One of the perks of my job is the chance to visit family and friends scattered all over the country. Joan and I have had the opportunity to see sisters, nieces, nephews and friends that had moved away all while being paid to do so. On this trip I loaded into the Rosemont Theater in Rosemont IL, a western suburb of Chicago. Then on Wednesday I got to have dinner with an old friend I haven’t seen in at least ten years.
I had reconnected with my friend Jesse through Facebook. We met up at the restaurant where I finally got to meet his daughter. She is now ten years old and I had only seen a picture of her when she was born. Jesse and I picked up where we left off those many years ago. We talked about family, friends, and the good times we had. I know it won’t be another ten years before I see him again I will make sure of it.
I then headed back to my little hometown, Dixon IL. I moved to Dixon when I was ten years old from Columbus Oh. At the time it was awful and horrible. My sister Nancy and I thought our lives were over, when really they were just beginning.
Dixon is a small town, population now is 16,000. When we moved there it was around 13,000. I remember going uptown on Saturday, after getting my allowance for mowing the yard and other chores, and going to Fulton’s Drug Store. They had a soda fountain, so my friends and I would get some lunch and head down to the basement of Fulton’s where Dave’s Hobby shop was. Oh it was a great place to be when you were kid. There were model trucks and cars and Dave was a master model railroader. All the local train buffs came in on Saturdays to check out what was new and get tips from Dave. Dave took pictures of trains and knew all about the different lines of the time. I was more interested in the model trucks. Dave would let me open the box up and look at the instructions so I could buy the right colors of paint I would need for my project. He would also order models for me, but I had to put down a $5.00 deposit. Then Saturday night was movie night at the old Dixon theatre. I saw Smokey and the Bandit there at least fifty times. After the movie I would slide down in my seat so no one could see me and wait for the next show, I only had enough money to see it once so I made sure I got my $5.00 worth. I would repeat this process over and over while it was there.
On this particular trip back I had a mission. The local VFW has built a park in memory of the local veterans. When my dad was still alive they had just started to build it and now it is quite the place. It was all done with donations from the members as well as some of the local businesses. It is maintained by the members and they have done a great job. My sisters and I bought a plaque for my dad and I finally got to see it. It is a great way to remember him and all of the others who have served. There is also a 9/11 tribute as well. The local chapter of the VFW should be proud, they have done great job.
Now that my trip down memory lane is finished it’s back to The Rosemont Theatre to load out on Sunday and head for Saginaw Mi. I hope to see Jesse again and that next time Joan will be with me.
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