Coppertone, Baby Oil and Charley...

As the weather starts to warm up, my childhood memories always go back to the public swimming pool in our neighborhood.  That was the center of the universe for the kids of Lindenwald in the summers of the 60's.

There really was no discussion.  Siblings, friends, neighbor kids -we would all head to the pool, usually walking there.  Standing in line with our quarter in hand, we'd enter the place, put our belongings in the metal basket, found in the dressing rooms.  We'd turn the basket in to the desk and get a pin with a number that corresponded with the number on the basket.  Pinning it to our swimsuits, we knew our belongings were safe for the afternoon.

Our folks were comfortable turning us loose there every day, unaccompanied, because the gentleman who was in charge, Mr Sharp, (that name just sounds like someone in charge, doesn't it?) ran a tight ship.  "No running"..."no horseplay"(what does that word MEAN?  I've never understood that word!) "no food or drink in the pool area".  A few of the rowdier boys didn't get the memo and spent a lot of time on the "penalty bench" for not following the rules.

One of those guys was particularly pesky.  I'd better not mention names (maybe he straightened up, is
a successful lawyer now and would come after me for defamation of character) but let's say, for the sake of this story, his name is "Charley".   Charley was the pest who would dunk the girls, splash
them when they walked by, cut line at the concession stand.... He was such an annoyance!   A good day at the pool for us was when Charley spent the better part of it on the penalty bench!  I often wonder what ever happened to Charley.  Haven't seen his name in the police blotters but If there's any justice, he had to raise five sons who were as big a pain as he was!

"Pool breaks", when the pool was emptied of kids and the adults could swim in peace, were touted as a chance for the kids to rest.  I really think it was a conspiracy to up their profits at the concession stand,  because that's where we all headed.  Back then, the big decision of the day was whether to get a pop and popcorn, or switch the popcorn out for a frozen Zero candy bar.  Either way, for 20 cents, it was a win-win situation.  When the whistle was blown again, it was back into the pool!

Not so for the older girls.  They, with their train cases (that small boxy piece of luggage) in hand, would spread their towels, get out their baby oil and Coppertone, and be all set to talk and tan.  They didn't get in the pool very often...Didn't want to muss their hair, I guess....and with good reason.  The teenage boys who were too cool for the pool hung on the chain link fence, ogling the girls in their cute swim suits.  

All the pools in our town are gone now.  High maintenance costs, liability, folks having their own pools... I know you can't go back in time but such a big chunk of our summertime  was spent at those pools, that their closings makes me sad.  Splashing around, being with friends, even having to deal with the "Charleys" of the world... Life , in the 60's at a public pool in Lindenwald, was good.