The State Fair Grounds was at 8th street and Eastern which was a little over a mile from our house. During fair time they had a fire works display in the grandstand.  Gloria and I frequently would climb up the ladder and sit on the roof to watch the fireworks.  We also went to the fairgrounds by ourselves on students day and got in free.  Would roam around and visit all the agriculture exhibits and sit on the tractors.

 

We would listen to The Lone Ranger, Jack Armstrong, Little Orphan Annie and other serial radio programs after coming home from school.  They were real vivid to us.  One time Little Orphan Annie and her companions crash landed their plane on a plateau and were attacked by savages.  She fixed up a fire wall around the plane by burning bushes and save the party by getting them to parachute off the side of the plateau.

 

We played a lot in surrounding yards.  Played many games like soft ball, football, king of the hill, running water still water, hide and go seek, may I.  Mr. Ekerle who lived across the street was cranky and would not let us step on his grass.  We were really afraid when a ball would inadvertently go in his yard.

 

One time when we were playing football  across the street in Crisps yard, I got kicked in the eye by a heel as was tackling a kid.  Lens shattered in my eye and blood came over my eye ball.  It apparently cut thru the eyelid and made a small cut in the eye ball.  The eye doctor had to take small pieces of glass out.  I thought I had lost the sight.  However, no damage to vision of eye.

 

We had an open field 1/2 block west.  It was just W of Road Island and N of 24th.  We played there frequently.  There was a very small stream which flowed there and junk cars were piled around and in this stream.  We would crawl inside these cars and play.  On down the stream under 26th street was a large concrete pipe.  We liked to play in it.  I remember it had some rather vulgar things printed inside.  On the down stream side, there was a small pool caused by the rush of water running out of the pipe.  one time, I stepped on a sharp object under the water and cut my foot open.  Was much more careful after that.  Several times, we would go down N of 26 street and collect weed leaves and make cigarettes and smoke them.  Wanda Drake lived down the street.  One time, her dad got the idea of making a play ground in that field.  But we needed to remove the weeds.  Decided to set it on fire.  The fire Dept came and we hid from them.  We were scared to death they would find us and take us to jail.