NEW DEAL: The McKean County Historical Society needs your help.
This is the 75th anniversary of FDR’s New Deal and the society is
looking for local information and stories about how it affected the
people and industries of the county. The society hopes to do a
program and exhibit about the New Deal this summer. If you can
help, please give them a call.

MEMORY LANE: Shirley Nuzzo Daly writes us from Florida: “My best
friend, Ann Marie Pascale and I used to walk home from school every
day and had our favorite stops on Main Street … Blair’s Drugstore
for ice cream or a Coke, DeSalles Candy Store for a piece of
molasses sponge, Park’s Drug store and Grey’s Drugstore which both
had soda fountains with cherry phosphates, vanilla and cherry
Cokes, rootbeer floats, and yummy chocolate sodas.”

“We used to also go to the Tastee Freeze in south Bradford for
peanut butter fluff sundaes and tubbers! Yes, we were into
eating.

“I remember the Kiddie Shop on Main Street where my mother
bought me a beautiful kennywood blue winter coat on layaway and
after many, many weeks we were able to bring it home.

“At Christmas time it was wonderful going upstairs of the Emery
Hardware store which was transformed into a Christmas Wonderland
with all kinds of toys and even Santa.

“I also recall the real live monkeys in the window of Ash Shoe
Store. When we went to Oppenheim’s shoe store you’d get a free
lollipop.

“Across the street from the Congress Street diner used to be a
record shop where you’d be able to choose a couple records to
listen to (with the intent of purchasing) and then head into a
booth where you could listen to them. They were 78 and 45
records.

“Then, there was good ol Bum’s Corner… the gas station across
from Levy’s where all the high school guys would hang out to watch
the girls go by.

“My husband, David, remembers going to the A&P on Mechanic
Street and there was sawdust on the floors. Newberry’s five and ten
on Main Street had an automated horse that you could ride for 10
cents and surely you felt like Dale Evans or Roy Rodgers.

“Then, so many great clothing stores: Fashionland and the
Johnston store where you’d spend your hard earned babysitting
money.”