Jonelle Shadowens
11 posts
Jul 22, 2010
3:36 PM
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Memory tells me that my older sister and I spent every childhood summer Sunday at Old River. Maybe it wasn't actually so but it feels like it now, if you know what I mean.
We were a typical family of Daytonians. One grandfather was an original member of the NCR 25 Year Club and passed away while he worked there as a toolmaker. The other grandfather retired from NCR's security department after working security at Colonel Deed's estate. My father worked at NCR for a while as a tool designer and eventually went to work at Delco-Moraine but we always seemed to have access to Old River.
As little ones, my sister and I were dropped off at the (fenced in) Tot Lot so our parents could go on over to the big pool. Old River emplolyees kept us safe and in addition to swimming, there were wooden rocker-type things 2 kids sat in and each one held on to a bar while we rocked each side up and down till we thought we'd bump the clouds. When I see how small those rockers really were--as an adult looking at Daddy's slides--it takes me back to some innocent, wonderful times.
We loved watching the Old River band with Clark Haines march in alongside the big pool and stand at attention for the playing of the national anthem at the huge flag in front of the bath house. Boy Scouts took down the flag and folded it at the end of the day. The band's concerts were wonderful, too.
Remind us all of more good times there, please!
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Curt Dalton
330 posts
Jul 24, 2010
3:52 PM
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Hi,
I've said this in other places, but a reminder might be due. Old River is open this summer to the public. See what Jonelle is talking about - relive some memories - and make new ones!
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phil pixley
19 posts
Jul 27, 2010
9:03 AM
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As we were an N.C.R. family I was there a lot.N.C.R.transferred my Father between my Junior&Senior yrs.broke my heart.Only went back several times on visits home.It was a great place for an afternoon date.A lot of wonderful memories !!
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Carol Pernell
1 post
Aug 01, 2010
1:48 PM
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As well I remember "Old River" even though my family didn't work there but we always seemed to have access. I remember "the tot lot" standing by the fence not wanting to be left. I also remember the NCR fire works on the Fourth of July fireworks sitting on the banks of the Miami River.
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Jonelle Shadowens
24 posts
Aug 05, 2010
11:53 AM
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The fireworks! Thank you so much for reminding me! It was the only time/place I saw fireworks displays on the ground; an American flag or steam engine, for example. Beautiful! Thanks again.
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cilla46
8 posts
Dec 24, 2010
12:44 PM
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My grandfather,Howard Bryant,was a member of the "25 Year Club" so we had access to Old River every summer.My favorite was was taking a canoe ride in the "river"!My big brothers would paddle me around and around until I wanted them to stop.It is one of my favorite memories!
I remember watching the old folks play shuffle board.
Of course the very best was the pool!It was huge and always full.
Thanks for bringing back the memories!
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Hugha
1 post
Dec 27, 2010
5:12 PM
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I had swim lessons there every summer.
Mom would make sandwiches (including pimento cheese) and sometimes Dad would walk over from Bldg 26 and have lunch with us.
Old River was the first place I had Mountain Dew.
I loved the slides in the pool.
Sometimes we would canoe around the lagoon.
We always had to feed popcorn to the fish.
Anyone remember the giant chess and checker sets?
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kbarr11
13 posts
Jan 02, 2011
2:29 PM
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We were an NCR family also. Loved the summers meeting my Dad after work for a picnic after a day of swimming. We also fed a lot of popcorn to the fish and definitely remember the giant checkers the canoes, and swimming lessons. That place seemed so huge! But what fun!
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AllenN71
142 posts
Jan 02, 2011
3:08 PM
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One thing I remember about Old River was the unspoken "no shop talk/no ranks" policy. Once past the gates, a janitor was equal to an engineer. My brothers and I swam and played with the sons of security guards and machinists. And the pool was patently unsuited for swimming laps like a hamster on a wheel. The philosophy seemed to be that excersise should be fun, by golly.
Today there are people who schedule their jogging runs before and after work. Just running down the street with no other purpose but to stave off ill health. When they swim, they swim.... LAPS! Ugh. Everything these days seems to be oriented toward work. The joggers are grim and determined as they run their pointless circuits, and I'll warrant you'll never see a smile on the faces of the lap-swimmers. prisoners in the "exersise yard" have more fun than these benighted souls.
Old River taught me better.
I'll bike two miles up a series of grades to get some sushi or a haircut, then reward myself with a high-speed coast back home. Walgreen's is six blocks away. Need something? It's a nice walk, about one mile round trip. I'm pretty sure that if it hadn't been for Old River, I'd be among the joyless drones jogging to nowhere.
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Yermudder
1 post
Aug 28, 2011
1:09 PM
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Fantastic place. I loved those hot dogs--almost white, like veal or something. And we'd get a little box of pretzels for a nickel and squirt mustard on the cellophane wrapper to dunk them in. And I remember the soda machines where you could set the pointer to what kind of drink you wanted, and it would pour into a paper cup. We'd wave the pointer back and forth to get a mixture of everything. Tasted horrible, but it was fun mixing it. Ah, and that foul-smelling disinfectant pool you'd have to walk through to get to the big pools, and the scraped knees you'd get from the rough pool bottoms. The huge wet slides... Feeding popcorn to the carp... A million memories...
Last Edited by on Aug 28, 2011 1:10 PM
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RandyCCRider
3 posts
Jul 17, 2012
8:58 PM
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Are you kiddin'? I was in NCR band. The best perk we got was Old River.
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johnbarnone
2 posts
Jul 18, 2012
11:19 PM
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I recall,after swimming,my brother and I would cross the foot bridge,and half-way across,stopand look down in the water to see HUGE Carp.I don't know how old Carp live to be,but these babies were Grandads,for sure.We would feed them Popcorn,and theie huge lips would suck the popcornpieces,and then disappear into the murky depths.Wow!
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tlturbo
364 posts
Jul 19, 2012
6:03 AM
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I only got to go swimming there when invited - usually by a girlfriend which put the brakes on looking at other girls BUT I did have a girl-friend who would take me there just as a friend. I also remember the huge carp under the bridge.
Usually I was at the pools at Wright Patt around Dodge Gym and the Officers Club.
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87 Buick GN
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AllenN71
364 posts
Jul 19, 2012
12:43 PM
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The screen image on this laptop is a view of Old River's pool, taken sometime in the mid-to-late 60s. For all I know, I'm somewhere in that photo. The people I know who have seen that image cannot believe their eyes.
It's a black-and-white photo, but in my mind's eye I can see all the color. Man, what a kid's paradise.
I also remember the canoes and paddling around with my younger brother, who liked to sit in the back and use his paddle to steer while I did all the work of propelling the darn thing. I believe these days he votes Democrat...
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stevedog52
1 post
Jul 26, 2012
5:40 AM
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Old River was certainly a magical place.I was fortunate enough to have worked there,summers of69&70.
One of the first jobs I had.I worked in food service, usually at the pool. It was the best place to meet girls.The scenery was great,especially poolside.
A lot of my realatives worked at the "Cash",as did my parents and grandparents.Some of my earliest memories are of Old River.We attended department picnics every year.I remember eating meals at the "grove"that's what we called it,the big shelter by the bandstand.Later,as employees,we got a discount,we ate along with the lifeguards,and the shrimp was everybodys favorite.I also flipped burgers at the minature golf course.I remember at the bathhouse the distinct smell,the wringers towring out wet swimsuits,the wire baskets you put your street clothes in,the numbered metal discs to claim your basket.I remember the p.a.system,you could hear it a mile away...
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luv my dayton
133 posts
Sep 11, 2012
10:43 AM
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As children you usually had many friends who had parents working for NCR and you had many invites to go and do whatever. Swimming was the main draw but when you went with family friends and parents thats where alot more activities were done. Outdoor movies, canoeing, fireworks on the 4th, picnics, miniture golf and many more small activities. It touched my heart when not too long ago when heading down FarHills to get to Shantz ave and look way down into the Old River and saw the bathhouse, all out in the open and alone, where you changed into your suit, walked through the trough of clorine water to get outside and to the pool. For many years it was called 'seal island' as there were so many people there, yet enough room for all to enjoy. Sad to think the park is gone, and all the friends and family I used to go with. Time marches on and sometimes its a heart tugging journey.
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theWiz
10 posts
Sep 12, 2012
7:34 AM
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In 1953 I almost drowned in the pool-I was either 4 or 5 years old and we were there with a bunch of my aunts and cousins (my grandfather was a 25 year club member) I watched all these folks jumping and diving into the pool and thought-'looks easy,I'll try it'! well, I stood on the edge and jumped in--all I remember is lots of bubbles and chlorine up my nose!!! Thank God my cousin Sonny Belme saw me jump in and asked my aunts,"can he swim"??? they said NO, and he ran to the edge and reached in and pulled me out. Still remember it like it was yesterday!!
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luv my dayton
146 posts
Sep 17, 2012
9:48 AM
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I remember Tot Lot too but only because I recently was going through old pictures and there I was with a family friends kid and we were on that rocking thing you spoke of. Also remember becoming bored and got separation anxiety not too soon into the venture. Was kind of a boob back in those days!
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