Amusement parks were a part of my summer entertainment. When I was young my mother- took me to several of them. Whenever she said how about we go to Celeron or Midway, I was thrilled.

Since I was an only child, it meant either my mother had to ride with me or she had to find someone who would. She was not fond of the rides so usually I paired with another child who was alone.

Celeron was a nice park. I remember the roller coaster. I also remember a Ferris wheel with gondola cars. If I went in the fun house mom came along. Usually, you would ride on a car to go through the fun house. I think they had some picnic tables but I never remember eating there.

Midway, on the other hand, usually meant a family picnic. My aunt, uncle and cousins often went with us. They did not have as many rides in those days, but it was fun because I had someone to ride with. We ate our lunch, then went on the rides and went swimming. There was not a big beach area, but it was nice.

I remember there was a Skeet-ball Machine. You got coupons for your score. I saved my coupons to get dishes. I got some dessert dishes and some candy dishes. I still have them and use them.

Midway also had a skating rink. Usually, we went into the observation part and watched the skaters. The music was nice. As I got older, I pleaded to be able to skate. One Sunday my mom and I both skated. That was really fun. My mother could skate!

I loved the merry-go-round at Midway. Although the horses and other animals were stationary, you could pick the animal you wanted to ride. It was under cover. You went in, then got on the machine. The music was really nice.

One Sunday after we had been at the park, we experienced a hail storm on the way home. It was so bad we had to stop the car. After the storm let up, we went on our way.

Often, we stopped at a little cheese shop that was near the entrance to the park. We all liked the cheese. I really do not remember how we got to the park. We went through the country to get there.

If we were really looking for adventure, we went to Waldameer. That was a little further away and was in Erie. Of course, it was not as large as it is today, but we had fun there. Usually, we took a picnic to eat there since we stayed all day. Most of the time my aunt and uncle went with us so I had someone to ride with.

Some Sunday afternoons we went to my aunt and uncle’s cottage on Lake Erie. Sometimes we cooked hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. Other times we took sandwiches with us. My aunt made those cooked oatmeal-chocolate cookies that did not need to bake. As a mother, in later years, I realized that the reason she made them was they were easy and did not require heating up the kitchen.

A day at the cottage meant that swimming was on the agenda. We quickly changed into our swimsuits in the cottage. It had one big room and a porch. When I slept there, we always slept on the porch – my cousin’s parents took the bed in the main room. There was nothing fancy about the cottage, but we had a lot of fun there. My uncle took us down to the lake with our bar of soap to wash up for bed.

I remember seeing a water spout over the lake one time we were there. Our parents called us in at that point. Often, we would walk on the beach. We could walk quite a distance without interfering with anyone.

I remember my great-grandfather being with us at the cottage for a picnic. Somewhere there are pictures of this! He sat in the rocking chair and visited with Mrs. Bock, my uncle’s mother. I was quite small at that time. He died when I was in the fifth grade.

We also visited the beaches in town to swim in Lake Erie. Sometimes we went to The Point. When I was there a couple years ago, I was surprised to find out that the road now ran the opposite direction. I am not sure why they turned it around.

We had a lot of picnics at The Point. They had a refreshment stand. My cousins and I would pick up empty bottles to turn in for a refund. Usually, we had enough to get ourselves a bottle of pop when we finished.

When I was in high school, we often studied for our exams on the beach. I had to go to work so I was careful not to get my hair wet. One of the boys had his family’s car so he drove me home so I could get to work. He also went to work so that worked well for us.

I remember swimming at two other beaches in town. One was in the First Ward. I took swimming lessons there. I remember riding my bike down to swim. They always had lifeguards. I got acquainted with one of the life guards and he took me for a ride on a motorized scooter between the beaches.

The other beach was not used a lot but it was near the electric plant. Sometimes there were dead fish and seaweed there – not a very appealing site.

In those days we made the most of our summer vacations. As I write about it, I realize how much fun we packed into them. It was great to live so close to the lake.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.