The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-08-21
Around The
Cracker Barrel

Remember how we used to sit on
the ledge at the Davis and kishlar
store those sunny days. long ago.
We watched traffic drift by all
morning and in the afternoon shift
ed TO the Huron st. side where 1t
was exciting just to watch folks
gulp water from the new drinking
fountain, That's where Joe Sack
man used TO sit on his motorcycle,
one foot on the euro and an eye our
for speeders. And when he went
after one, That gave US something
TO talk about, you bet. In those
days we knew everything that was
going on. Nobuddy caught a fish
then that we couldn't tell the
weight and kind within an hour.
There wasn't much about the old
town We didn't know, but not now.
Things are just moving too fast
There isn't any place to sit now.
/ We can't even dawdle over cup
pacawfee" without folks piling up
three deep waiting for us to get
/ through.
But we're getting used to it, We
can't cross Michigan Ave all on
one trip. We stop in the middle and
hope to make it in the next dash,
/ those OF us who can dash, or we
come down early in the morning.
/ There's about 90 minutes between
the Bomber shift and the time the
office and store workers start.
That's when we get places.
When It first started we Just
looked the new folks over and
sorta divided them into strangers
and "hillbillies." Now they look us
over and say, natives But it's
been fun seeing the old town boom.
Take for instance the day the
Bomber soldiers arrived in town.
We stood on the sidelines and
gasped. But not so the young ladies'.
said one to another Just like a
gold rush. You don't know where
TO stake your claim
But think what the laundrymen
said with all those fine heaps o.
dirty clothes at the camp and the
laundrymen without sufficient help
to wash them. But the clothes had
to be washed so they were tied in
a bundle that would be a nightmare
for any housewife, loaded into a
B-24 bomber and taken to Chicago
One day service, another bomber
trip, and the boys were spotles,
again Mighty fast living for this
old town!
We used 10 think 1t was really
sumpin and we felt almost metro
politan on Fourth OF July when the
Ford Motor Company gave us bus
service to Recreation Park. That
was one big day a year Now they
provide free bus service for soldiers
at the Bomber plant every thirty
minutes daily from ; O'Clock in the
afternoon to 1880 p. m.
And are those soldier boys glad
to see someone from where they
came from! Take Ernie de Ambro-
sio. for instance. He just looked
like a fellow from Brooklyn and
when a girl said Hi Brooklyn" to
him was he surprised, When he
explained he wasn't the man she
thought he was, he and the cir
discovered they we're from the same
home town. East Orange, y. j.
She lived about six blocks from the
de Ambrosio home.
Ypsilanti "sin't like she usta be-
but it isn't just the soldiers setting
the new pace. Take these imported
workers. One. working eight hours
a day at the Bomber plant. droppec
in at a local garage to see II h
couldn't get another eight hour.
work because where he cum from
eyybuddy works l6 hours a day.
He learned his automobile mechan
les on the tractors of farm neal
his home.
Then there's those new tangled
parking meters that keep car.
changing so fast we hardly have
time TO figser where they're from
what make. and how much they're
"wuth." We've watched people
"rassle' with arithmetic to see how
they could get the most for thei