As I was driving down the streets of Belmont today I noticed one thing missing: Kids! Where are they? In day camps, sports camps, nature camps, computer camps, math clubs, etc? Good or bad, times have changed. I remember back in the old days the streets would be full of kids playing Whiffle Ball, Hide-and-Seek, One Foot Off the Gutter, Football, and Red Rover. In backyards we were building forts and trying to dig holes to China. We left the house in the morning, sometimes came home from lunch, and were always home for dinner. After dinner, we'd go out and play until the streetlights came on. Everyone knew each other, and my friends' moms were like my moms. We had sleepovers, during which we would sneak out and try to scare the girls at their sleepovers. The ice cream man came around every day-and although we couldn't hear our mom when she was right next to us-we could hear that ice cream truck coming three blocks away! If we wanted to see a movie, we could go to The Belmont Theater or The Starlite Drive-In. Yes, we had a drive-in in Belmont. The Starlite was located on the east part of Harbor, on the block between Harbor and O'Neill. It was built in the late 50's and operated until about 1971. It held 550 cars. It was the place to go, either as a kid wearing your pajamas or when you were a teen--especially if you had a trunk that could hold several people. If you lived at the O'Neill end of one of the E,F,G,H,I,J,K streets (Elmer, Furlong, Granada, Hiller, Irwin, Judson, and Kedith) you could watch the movies free from your bedroom or front yard. The theater closed and was demolished in 1973, but that's not the end of the story. How many of you remember what was built next on that property? It was huge, but only there for a couple years. Please comment with your answer and any other memories of The Starlite.
Next Time: Mayfair Market, Summer Rec, The Belmont/Bel Art Theater, and Jorgensen's Dairy.
