York County goes to the shore: Memories of a Wildwood vacation
About this time last year, I asked for your thoughts on traditional spots Yorkers go for summer vacations.
In response, I received this note from John Loeper, which I want to share in the hopes of kicking of some more memories of “leaving York” for part of the summer!
John writes, “Vacations in Wildwood, N.J. with a York connection. My family always went to Wildwood for the annual summer vacation. Not only did we go to the same town, but went the same week evey year (3rd week in July) stayed at the same apartment building and even rented the same apartment (3rd floor ocean side). Now the York connection. The name of the apartment building on Glendale Ave about a block and a half from the boardwalk and beach was … the ‘York Apartments.’ It was owned by folks from York named Howe. The also operated a dairy in the White Rose City. Anybody remember Howe’s dairy? Another York connection was a man named Bill Martin. He operated a bar in York and also a restaurant in Wildwood. In addition he had a charter fishing boat business and would take vacation goers deep sea fishing for a day. The trips to Wildwood were the absolute highlight of my summers when I was a young boy. As soon as school was out I would start counting the days until we would go.”
My summer shore trips to Seaside Heights, N.J., and later to Strasburg in Lancaster County, were the same way, John! (And, just as a funny addition: York Daily Record/Sunday News managing editor Randy Parker spent his college summers delivering pizzas in Wildwood!)
Meanwhile, recently, Chris and I went on vacation to West Virginia and found a random little antique shop on the top of a mountain… run by a former York County man whose relatives are related to my elementary-school babysitter.
You can’t make this stuff up – York really is everywhere!
