The Summer Playground

Circa 1977-1982
Children use to make clothes, mine coal,  make glass and 200 other items Americans used before the Child Labor Exploitation Laws.  The National Child Labor Committee  (1904-1928) use to say,  “the worst thief is the one who steals the playtime of children.”

Allentown ran a summer playground  program with instructors.  The neighborhood kids showed up 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to participate in the daily activities of kickball, flag football,  soccer, softball, volleyball, dodgeball, basketball and on rainy days it was making crafts under the pavilion roof.Hamilton Park had swings, a slide, courts for volleyball and basketball complete with a baseball field.

The summer program concluded with Romper Day  a day all students from Allentown 18 parks performed in front of the Fairground stands with a dance performance,  the Maypole Dance and the Flag Drill performed to “Stars and Stripes" every mid-August.

Flag in each hand,  starting with arms crossed,  the right hand went back and forth eight times each,  then the same with the left hand, then flags went mid-riff and you swung the arms 16 times back and forth simultaneously, and from this point on,  I would get lost.

I did my best at the Romper Day,  faking it but in the end, it was all about getting the free soda pop,  hot dog and popsicle.

Before Charlie Dent became Congressman for the 15th District of Pennsylvania,  the Lehigh Valley,  he represented Hamilton Park at Romper Day  (1972-1976).  Even though his buddies made fun of him during the Maypole Dance and the Flag Drill,  he was not going to disobey his mother’s orders to participate.

I hope I never forget the importance of play when I get older.