As we settled into the daily routine of Fred's News people always seemed surprised that we were absolutely "just there" every day of the week. The term 24/7 best described our life at that point. We knew for it to be successful we had to be visible. Family in the form of our children, Bill's sister and my sister were a valuable part of our workforce. In fact they were it. We didn't want to hire anyone until we were sure we could afford the extra help and benefits. It was extremely hard at first, emotions and tensions ran high. At times I felt like a floundering ship in the middle of an ocean storm, but eventually we sailed into much calmer seas. We felt as though we were being pulled in so many different directions and we knew the kids felt the same. Their parents could no longer drop everything and bring them somewhere, Gramma and Grampa to the rescue! If we did get away we would try to do things like tubing on the Shetucket river. They all enjoyed it and the journey was so relaxing. Their friends came along as well. Before Fred's News we tried to do it every summer. The ride was approximately three miles down the Shetucket from the Scotland Dam ending at the village of Baltic. You could make the picturesque journey quite fast if the flood gates on the dam were opened. More than once the fast flowing river rapids subsided as we rounded the first bend. It still was a great lazy river experience. Our children and many of their friends from the Village had the opportunity to see wildlife up close and at times, too personal! These stories have resurfaced in countless conversations over the years.
Each summer as business owners in the Town, we tried to organize a weekly bus trip for the kids in the area. Town leaders let us use one of the school buses, we provided the gas and were the chaperones. Doris the wise-cracking, fast yodeling school bus Mama, donated her time. Doris was also a Fred's News regular. Our sisters, older sons, Matt and Todd along with their friends were at the helm of Fred's News as we drove off for a day of fun. Youngest son Mark was always on the bus with his friends. Trips were as different as the passengers on the bus. We hit the beaches of Long Island Sound, freshwater swimming at Connecticut State parks, visits to Rocky Point Amusement Park in Rhode Island and State Fairs, if they occurred before the school season began. The trips were great and brought together a very diverse group of young people that would not and did not ordinarily "hang together." The only stipulation from the us was, "bad behavior" meant banned for life from future trips. I don't recall anyone ever being banned, however there were a few that definitely lived on the edge. These trips continued for a few summers until the School Board sold the buses, hired an out of Town contractor to provide school bus service and ended the program. It was a great time for all and an opportunity for those who were less fortunate.
Some of my fondest memories as a child involve Fred's News & the Hastings.... Mark & I were childhood friends and those summer bus trips were the only thing that the kids in town had to look forward to every week- trips to local Lakes, beaches and other fun locations-- indeed it brought together kids that would have never hung out and with the "banned for life rule" everyone stayed on their best behaviors... I am now a mother in town and think of the huge task that Dee & Bill took on by organizing and being liable for those weekly busloads of kids--there were places I went on that bus that I would have nver had the chance to go to with my immediate family- I say immediate because at that time we indeed all thought of our 2nd family as the "libs crew" D & Bill made our childhoods fun and in my honest opinion postponed several of the towns kids from the trouble that they would engage in later on in life... They saw our desires to have fun and they made sure that boredom was not a part of our entire summer... I can recall singing the most current rock tunes on the bus rides home (most specific, I recall Lita Ford/Ozzy "close my eyes forever") and I have several pictures from those trips and in each one there is a smile on someone's face- Dee & Bill you made a difference and I only wish that there were still parents like you that embraced the kids in the town the way you did.. Thanks for creating summer memories for my youth...and for making a difference in my life!!! XOXOXO
ReplyDeleteThanks so much,it means a great deal to us to know that we made young people happy. Mark and you will be friends forever and you are part of our family as well!!XOXOXO
ReplyDeleteI remember tubing down the river with you and the boys. And Bill taught us how to fish. We had great times with the boys. Me, Missy Renaldi, Todd, Matt, Markie, Erin. Geez, I remember the summer that Tina spent with you too. We had sooo much fun back then.
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