Sweet memories of eating ice cream, shooting darts, and seeing pretty girls

DUANESBURG — The OMOTM started arriving at Gibby’s Diner shortly before 7 a.m. They said hello to their fellow OFs and talked in their cars as they waited for the doors to open at 7. Sure enough, the doors opened, and in they went.

So in they went, still talking about whatever it was they were talking about in the cars. Another thing about the OMOTM that may not be common knowledge, they can talk! In a car, walking along, waiting in line, eating breakfast (that does slow them down a touch).

One of those conversations had to do with the old ice-cream drive-ins around the area, most of which are gone now. Places like Dutchers ice cream in Altamont. Their ice cream cones were huge! One OF was heard to comment that you really had to eat them fast in hot weather before they melted all over the place.

How about the Toll Gate Ice Cream in Slingerlands, or Dukes Dairy Bar in East Berne. I spent many a summer Friday or Saturday night at Dukes eating ice cream, drinking a Coke, and shooting darts over in the far corner all the while sneaking quick glances at the pretty girls.

Sometimes we would drive over to Fonda for the stock-car races; I had to bum a ride because I was too young to drive. I believe Duke would lead the way.

I could be wrong about that; an 80-year-old’s memories about things that happened when he was a young teenager sometimes are not the most accurate! But I do remember a stock-car driver driver named Kenny Shoemaker and speaking of Toll Gate Ice Cream, how about Howie Westervelt driving the the #24 “Toll Gate Special.”

Oh, the dreams a young teenager, who didn’t even have his first driver’s license, would have that night! I also spent a lot of time at the Toll Gate enjoying ice-cream sundaes and eating French fries and watching pretty girls. Do you sense and pattern here? Hint, no, it wasn't the ice cream or FFs!

Mind you, all of this was being talked about and old memories being stirred before we had even all arrived and sat down to order breakfast.

At another table, one OF sat down and promptly pulled out a bottle of 100-percent pure maple syrup made right here in the Hilltowns. When asked why he had brought the syrup, he explained that he was going to have a tall stack of Gibby's big pancakes for breakfast and he wanted “real” maple syrup along with plenty of butter!

And that is exactly what he ordered. He ate it all.

Call for volunteers

From ice cream, maple syrup, and pancakes, we moved on to another table where the conversation was somewhat more of a serious and important nature — of volunteers for the local fire departments and ambulance squads. These organizations depend 100-percent on volunteers.

I went online and quickly found nine fire companies from Berne to Knox to Medusa to Westerlo and they all had two things in common. First, they all are officially called and known as “Volunteer Fire Companies” with the name of the town coming first. The second thing they all have in common is, they are all in need of additional volunteers.

The same holds true for emergency medical services. Although the two organizations are different in that they serve two separate segments of our community, they nonetheless are joined at the hip.

You will always see the EMS vehicle at a structural fire, standing ready to assist a firefighter or anyone who may need some help. Likewise, you will always see the firetruck and or the rescue truck standing by a car accident also to lend a hand if needed.

Another thing they all have common is the behind-the-scenes army of volunteers. The public, for the most part, is unaware of this army of men and women who are standing by with whatever is needed to help the firefighter or emergency medical technician who stumbles out of the smoke-filled building and really needs a drink of water or maybe some oxygen or maybe just a place to sit for a moment to catch their breath.

All that and much, much more is waiting for them because of this behind-the-scenes army that is always there, ready to do what is needed. Maybe that help is in the form of a 75-year-old OMOTM just handing out a towel or half a sandwich or directing that firefighter or EMT to a chair.

All volunteers. No one is getting paid for this; they are all just doing what they can to help their friends and neighbors in their communities.

It takes all kinds of volunteers. Are you good at numbers? Accounting? Mowing a lawn? Organizing an open house to try to get a new member? How about a fundraiser? Participating in a work detail to keep the trucks and equipment and building clean?

Are you a purchasing agent/inventory type person who can make sure there are enough Band-Aids and spare parts for the equipment? Are you a mechanic who can help keep those trucks and the rest of the equipment in perfect operating condition so when the time comes they all perform the way they should, as if people's lives and homes depend on it? Because they do.

They are a team. They work as a team. They are all heroes. They are volunteers. 

Please consider donating a little time to volunteer; it will change your life. Just ask the OF at the table who was reluctant at first to join the EMS squad but, when he did, he stayed for years and he says it was the most interesting and rewarding endeavor he ever did. I can personally attest to that, but that is another story.

Those OMOTM who made it to Gibby’s for breakfast included Harold Guest, Wally Guest, Ed Goff, Jamie Darrah, Wm. Lichliter, George Washburn, Miner Stevens, Frank Fuss, Russ Pokorny, Frank Dees, Ted Feurer, Jake Lederman, Marty Herzog, Roland Tozer, Roger Shafer, Ken Parks, Joe Rack, Glenn Paterson, Mark Travor, John Dab, John Williams, Jack Norray, Gerry Cross, Dick Dexter, Lou Schenck, Herb Bahrmann, Elwood Vanderbilt, Bob Donnelly, Dave Hodgetts, Allen DeFazio, Henry Whipple, and me.