I Was ASKED To REPRINT THIS STORY By A GUY WHOM TURNED 50 This Week-Happy Birthday J.F.

THIS IS LONG BUT BY GOLLY ENJOY THIS PLEASE::

It was only a dozen years ago , 1992 to be exact, that I was driving up the infamous stretch of road, about eleven hundred feet of it, with my black and silver "Driscoll's Concessions" vending truck at about 6:00 am, on a Saturday morning, as I was invited to sell food at the base of Alvord Park for the Torrington Youth soccer programs.It was beautiful fall September day. I have since sold my concession business.
As I entered the park,my heart was pounding,my skin was getting clammy.I was in a "feeling of slight depression" as my truck appeared to inch forward, remembering "bits and pieces" of "years gone by" or basically having "flashbacks" to the left and to the right of an Alvord Park that once was. Remembering sitting on this ones car,someone not letting you lean on their car,admiring that sportster XLH, or how many people were packed in that station wagon of long ago! I guess it would be the same to some, if you went back to your college today, after a 25 year absence.
It was allot to take in, so early in the morning ,surrounded by the only sounds of birds chirping away.It was surreal.
Though , for me, it was like going to confession to drive that road after almost 25 years after I last sat a night at the park dreaming of what my life might bring.
In short, it was a day of reckoning for my long haired Crosby,Stills, Nash and Young style partying days.
I am sure others had similar experiences bringing their kids to play there after a hiatus of their younger years on that stretch of road as well. Their kids may never read this story!
THIS story will probably the hardest I one I will have written to date.Though, it would be unfair not to pen it as it was a part of Torrington's past.Yes, I am writing about ALVORD PARK.
I will say "up front" that I will not name "one person's name" in this story, as, most of the people that will read this read story today,that hung out at the park , are now grandparents and their kids, have kids of their own! They may have stuffed this in a place in their brain that has forgotten the days of black lights and tie dyed shirts. Let go back and say we are talking about a timeframe from about 1973 to 1978 or so.Maybe YOU fit into this story somewhere,though do not want to admit it!
So we are back in time when we were just finishing our wonder years at THS.
Gas was about 53 cents a gallon. Our friends older brothers,were still in Vietnam, dying.
The original Mc Donald's restaurant with its 'golden arches' on top of East main street was thriving, a large order of fries were 29 cents.You could still legally swim at a great place called "Bash Bish Falls" in Copake Falls, New York. The glass building on East Main street was still my kindergarten school, without the glass facade.
Bradless had burned to the ground a few years ago.Sunnybrook Park, on the Newfield Road was a clean place to take your family or pets for the day.As I look back,we were fortunate kids.

Cruising, was the thing to do.
From taking a half hour ride up the Norfolk Center to a quick ride round Harwinton Lake and maybe even stop and jump in the water on the tiny town beach.There is no place like Lake Harwinton.
From Twenty Four bumpers road , to the quietness of " The Backroad " in a hilly section of Burville Conn we would cruise.
On a sunny day, a slow ride on a then, narrow road around Highland lake , who can not remember jumping off the rocks or swinging on a rope or stopping at Toto's?? for a cold coke on third bay. Or to the water springs up on Newfield Road below the wall of rocks and yes, filling jugs of water as well on the Harwinton side of Clearview avenue.We did not cruise into Litchfield that often,the State Police barracks were there as well back then only on the OTHER side of the road.
Night time rides to " The Doors " which the older kids had us all riled up about and all they were JUST two BIG large doors , that set off an alarm when you touched them, they are still there,, at the Compensation Reservoir in Barkhamsted.It was scary though at night! Yes, we made a few trips to Duddleytown as well in Cornwall Connecticut. I can remember lots of great rides with trees dancing and colors abound!
From Dutton Hill , Bradford and County Road to the roads behind where Wal-Mart is today, I can not believe I just said that word in print, we would cruise. Stopping at Mr. Zanders Apple house for a candy bar ,having the munchies was a common occurrence! You do not hear that word "munchies" that often anymore? I am sure it has been replaced with a new term?
While our cruising journeys were endless in our "big boat cars" from Cadillac's or Chrysler's, a Tempest,Impala,a hearse or a station wagon, to a VW, Tr 6 , a Fiat or an Opel, we were kids that would always end up the same place on Friday night,meeting with all the kids in the city at a venue called ALVORD PARK.
Now before you elders decide to cast stones at me, for talking about 1970's Alvord Park, try and remember the people that RAN Torrington back in these years,they were YOUR friends and your age. Or as they would be called today,, the godfathers of Torrington.I will not point out whom were Mayor's, the 20 city councilman over those years,the board of education's and or who ran the police departments back in those days in this column.I will though say that "that" generation of officials thought it was better for us "hippies" to congregate in ONE PLACE, that being Alvord Park, than all over town. They ALL, city officials, looked the other way as I NOW look back on those fragile years. I do not blame them, though, now I say I would have expected more from them, back then.
I will not for one minute try and justify that what we did their was right or wrong, though, we were a close knit family of kids looking to fit in with the times. We did not have computers ,cell phones or ATM's.We respected and loved our parents,just like the children of today.
We ALL worked a part time job after school and looked forward to Friday nights.It was a place where we did not bother other people and they did not bother us.
This is important to note, I am quite sure back in these time, the Torrington Police department's officers did not have "ticket books" that they carried with them. The Chief would be notified BEFORE anyone was booked.I do not recall anyone ever being, taken away for doing something bad, from the park in all the years I went up there. And the cops drove through every day and night,waved and left. We did not burn cars or bother other one's property , on the contrary, you could leave your car unlocked up there,take a stroll to visit other dudes or dudes and come back and not worry about having someone taking even one of your 8 track tapes! Yes, cassettes were on the way.
There were a few vehicle accidents that should not have happened,that is the only sad part of this story,but it is a fact.
Friday night would see hundreds of cars, just try to drive down to the "turnaround area" and park usually only on the right hand side facing towards Kennedy drive.On a graduation night and or a " White or Maroon " THS election party, "forget about it" cars could and would be up and down Kennedy drive.There was no Chamber of Commerce building back then and lots of you guys and I would drive our 250cc dirt bike's through these woods and up and down the "bowl area" where kids sled in the early 1960's.
We would watch this " concrete band backdrop" be built in the bowl area, not really sure why? as i am not even sure it ever got used!
Within a 400 feet drive within the park, we could hear musical great as, the Who,Jethro Tull,Fleetwood Mac,Jefferson Starship,America,Aztec Two Step,Queen,Frank Zappa,Boston,Led Zeppelin,J.Geil's,Springsteen,Mick and company and yes, even a little Joni Mitchell,Carly Simon or Janis Joplin blaring from their cars.
I do not recall seeing fights at the park or anything related to violence or destruction, except, maybe to ourselves in the way of alcohol and or a few smokes. Panama Red was a friend of ours,never really knew where he or she was from? Didn't matter!
We kids never saw, heroine, crack or (Exctacy??) ,nor us kids ,never graduated to that stuff either our entire lifetime. We liked Boone's Farm Apple Wine and maybe a Molson Golden Ale. Occasionally, a shot or Mr. Daniels or Crown Royal.The word "Quaalude 714" has since left the vocabulary of today's generation,Thank God.
WPLR's 99.1 "stoneman" got us through the night with his tunes as well as did the "Litch" who left to be with WHCN at 106 on the dial.
I can not believe i am saying this but: guess the park and recreation department employees did have their hands filled after a Friday and Saturday nights partying up there back then.
Most people that do read this and hung out there probably spent close to a "years time" hanging at that venue,some more.
I can not believe that it has been 25 plus years since we hung out at Alvord Park.Good people hung out there,I would still call all of them friends.Someone, I spoke to, summed up Alvord Park in one word: PEACEFUL.
Most people will say they had quite a few good times up there and others might say they had a bad experience as well there.I would agree with all of them!

I dedicate this to anyone whom smoked a joint,blunt,doobie,j-bar,bone, or pipe full at this place way back when and still to this day are a sane person!We are NOT awful people!Have a great day and do not expect to many comments today? :-)