by Chris Lareau
School's out and the lazy, hazy, sunny days of summer await Warren's youngsters. But don't go to the pool.
It's closed for repairs. For the entire summer vacation.
Not since the late 1960's have Warren's children had to travel to Youngsville for the social and athletic summer fun that only a public pool offers. That was when the county's first public pool opened, 11 miles from Warren in Youngsville. But this year getting there will be a lot easier thanks to our modern public transit buses. For a quarter you can go downtown and ride to the pool from the TAWC station nextdoor to the Bi-Lo grocery store. It's a deal that most enterprising kids won't want to pass up.
But don't leave your folks out. Bring them along for a dip in the pool, too. If they say they're too busy try not to nag them. Instead just use these magic words:
"It's fun to ride the bus."
If the Youngsville pool gets too crowded, there is an alternative, one we used when I was a kid. Pack up the station wagon and hit the beach. Both beaches are closer than the Brokenstraw Valley Pool. Despite what the road signs say, Kinzua Beach is 8 miles from the city limits on Route 59 and Chapman Beach is 9 miles away near Clarendon. Just turn right at The Towne Tavern. And unlike previous years, both beaches are free this summer.
It will cost more than a quarter in gas to visit Kinzua Lake or Chapman Lake, but if you are looking for wide open spaces where kids can run and play and picnic it could be the best ticket in town.
Kinzua Beach was so popular in 1967 that traffic there backed up all the way to Central Avenue inside Warren on a Sunday afternoon. I'm not kidding. We lived on Central Avenue. And this was before the Route 59 area next to the dam had all those beautiful waterfalls. They are spectacular. With all the rubbernecking at the dam maybe they should lower the speed limit there to avoid accidents. Back in 1967 the New York Times called Kinzua a "Recreation Haven" in its travel and resorts section.
I remember going to the Youngsville pool. Just once. It was so crowded we didn't return and instead went to Kinzua because we could always talk dad into going on a boat ride or get fast food at Dairy Delite (it was called "Twin Kiss" back then) or even at Docksider's Cafe.
Today "Twin Kiss" is doing great business and Docksider's even has free WI-FI internet. Who knew that tradition might continue for so long? And, unlike those days, admission to Kinzua Beach is FREE, which should compensate for the cost of gas.
Weekdays were a problem though, because dad was working and there was no ride to Chapman or Kinzua lakes. But we were just like all other kids.
Innately resourceful.
On our own, the Central Ave. gang went to down to Punskie's junkyard, not far frm today's YMCA, where we bought old tractor-tire inner tubes for a buck or two. Once repaired and inflated, we took our pleasure crafts down to the old refinery on The Allegheny, riding down the river and exploring islands. It was a wonderland.
I guess every kid, if he or she gets the chance, will play Huckleberry Finn and Becky Thatcher. In this water-world we uncovered aquatic beasts large and small: huge flat-backed turtles, humongous "mud puppies," and assortments of craw daddies, salamanders, and minnows, not to mention the walleyes we caught.
But we ran into a problem. Our parents found out about it when we came home with oil-blackened arms from all our paddling. They threatened to give us all tetanus shots.
That ended our epic inner tube adventures tout de suite. But I still remember catching bass at night in the light of the exhaust flame at United Refining.
Those halcyon days are gone. You can't fish at the refinery anymore, but maybe the river is cleaner. And I do not recommend river swimming. There are dangerous currents on Warren's East Side and a 10-foot drop-off better navigated by a canoe. Check with the experts at Allegheny Outfitters for more info. Maybe the YMCA or TAWC could sponsor some Saturday trips to the beach so today's kids won't repeat our mistakes. It would make for a summer forever remembered, just like mine four decades ago.
Nothing costs less or is more valuable than good memories. May all your summers be as sunny and care-free as that of an 11-year-old growing up on the East Side of Warren, Pennsylvania.
So dig out your favorite pair of shorts and lawn chair, see if your swim suit still fits, and bring along that favorite beach book you always wanted to read. It is vacation, after all.
Chris Lareau is the editor of Allegheny Almanac.
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