The Plumer Avenue Gang 

     Ok, we weren't actually a gang but there were a lot of us on the back side of Plumer Avenue (pronounced like Plumber).  Plumer is a dead end and I lived on the dead end side of it didn't so there wasn't a lot of traffic and the neighbors (for the most part) were fine if you ended up playing in their yard as long as you didn't ruin anything. The Plumer Avenue gang included Scott Kelly, P.J. Downs, Chris Smiley, Todd Fischer, Dave McBride, Dan Farrell, Scott Harvey, Gerry Hermann, Bobby & Deneen Newman, Pam Weigand and JoAnn Schwogel. There were also a bunch of kids a little younger than us as well.     

     Although there were organized sports when I was growing up (of course) I can honestly not remember missing many kids from the gang during the summer months. We were always busy doing all kinds of things including football, using the Slip N Slide, throwing Frisbee, riding bikes, playing with my Hot Wheels, going swimming at the community pool or sometimes at our neighbor's house.  Sometimes we would keep ourselves busy for hours clearing out a spot to camp out or just to hang out in the woods. But when night fell it was Freeze Tag or Release. we would play for what seemed like hours and had so much fun and when we played we played in the entire neighborhood. Other than the occasional lamp post outside a house it was pretty dark around the houses. One night I was being chased around the side of this one house and I jumped over what I thought was a little wall and got my foot caught in a little decorative metal fence at the top of the wall. You know the kind, about 12" tall. My foot got caught, I fell forward and smacked my face and chest on a six foot wall. I found myself hanging upside down with the wind knocked out of me, which played to my advantage since I couldn’t make a sound and because of that, I never did get caught!  

     When we weren't running around we would hang out and other than going to each others homes we usually would just hang out in the woods or on the corner. Wanting a place to hang out that actually had a place to sit I decided to ask my parents if I could use a part of the old shed behind our house which had a lot of rooms. My dad used the right side for his tractor and other lawn equipment and the rest of it had been used for homing pigeons that my grandfather raised (before I was born) and then as a bunny haven for many years. They said I could use it but it would need a lot of cleaning. I also used some old paint that I found in our basement and we painted the inside walls. It was our new clubhouse and we had so much fun in there.  

     To add to our places to hang out my dad built us a tree house that was also the source of a lot of good times. I still swear that one night while we were sleeping there was a bear that tried to climb up the tree and get us. That might have been made up in our heads however I do remember playing spin the bottle with some of the girls in the neighborhood, that I’m sure of.  I think that was probably my first kiss from a girl. As all kids will do I did my share of dumb things while growing up -- including putting berries in my ears and an eraser up my nose. No particular reason, just did it!  I told my best friend Dave about the berries in the ears and although we weren't friends back then if I mention this he does a really nice visual mockery of me. 

     I loved growing up on Plumer Avenue and have such great memories of my days with all my friends on Plumer Avenue.

Here we go!

     The holiday season is officially under way Yesterday my barbershop quartet Wired For Sound (Tim Speicher, Me, Jim Mazza & Dave Patton) sang for the new Allegheny Heath & Wellness Pavilion in Wexford, PA. Jim actually works there. We had a great time singing holiday favorites for all of the patients and workers.  

     Tonight our Carolers (Joyce Hamilton, my wife Lynda, my son David and my best friend Dave Patton) will be singing during the Cookie Tour in Irwin, PA and I will be at LaRoche College as Santa for their Light Up Night! Saturday will be crazy for both Santa and the Carolers. Catch the carolers at Settlers Ridge Mall from 12-2PM & 4-6PM then at the Light Up Festivities for Greentree Boro at 6:30PM.

Santa with several friends including the Pirate Parrot at LaRoche College 2013

I will do my best to get a blog out as often as possible but with a crazy schedule it won't be daily. Thanks for reading.

Ron