Memories of Days Past, Pt. 1

With the end of summer, a new school year is upon us.  Soon, the youth of Fairfield will once again have to hit the books.  This particular season finds me reminiscing about places in town that, for one reason or another, no longer exist (at least, not as they did when I was younger).  Step back in time with me, as I re-visit a few notable places from my past.  

Roger Ludlowe High School/Community Center

In 1987, Fairfield consolidated its two high schools (Roger Ludlowe and Andrew Warde) into one school, Fairfield High School.  With times changing, Ludlowe changed as well; it was developed into a community center for the town.  My early memories of Ludlowe include a layout that was quite different than the one in place now.  

For starters, the athletic fields were not at all similar to today's facilities.  Instead of a football field, there was an open field area.  This field included a large hill, on which a set of wooden bleachers stood.  The Ludlowe baseball diamond, on which many great games took place, sat behind this hill.  Today, this location is home to Roger Ludlowe Middle School.

This isn't the only contrast that today's Fairfield Ludlowe has from the Ludlowe of old.  Entrances to the building were also quite different.  I remember (as I would visit Ludlowe often as a kid) that to get to certain places, I had to walk down a long hallway in the rear of the complex.  This corridor was approximately where the side entrance to the gym is now.  Another hallway in this section of the building led to a small interior courtyard.  It was here that, as part of Fairfield Recreation's "Action Squad" teen program, I would play dodgeball and other games with friends.  

Just steps away was yet another interesting area; the entrance to what was then the "Bridgeport Engineering Institute" (I believe the school was run by Fairfield University).  Other than the cafeteria, this area was off limits to Action Squad participants.  Nevertheless, I can faintly remember sneaking around the second floor of that section with a friend, just to see if we could get away with doing so!

Being a kid in the nineties was a blast; life seemed so much simpler then.  I have many great memories of hanging out with friends from school, and just kicking back on a lazy afternoon.  The Ludlowe Community Center was a place where many of these memories were made, and I'll never forget it.  

(More to come)

Reviews

[kazzy]

Curious, is this fictional or an autobiography? From a purely technical standpoint, I can hear my English teachers drilling into my head to never start a sentence with a preposition. However, I do not feel that it disrupts the flow of your story in any way. The sentences connect naturally, and nothing feels forced. This seems like a good background/setup to your story, with lots of nostalgia woven into each paragraph. Please keep writing!

[Matt B]

Kazzy, this is a bit of historical non-fiction. I enjoy writing about the history of my hometown and other local areas, so....there ya go. Thanks for the review!