Penny Candy

Pottsville Pennsylvania was a travel destination for us in the sixties. That's where my mother and her family lived for a few generations. My grandparents, Grammy and Pappy, aka Alice Dimmerling and Paul Schuettler, raised 4 children in two difference houses located on the same street. 

Laurel Street as I remember it, was a "boulevard" in those days, wider than most streets in that town, with exception of center city.  The street was on a hill west of the city and within walking distance to schools, churches, taverns and ma and pa grocery stores. One of those stores was owned by my Pappy.

Ownership came to Pappy Schuettler after my great grandfather, August, died in 1952. This is when Pappy moved the family from 509 Laurel St. to 504 Laurel St. The store occupied the front of the 3 story row home, complete with its glass-front store window, embossed with A. Schuettler & Sons, and welcoming wide steps leading to the double-door entrance. The family entrance was an unassuming door on the right.

This grocery store was more of an olden day Quik Shoppe. It had convenience items but no fresh vegetables or meats. And it had penny candy!  The candy resided in an oversized oak case with a curved glass front so as not to miss any of the many varieties offered.  I can remember my favorites like watermelon slices, coconut slices, root beer barrels and Mary Janes. There was also red and black licorice, straws filled with flavored powder, fireballs, shoestring licorice, candy cigarettes, gumdrops and tootsie rolls. On the high end, and for a bit more than a penny, you could get peppermint patties, pretzel rods, chocolate bars and candy necklaces. A nickel or a dime would get you an eight ounce brown bag full of fun to share with friends. 

Since my grandfather worked as a "baker man" for Capital Bakery, delivering to homes in the Pottsville area, the store was tended by my Uncle Frank, youngest of the Schuettler kids but already in his twenties.  During our summer visits "up home", my brother and I had the distinct pleasure of helping out in the store. We were in charge of the penny candy case, filling those little bags full of candy for the neighborhood kids (and a few parents) for an afternoon.

My uncle also ordered novelties to sell in the summer, such as kites, pop caps, balloons, yoyos, coloring books to name a few. We had a chance to earn some of these as pay for a "hard days work" at the candy case. We learned many life skills working behind that case.

In the evening before bedtime, Grammy would treat us to a soft drink and pretzel rod or a Dixie cup of ice cream. I can still taste that wooden spoon attached to the ice cream cup lid. My brother and I made that treat last as long as possible. My favorite thing to do was pour soda into the Dixie cup to make a float or dip my pretzel rod into the soda to watch the salt react with the carbonation, then eat the flavored stick.

It's these memories I can recall in a split second as if they happened yesterday...and for that I'm thankful. 

Footnote: 

Fast-forward 2 years from the writing of this blog entry. I never published this piece when it was written in August of 2021, and now I don't recall why. But, in that lapse of time I found a new (but still old) online gaming hobby...making videos of my gaming experience and posting to my YouTube channel. 

I mention this briefly here because I recreated my memory's version of Pappy's store (and the house my grandparent's lived in behind it) while playing a game called House Flipper. I'll let you do the research on the game using this link:House Flipper-Frozen District  

You can watch my YouTube video of Pappy's Store here: Pappy's Store

Lithuanian Days - August 14, 2021

What a day! An hour+ drive to the Schuylkill County Coal Regions for a Lithuanian cousins reunion on one of the hottest days this August. Still, that did not deter our chatter around the open firepit, sans fire, on the grounds of Catalpa Grove at Lakewood Park  for most of the day. The link will drop you on their homepage to view several pictures of this modern rustic venue tucked neatly in the woods, including "our spot".

This day also represented an important date in my history...my birthday!  Though I didn't have a cake, I did enjoy a rendition of Happy Birthday sung to me in Lithuanian by Ken's friend who met up with us at the event; a treat equal to a cake! Since Ron and I were born in the same year, three days apart, he would be celebrating his birthday a few days later. 

Tony, Ken, Ron
Christina, Robin, Kristine

I arrived at noon, as did Ron & Ken, who were in from Michigan the day before. Christina, her mother Robin, and her Uncle Tony, in from Harrisburg PA, had arrived earlier along with her son and brother.  Today was the first time I met Christina and her family in person, another treat!  And that led to the next treat ahead...lunch.  

The event menu, sponsored by the Knights of Lithuania Council #144 Amber District, was true to our recollection of foods our families made during our childhood and beyond. So, during our lunch-around-the-firepit we discussed our grandmothers' recipes and how many we still make.  Missing from the menu, for me, was the potato pancake known as bleenies  (blynai), a favorite of mine that my grandmother made and thankfully taught my mother. I never heard of Bandukes, but was happy to find out they were meatballs... that went very well with my order of Pierogies!  For recipes of these goodies and more, click on                  A Coalcracker in the Kitchen. 

As festival events go, this one was pleasantly low-key on beautiful walkable grounds, complete with vendors of Amber handmade jewelry, souvenirs and crafts, ethnic displays and a local historical society. We also enjoyed ethnic music, roaming men and women in historic costumes and outdoor plays depicting lives of Lithuanians and historical stories told for generations. On a side note, Lithuanians are the great source of information about all things Amber, a fossil resin thousands of years old discovered in the Baltic area in the 1850s.  

My interest in genealogy drew me to the Mahanoy City Historical Society table, where I purchased a book, Lithuanians of Schuylkill County and spoke to Paul, one of the society's knowledgeable volunteers for many years. Paul helped me a few years ago trying to track down an address in Mahanoy City, listed on a ship manifest as a destination for my great grandmother Anna (Ambrazaviciute) Jamitis traveling to America as a single girl from Lithuania. Unfortunately, we could not confirm the address was located in Mahanoy City as stated on the document. Ahh, a day in the life of a family genealogist. 

Our day of family comradery ended with dinner at a favorite local restaurant that Christina and her family frequented when they lived in the area. During our meal, we vowed to meet again next year for as long as we can travel.  The day renewed my desire to jump back into my genealogy records, looking for missed clues or new information since my last research spurt. Using online archive sites, I can say with certainty I found several gems to share with my cousins and a few more to help confirm research questions stagnant on my family tree for a few years.

Fun stuff if you're me 😁!

Family Reunion (of a sort)

Since my last post, I'm confirmed to attend Lithuanian Days at Lakewood Park with my two cousins from Michigan, one from Harrisburg PA and my friend from bowling league who visited Lithuania several years ago looking for her family's Lithuanian village.  My Michigan cousin, Ken, is still trying to contact a few other family tree members to make the trip in August.  

I am hoping I hear the Lithuanian language at the August 2021 festival. It will remind me of my grandmother's conversations with her sisters when they came to visit her in the summer from Schuylkill and Columbia counties. It all sounded like gibberish back then, but there are great memories attached to those summer days when my brother and I would stay for a whole week without mom's supervision. 

My brother and I knew that meant all things good and plentiful, like fresh fruits and veggies from her garden, chicken with homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, staying up late, "camping out" overnight on the enclosed back porch and swimming in the above ground pool  everyday the weather permitted. From the looks of it, no one lost their breathe blowing up the pool, it was just a cage and a liner.  Wasn't I cute?

Kristine, 1957

Nanny, Charlie, Mom and me 1957
(neighbor's house in background)

For a few years, before we moved from Muhlenberg Township to Oakbrook section of Reading (also known as the 18th ward), we lived 3 houses away (called the Cherokee Ranch development) from Nanny and PopPop Goodman during preschool age, pre-1959. So it was great to spend a summer week between school years with them and see friends we grew up with. 

Russell & Edith Goodman (Nanny & PopPop)
in their tile-walled kitchen, circa 1959

I have been focused on my paternal side of my family tree, but I haven't forgotten about my maternal side. In my next post, I'll share some kid stories about the German/Irish grandparents. Hint, they ran a mom & pop grocery store in Pottsville PA.  Until then...

Hello Again & The Garden

After a long hiatus from blogging and genealogy in general, it seems time to get back to swinging among the family tree branches again. ⸙ ⸙ ⸙ ⸙ ⸙

During my absence, I pursued genealogy blogs and caught up on newsletters not read. I'm getting the itch to plan a research trip again, but the Lithuanian brick wall gives me pause as does wearing a mask in those facilities still requiring one to enter.  It would also be more fun traveling with a friend or meeting up with family for a common tree branch dive once again. Still on my to-do list, though.

This August there is an event called Lithuanian Days at Lakewood Park in eastern Pennsylvania. The link here Lithuanian Days will take you to Facebook event page with more info. It's just over an hour from my location and during my birthday weekend! Attending is on my list, perhaps with a friend and/or family from Michigan. Maybe there's a polka or two in my future. 🎶♬♫🎝

This past year I met a new friend at the bowling lanes. We are both in the summer Senior League and by happenstance began talking about family history. When I found we both had Lithuanian heritage and she already traveled to the motherland, I wanted to hear more. After a summer lunch served in my friend's cozy townhome, we spent an afternoon sharing memories and family histories. Maybe there's a polka in her future too. 

And I want to mention that my gardener, aka my husband Carl, is successfully tending to the plot located in the SE corner of our backyard. His green thumb gives us a chance to enjoy fresh vegetables all summer and to share the fruits of his labor with friends and neighbors. In abundance now are cucumbers and peppers. Soon we will have eggplant and tomatoes. Lastly, and new to the garden, is cantaloupe. One plant has taken over the garden, competing with the single cucumber plant for half the space! 

In fact, a current third picture would show almost no back fence from all the trails of vines from these two plants, much like a FAMILY TREE !

I'm personally looking forward to the tomato harvest to make as much pasta sauce as I can. Perhaps I should research recipes my Lithuanian "Nanny" Edith Jamitis Goodman made from her garden harvest in the 50s and 60s.  Like tomato jelly, cold tomato salad and pickles. Her entire pantry was full of many varieties of canned vegetables at summer's end each year. I can picture her garden and the pantry as clear as day.

Well, I've made myself hungry talking about the garden, so off to make lunch. If you got this far, thanks so much for hanging out with me. Talk to you soon!

Elementary School Grades 5 & 6

1963 - 64 school year was a favorite of mine. Subjects were more interesting and social interactions important. Going to the Reading Public Museum for history and civics was awesome, mostly because we were served a taste of the foods original to the country we we studying. 

Our neighborhood had many children and my friends were close enough to visit everyday without getting permission to go off the block. The previous summer's fun didn't wear off until the second report period. Then it was back to soaking up all that came at me. I feel this year I realized I wanted organization in my day. Everything was black or white, no gray areas. And still today I balk at the gray areas in all aspects of life. 

The school chorus became my extra curricular activity.  Mr. George Yorgey, my 5th grade teacher and only male teacher in the building, was also the chorus director. The highlight was the holiday music show at the school gym in December 1963. Being on stage with my mom and brother in the audience was thrilling. Chorus members were split by gender, traditionally to keep the similar voices together. Boys with higher pitched voices and girls with lower pitched voices (like me) were in the center still next to our gender group. Mr. Yorgey was premature bald and we tried not to giggle when we saw the colored stage lights above us blinking on and off his head. Doesn't take much to amuse a 10 year old.

Report card cover

☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺

My 6th and final school year at Thomas H. Ford Grade School 1964-65 seems like eons. My first thought then was dancing to the top 40 on my transistor radio at WRAW 1340-AM. Miss Eshmont, as I recall, was the most stern teacher I had. Definitely different in character and teaching than the others. She presented herself as a younger Granny from the Beverly Hill Billies show on TV. That's how I remember her.

May Day Celebration in the spring of 1965 was the highlight of this grade. It's a European festival of spring celebrated by our ancestors including singing about the new growth of the spring season and dancing around a large pole while weaving long ribbon streamers from the top to the bottom. These ribbons were held by the dancers as they lifted them over a dancer and then under the next. Until now, that's what I always thought it was.  I found this after Googling the subject:

"May 1 marks the Celtic festival of Beltane, also referred to as May Day, which many neopagans and Wiccans around the world observe to celebrate the onset of summer. Beltane may refer to the “fires of Bel,” in honor of the Celtic sun god, Belenus. Though the origin of the practice of wrapping a tall pole in ribbon and woven tree branches is difficult to pin to a specific time and place, historians agree that the Maypole began as a part of the Pagan May Day festival known as Beltane in the UK and Ireland and Walpurgis in Germanic European countries."

The 6th grade students voted for the May Day Court. It may have been by a show of hands, though I could stand corrected. I was hoping to be selected and at the same time preparing for disappointment. I made the cut, phew!  

Then I found out I had to wear a real pastel dressy-dress! Ugh. My tomboy tendencies made this process unpleasant for everyone involved. I was in tears when I first put on the blue chiffon dress with shoulder streamers and a big gaudy fake rhinestone pin on my chest. Fake rhinestone, that's pretty bad, right?  If I had to wear this dress, I made sure that pin was not part of it! Including the pin, the only other thing missing in pictures below is the May Pole. Darn.

The May Queen was Margo, sitting front and center in a white dress pretty as a picture, and my best friend Margie was runner-up on her left in a pink dress. There were several pink dresses worn (parents did not coordinate) so it's easy to spot me in blue.

Oh yeah, my grades. Apparently my 'self control' was in question early on, as well as reading independently and my singing voice. I figure it's just the summer fun taking a while to wear off. 

Getting out of "grade school" was exciting and scary.  I had to find a way to get to Southwest Jr High School in town because the school district did not provide transportation that I can recall. Public transportation, before they called it BARTA, was ten cents one way. 

And last but not least.... my report card cover.  I have NO WORDS for this piece of art! 👀