Growing up, I had easy access to the electric buses that ran all through the suburbs and eventually downtown since the bus route literally stopped at my back yard on the Redwood route and the driver would rest or take a smoke break or get back on schedule So it wasn't unusual that even as young as 6 or 7 my friends and I would take a trip downtown, naturally unbeknownst to our parents.
Tikes was fantastic...It was Santa's workshop right there in downtown Dayton...we walked around for hours looking and touching as many toys as possible. The electric trains were a showpiece of Tikes and we struggled to get as close to the trains as possible and let our minds imagine having a setup like that in our own basements.
Our timing couldn't have been better because just as we were watching the Lionel engine making its circuitous route a staff photographer for the Dayton Daily News snapped our picture and jotted our names down.
Not thinking much more about the photo session, since we were dreaming of that train set, we ventured on home in time for dinner, with our moms never knowing the difference.
The next day at dinner, as I came into the house I was greeted with a "Young man, do you have anything to tell me"...those words in themselves could bring fear in anyone...I kinda looked around with my head down and spotted that dang picture right smack dab on the front page edition of the Dayton Daily News...I hesitated...and again I heard.."Well, do you...do you have anything to tell me?".....I thought and thought and miraculously the answer came to me.....I said "I love you..is that it?".......Mom shook her head, put her arms around me and hugged me like only a Skeeter's mom could do and I could see a slight tear in her eye that quickly became a twinkle and she said..."Skeeter what in the world am I gonna do with you"....she never brought the incident up again ...nor did I.......Gosh I loved Christmas. I loved Rikes and Tikes and boy, I loved that electric train.
2 comments:
Tikes was such an amazing place for children. My dad took my sister and me to see the Rike's windows, which were magical enough, and to Tikes with our coins in our little purses. Then we looked at all the very cheap, 'cool' gifts they displayed that children could buy for their families with their coins.So what was the answer to your mom's question, Tom? What WAS she gonna do with you? ;-) Merry Christmas.
Your articles bring back such good memories of my childhood in Dayton. I too loved the trains - not only at Tikes, but the Train depot had a great display set up too. My grandmother usually took the train down from Detroit for Christmas and I can remember watching the miniature trains while we waited for hers to arrive. My dad worked for the railroad for a time both before and after WWII, so he was as fascinated by trains as I was. I still try and have a train going round my Christmas tree in his honor. (I have been lucky enough to renew my love of real trains during my trips to Europe - it is a real pleasure to enjoy their great rail systems - like our 5 countries in 48 hours return from Krakow to Orleans!) I also remember the bus trips to downtown Dayton from the time I was quite young - never without my mother's permission, however.
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