett!”