My Summer of ’74…or was it ’75?

Please bear with me as I continue to take a somewhat nostalgic look at my life which happens when you get older.  I said older…not old and yes there is a difference.

Anyway for whatever reason I was thinking the other day about one of the best working summers of my life although I am not sure if it was 1974 or 75.  My father operated amusement games on the boardwalk and while most of them were in Seaside Heights he did have a couple on the south end in Seaside Park.  That summer he decided to give me one of them to run on my own with the exception of dinner breaks and at least a half-day off each week.

The stand itself was a stand-alone shack that was about 10 feet long and not deep at all…cramped quarters.  We decided to put in a wheel game with cigarettes as prizes which was quite popular at that time.  I was in charge of ordering and picking up inventory each week from what was then M&R Tobacco in downtown Toms River.

Each morning I opened and promptly played “4 Way Street” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young on what was a tape player.  Usually I would take a 2-hour dinner break and go home and then come back until closing which was when the Funtown Pier shut down and much earlier than the Casino Pier.  I would often go home, change and head to the Bamboo Bar where I stayed until…well I leave that one alone. RIP-Willie Lump Lump!

Anyway I loved having my own stand to run even if it was a lot of hours.  I had great dining options with Dick Peterson’s Trenton Pork Roll restaurant and Mack’s Pizza just a few yards away.  I don’t recall saving much money but I was 18 or 19 and living at home so it was more than enough.  I would work parts of many summers for my Dad but this one was special.  I think I'll play "4 Way Street" on my phone for old times sake.

Ok that’s today’s stroll down memory lane.