Chester Chatter: A sweet-filled Valentine’s Day in grade school

| Feb 12, 2018 | Comments 2

By Ruthie Douglas
©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Excitement was running high in the classroom. Soon it would be Valentine’s Day. We kids knew that meant a party.

The art teacher helped us make mailboxes for our Valentine cards. We brought in boxes to be decorated. A shoe box was just the right size. Available were colored paper, ribbon, paper lace doilies and perhaps beads.

A slit was cut in the top of the box to receive the cards and we set the boxes on our desk waiting for mail delivery.

My sister and I had books of cards that we cut out. We were careful to select just the right one for each recipient. A card for the teacher was always included in the book. My mother made sure we wrote out a card to each person in the class.

We decorated the classroom with cutout red paper hearts taped to the windows, hung crepe paper streamers and set out bowls of little candy hearts.

Our party was held at the end of the school day. We had red Kool-Aid, cookies, cup cakes and other sweet treats. The best thing about the day was that love was in the air.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Farewell to close friends, staying close with others

My long-time dear friend Mark O’Neil has died. He leaves a town full of friends. Just about everyone knew Mark, for he lived a colorful life and lived life to the fullest. Mark will be missed.

Wain Maass, a long-time resident of Chester, has died. A service and celebration of her life will be held June 2 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Chester.

Marlene Ingalls is home after spending a month with her daughter Carmen and family in Ohio.

Super Bowl Sunday and for sure Steve Harrington of New Jersey was at the American Legion with his friends watching the game. Steve grew up here and stays with the Pat Gordons when he comes to town.

The Domino Chicks met at the home of Linda Stowell of Tuesday for lunch and a game. A good time was had and, guess what, I came close to winning.

A big thank you to our Chester Road Crew. What a good job they do to keep our streets clear. Chester is lucky for sure.

Cribbage tournament at the American Legion? Starts Thursdays, Feb. 15. For more details, call 207-590-0201.

  • This week’s trivia question:  Who earned the name Speedy for his playing basketball for Chester High School? 
  • Answer to last week’s trivia question: Rumor has it that Popple Dungeon Road was so named because of the many poplar trees that hung over it, making it seem like you were entering a dungeon.

Street Talk

Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day and what does it mean to you?

Chris Parks: Yes, it’s my grandma’s birthday.
Jessica Hagland: I found out I was going to have a baby,
Will Wilcox: I celebrate my birthday.
Kelly Sinclair: Yes, I do for the kids.
Sam DiMeo: Buying cards for my new granddaughter.
Beth Secx: A time to show love for my family.
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Filed Under: Chester Chatter • Community and Arts Life

About the Author: Ruthie Douglas is originally from Springfield but has called Chester her home for 58 years, and has been writing the Chester Chatter column for more than 40 of those years. Ruthie is also a longtime volunteer throughout the community.

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  1. Richard Sweet says:
    February 14, 2018 at 1:50 pm

    Love reading your column

  2. Deborah Costa says:
    February 14, 2018 at 10:58 am

    I so enjoy these articles of yours. The memories shared are sweet and those of a simpler, traditional times. I especially liked this one about Valentine’s Day. I remember doing exactly what you described growing up in CT and years later assisting my son with his Valentine selection and preparation. My partner, Ron Betts-who you know from Chester-also gets much pleasure in reading these missives. Happy Valentine’s Day, Ruth!

    Deb Costa and Ron Betts-Belmont, VT