P»ge 7
Christmas Past Through Eyes Of A Child
(This article is reprinted from last year’s Christmas issue for those who missed the message)
Seeing the gleem in the eyes of children as they await
Christmas, it seems like yesterday that we were
youngsters.
Just as the children of today get excited about
Christmas, so were we. The whole world seems to be
filled with enthusiasm as the calendar moves forward
to that very special time of year.
But my, how the times have changed. Perhaps as
children we were too caught up in the season to
understarid what was going on elsewhere. In the
neighborhoods I remember, there was more unity
among black people.
Christmas was a time for giving. Not of gifts, but of
giving ourselves. Maybe our economic condition forc
ed us to be that way. There were no elaborate gifts to
parents, siblings and friends. But what was given, was
given with love.
The tradition that first comes to mind, in thinking
back, is roller skating. Fvery black child in Winston-
Salem, it seems, looked forward to opening a box of
Union's, Kingston's, Fly-Away's or some of the other
popular brands of skates.
Skating then was never an individual activity. It was
almost always done with a group. From the time a five-
or six-year-old learned to skate, there was always the
thought of becoming proficient enough to join the
"older" kids. Their conquests included barrelling down
some of the more notable "skate freeways" in Winston-
Salem.
Among the most notable places to strut your stuff was
Foster Street in Happy Hill Gardens. Another was Derry
Street and Glenn Avenue in Kimberly Project. Those
with loftier goals set their sights on "The Lawn," which
was in front of the old Union Train Station.
There probably will never be another place like "The
Lawn." Teenage blacks were forced to congregate there
for a number of socio-economic factors, first of all,
Rudolph Murphy
Electrician
1009 E. 30th St.
Winston-Salem, NC 27105
767-3079
blacks weren't allowed to go to the city's indoor skating
rinks. Secondly, skating on the lawn was free. The on
ly thing needed was a pair of skates and the courage
to speed down the steep incline.
From sunup to sundown, blacks would challenge the
hill. A wide assortment of different styles would be
seen. From the eagle-spread to skating backwards and
everything in between.
Skating, however, wasn't all that happened on "The
Lawn." From Christmas day until after New Year's
black kids gathered to meet friends, old and new. In
between skating sessions was time to grab something
to eat. There were several black-owned spots to check
out, depending on your taste. There was Pronto Grill,
Mom and Pop Cason's Cafe and - for the more
Continued on page 22
by Rodney J. Sumler
to 357 Jonestown Road.
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take right & Center Stage is on your right
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OFF SELECTED FTEMS
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LMnndnaa S oouiique hartiwiocoitonin357Jonestown«oad.
‘Joyous Holiday Season
To One and All ’ ’
Dr. Alma Adams
Councilman - Elect
City of
Greensboro
0=^
Happy Holiday Season
and
A Prosperous New Year
Laverne Speas
Forsyth County
Register of Deeds
jCrown^ Drugs
It’s Crown for the
Holidays!
Stocking Stuffers
SERVICE, SELECTION AND SAVINGS Qrown ’S
FROM
“THE PRESCRIPTION PEOPLE”
Toyland