Chester Chatter: Down hill to downtown; up hill home

By Ruthie Douglas
©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC

When I was growing up in Springfield, I could not leave my house without going down a hill and returning back up a hill. Every day that was true just to go to school.

Often times, it was true for at least a couple of times a day. Saturday morning I most often went roller shaking at the community house. Later, I went to the movies. I loved to read. I went to the library at least twice a week.

A favorite of mine was walking on Main Street and looking into the store window displays. One could view the beautiful jewelry and the latest fashion clothes and shoes.

Usually, in warm weather, the doors were wide open to enter J.J. Newberrys, the five and dime department store. At the storefront were barrels filled with several kinds of loose cookies. They were 5 cents each and I would carefully pick out my favorite — the fig bar. Everyone reached in with their hands. Paper bags were available if you wanted more than one. No one cared that many hands touched the cookies.

I was allowed to go downtown when I was about 12. My mother felt that it was perfectly safe. My sister had to come home by dark.

Condolences and a time to give

Our sympathy to Ellen LaFlamme on the death of her husband Ed LaFlamme.

Long-time Chester resident Dotty Cook has died. Dotty was known to many for her kind, sweet ways. She was a retired nurse at Springfield Hospital and volunteered at her church. Our thoughts are with her family.

Skip Forbes has enjoyed a visit from his daughter Kim, her husband Dan Fox and their son Thor.

The Red Cross held a blood drive at the NewsBank Conference Center on Monday. A big thank you for the blood donations collection. The American Legion Auxiliary served food for those donating.

AARP volunteers are attending training sessions at the American Legion for their job aiding senior citizens in filing their income taxes.

Now that the busy holiday season is over, Friday night dinner is served from 5 to 7 p.m. at the American Legion in Chester. Everyone is welcome.

A friend has assigned me a mission: Finding out how Lovers Lane came to be so named. In many towns around us they all have a Lovers Lane. If you know the answer, please give me a call at 875-3260.

• This week’s trivia question:  Who took the photo for the cover of the first issue of Vermont Life in 1946? Where was the scene?
  
• Answer to last week’s trivia question: The Orcutt family donated land to Chester for the Pinnacle Recreation Area.
  

Street Talk

What good movie have you seen lately?