Old Timer’s a happy day of reunion, by George Fiala

Old Timer’s Day is a once a year celebration for all those past and present who have made the Red Hook Houses their home. People from all over the country include this joyful reunion in their summer vacation plans. Normally, all gather in the comfortable Coffey park, but the park is under renovation so the fest was moved to Bush-Clinton, or T-Park.

This year marked 30 years of Red Hook Oldtimers. The main event took place Sunday, August 9th, and was preceded by various gatherings around town, including a 80’s disco dance party at nearby SRB’s. It went from 10 pm to 4 am on Saturday, and was a possible reason for Sunday’s late-gathering crowd.

The Old Timers maintain a Facebook page called Red Hook Old Timers Day where people stay in touch with the old neighborhood. A related page is the Red Hook Project’s Alumni, whose mission statement states: “

“You know who you are! You grew up in RED HOOK PROJECTS; Peyton Place, Poor Block, Junkie Paradise, The New Projects, Sal’s, West 9th, Lorraine Street, The Bakery, Clinton Street, Flag Pole, Slide Time, Welfare Island, Chavis Block, 811, Paradise, or the Point, etc.

You collected cleansing tops from your mother’s cabinet to play Skelly’s, Double-dutch was a 3-hour game, Coco Levio was an all day event, and in the summer, the Johnny pump was as good as the Pool!, the PAL Miccio was your after school program, or if you brought your shoes from Fred Braun’s you were uppity! And don’t forget the Center Party’s…!”
The feeling is very much like a college reunion. Happily surprised people are seen hugging all day as old friends and neighbors find each other and catch up. “You lived on the first floor at 21 Mill!” “Last time I saw you you were a little girl!,” and things like that.

For some, Old Timer’s Day might be called survivors day. The 1970’s and 80’s were tough times, with drug dealing and gang wars that went way out of hand, ending with the sad death of PS 15’s beloved principal Patrick Daly.

I spoke to people who joined the military to escape the neighborhood gangs, and others who spent all their free time at the Red Hook ballfields, using sports as their way out. I met Lorenzo Boston, who told me that in addition to being the first black to move into the Red Hook Houses, back in the 1940’s, he organized martial arts groups, and used sports and music to inspire local youths into seeking a non-criminal life.

In a way, Old Timer’s Day returned to its roots this 30th year by holding the affair in T-Park, and across the street in the back of the Red Hook Pool. It began as an informal gathering in just that location. As it got bigger, it moved into Coffey Park. This year, the park was unavailable, as a somewhat controversial park reconstruction has closed it for a year. There was some discussion about holding it in the stadium, but in the end T-Park was preferred by the Parks Department and the organizers held it there. Heat turned out to be a problem as the large paved park proved a bit uncomfortable, and many more people spent the day outside the park and across the street, taking advantage of the shady trees.

Police as behaved as well as the old-timers
As in years past there was a large police presence, however this year the police for the most part were friendly participants, rather than stony looking onlookers. This is in part due to the more relaxed, community based policing favored by the new captain, Justin Lenz.

gbrook@pipeline.com