Growing up in the ‘Boro

Reading the Journal of Two Centuries of Swainsboro, filled my heart-felt memories with people and places that had brought me joy. My last two columns were filled with a person and a place. Next to come should be an event. This took a while before I realized that I could not single out an event from my precious memories that linger. This column will be an era of “Growing up in the ‘Boro” and will cover my high school years. I give you the chance to do the math on those years. Through the early years, our social life came from school evens. We claimed a sweetheart and expressed it by writing your initials plus the initials of your chosen one. My notebook was covered with SP+CP. (Can you figure that out, Dr. Sasser?) Sitting together at the movie on Sunday afternoon was the highlight of these couples. This did grow into holding hands. By Junior Year, we were beginning to have dates and boys were allowed to drive the family car. You might ask “What were fun dates in Swainsboro?” The answer is “Plenty”. The Dixie Theatre especially on the Saturday night midnight show and two Drive- In Theatres in separate parts of town was an especially fun date. A drive down the road to Coleman’s Lake or McKinnie’s Pond provided swimming, bowling, skating and Saturday night square dances. The 4-H clubhouse had dances and other activities planned by Mr. Varner. Dates usually ended with a stop at The Lighthouse Drive Inn. After a game or other school activity, the parking lot was filled with cars loaded with SHS students who visited from parked car to friends in other parked cars. The Lighthouse was owned and operated by “Puny “Peoples (a full-grown man—not a group of small people) and considered out of town in those days. Interesting that the location of the popular Lighthouse is now the location of a Hospice. I grew up in the ‘Boro & would not change a moment of the days.

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