J. Bruno

Born and raised in Northeast Pennsylvania, the Pocono Mountain area, in then, the small town of Hazleton. I grew up watching the landscape being strip-mined of the Natural Resource called Anthracite Coal. While the coal hauling tractors crisscrossed up and down Route 309, Route 924, and Diamond Avenue. I remained busy eating Jimmy’s Hot Dogs, Third Base Hoagies, and Senape’s pizza, (also known as Pitz). The usually cold days gave way to an even colder night where we gathered at “The Lot”, The lot being a shopping center parking area fronting on the center strip of town, Broad Street.

If Hazleton had an epicenter it would have been Broad Street.

Broad Street, the place where we drove our American Made, make-shift Hot-rods aimlessly up and down in the mission to fight off boredom, (and occasionally to meet the new girl in town.) During this time we waited patiently for summer to arrive, this happened sometime in July, and departed sometime in August.

The other general gathering places usually involved alcohol, places like; “The Warm-up Lounge”, “The Roman Gate”, “The Oscar”, and “Shenanigans” (Really Original), to name a few of the taverns. The only requirement for entry into most establishments, you needed to be taller then Bugs Bunny’s Ears. The advantages or disadvantages of frequenting the local establishments, you got to see the same people, day after day after day - - -.

Then one day, they left the gate open . . .

I now reside in Florida.

Thank you for reading!