Village Green was a summertime tradition for countless Long Islanders in the 1970s. Located at 974 Portion Road in Ronkonkoma, this small venue offered multiple miniature golf courses, snacks and more. It was a great place to spend a hot summer day. … read more
It’s summertime, and you know the ice cream man is going to come around later in the afternoon. The question is, how to earn a buck before he gets there so that you don’t have to go without? Answer – lemonade stand! … read more
In those muggy, unbearable summer days of the 70s, Suffolk Country residents packed the family into the car and made their way southbound on William Floyd Parkway to Smith Point. Waiting for them – soft and sandy beach, an iconic snack bar, and the cool, soothing Atlantic Ocean. … read more
During those muggy summers in the 70s, there was no sound more welcome than the jingling bells of the ice cream man. And one of his more popular items was always the patriotic popsicle known as a Bomb Pop. Sporting the three colors of the American flag, each representing a tasty layer of flavor, the Bomb Pop soothed many a soul during those dog days of summer. … read more
If you spent your childhood on Long Island during those hot and humid summers, you are probably no stranger to an icy confection known as the Italian ice. Readily available from pizza parlors, ice cream trucks and supermarkets, Italian Ices came in a colorful assortment of flavors and provided much needed relief to kids and adults alike. … read more
Kids without easy access to a pool on Long Island in the 1970s had to find all sorts of creative ways to stay cool in the summer. Luckily, the folks at Wham-O toys were there to help, via the ever-popular Slip ‘n Slide. Simply roll out the narrow plastic mat, attach a garden hose, and do try to make sure that the end of the slide doesn’t lead to a tree, driveway or sidewalk.. … read more
Kids have long held a fascination for rockets and toy stores have long offered an ample supply of plastic replicas. But if you wanted to actually fly one in the 70s, you had two choices – either take up the involved hobby of model rocketry, or just buy a cheap water rocket. Fill it up, give it a few pumps, fire it skyward and hope it returns. Simple. … read more
What’s not to love about a sno-cone in summer? Even better, what if you could make them yourself? Well, the folks at Hasbro had 1970s kids covered thanks to two iconic sno-cone machines, each of which churned out millions of the icy treats over the decade, building the arm muscles of thirsty kids all over Long Island. … read more
For many Long Islanders, it just doesn’t seem like summer until they hear the familiar jingle of the Mr. Softee ice cream trucks. It’s a sound locals have listened to for over half a century, a Pavlovian indicator that some superb soft serve is roaming the nearby neighborhood. … read more
There were few greater moments in childhood than that glorious day in June when you walked from your school for the final time and stepped into summer vacation. The warden had granted his scholastic reprieve for a handful of weeks and it was up to you to make the best of them, to cram every bit of fun you could muster into those dog days of summer. … read more
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