I don't know where to start. You have brought back so many wonderful childhood memories for me.
Starting with Maxi and his chicken coops to Pistol Pete! I adored them all. As a child growing up on Banner Road, everything was an adventure.
Jack employed my siblings and I either babysitting, camp counselor or whatever he needed us for. Pistol Pete used to bring us home, if it was "very late," refusing to let us walk home in the dark. He used to tell us Jack told him to!
Jack and Mrs. Banner would allow us children to use the pool, gameroom and paddle in the pond. One of the things we did not have permission to do was play on the golf course, so when we were caught Jack gave us a "stern" talking to.
Maxi employed my brother for several summers growing up and I have never tasted a better egg since. He always had his Irish Setters that were so beautiful. I was a senior at Nathan Hale, when Mrs. Simon opened Down on the Farm. I was always fascinated by the workshops. Once again she employed a child that really didn't know what she would do after school. She taught me things that summer that I still carry with me today.
I guess the thing that means so much to me today is that all the people I have mentioned treated us like their own family. Not only did they employee us, but they cared deeply for us and I will always owe them a debt of gratitude.
I remember Pistol Pete and his car down at the old Moodus Center during the parades. We always had to run over and say a big hello! He was bigger than life to me.
Thank you so much for bringing back wonderful childhood memories for me.
--Judy Ryder McCarthy
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Hello All. I was happy and surprised to find this site about Riveredge in Moodus CT. Presently my husband and I reside in Haddam on the other side of the river. When I was a kid growing up in Stratford CT, my mom, dad and older sister Elaine used to spend a week in the summer there (usually the third week in July). As far as I can remember, we went there for 11 years in a row, so I summered there from 1959 until 1969, the heyday of the place. I first went to Riveredge when I was three until I was 13 years old. I absolutely loved it! Back in 1989 I actually went back there with my husband to visit Olga and Art Donellan and discovered that that was the final year they were open. When I drive by, I still have the spooky sort of nostalgia that I am somehow looking into a happier and more innocent past. I remember canoeing on the Salmon River with my dad. We would always like to paddle up stream to see if we could "fight the tide". I also loved the swimming pool and would try to dive for pennies at the deep end which (I boasted when I was 8 years old) was ten feet deep. There were days at Riveredge when I would spend literally 8 hours a day in the pool. I also loved the power boat and was so very excited when kids were allowed to ride on the boat while the adults went water skiing. It was my first true boating experience. One time when we were on vacation, I developed a head cold. I wanted to go swimming so bad, but my mother refused to let me since she thought I would come down with pneumonia. My dad, feeling sorry for me, said "come on Jan. Let's go for a canoe ride instead." In typical fashion, we both decided to paddle upstream. However, that day the current was atypically strong, so the canoe tipped over and we both tumbled into the water. I was as pleased as punch since I actually did get to swim that day. But, when I came back to our cabin dripping wet and with further sniffles, I thought my mom was going to crucify my father. (Poor dad!) My mom and I still laugh about it today. Then of course there were the corn roasts, marshmallow cooking, and hot dog/burger events. I lived the corn roast and would always choose the ears that were most burnt! In 1969, my older sister Elaine actually worked as a waitress at Riveredge. Olga always ran a tight ship with her staff, and my sister was always stirring up a little trouble. One day, when they were having their typical Sunday morning brunch, and the long table was set up in the front porch of the "big house", my older sister was late for her waitressing duties. All of the other girls were lined up nicely behind the table, but my sister's spot was empty. I could hear Elaine running down the hall to try to get behind the table before Olga could find out that she was late. I could also hear Olga coming from a different direction to check on the Sunday brunch setup. Hmmm, I thought, who was going to make it there first Olga or Elaine as I sat in one of the white wicker chairs on the porch. My older sister, realizing her predicament and knowing that she could never make it around the edge of the long table to her designated center spot, last minute decided to dive under the table and crawl up on the other side. This was the exact minute that Olga entered the room. When they finally came face-to-face, Olga said "Elaine, you are 18 years old, and I don't know how you will ever make it through 4 years of college with the type of self discipline that you have!" Without batting an eyelash, my sister said, "The same way I made it through four years of high school!" Oh well enough said. If I ever was to think of heaven and what it would be like - it would be to relive my experiences I had from 1959 to 1969 that third weekend in July. Janet Marie Mandroan Lemond
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