I've been getting a few photos from you guys and wondering how to present them, and it came to me that it might be a good idea to start assembling a Roseville Scrapbook featuring snapshots of the good old days. I'll start working on it this weekend. If you have one to contribute, send it to me attached to an E-mail. However, PLEASE put "Roseville Scrapbook" in the subject so I'll know it's safe to download. Alternatively, if you don't have access to a scanner, you can always just mail it to me. You can contact me at bonaire@thecanteen.com . Let's see what we come up with.
Peggie Russo-Millard and Joe Bilby have started us off in this section. The URL is http://www.thecanteen.com/scrapbook01.html . Start digging through those old shoeboxes for photos, folks.
The photo at the UN was a real surprise. The trip and posing for the picture was an experience. We were all told to be on our best behavior which meant that all we could do was breathe. I believe that Jeff is the fourth boy from the right in the 4th row and Bobby Kiernan is to his right. There are many faces I can recognize, but cannot be sure which is mine.
Thanks, what a great picture!
This message has been edited by from IP address 205.188.116.134 on Sep 1, 2004 2:48 PM
I have seen little mention of that wonderful gathering place we frequented and, in some cases, met our future spouses, Gruning's Ice Cream Parlor on Orange St., next to the Fidelity Union Bank on the corner. We spent countless hours there by day and by night. The ice cream was home made and quite rich. There was a large case of chocolate candies (also home made), and across from that a counter where one could choose from the many fountain specialties, order a sandwich or just a cup of coffee. Their coffee was also first rate. Because the owners were German, rumors that they were Nazi sympathizers were passed around. The tiles on the floor had what were reverse swastikas, but that proved to be an old Indian design. They were as patriotic as the rest of us, however.
Grunings had perhaps the best vanilla ice cream I have ever tasted. When I had my tonsils out in 1950 or so, they gave me Gruning's vanilla -- I could tell because of the taste and the yellow tint. As a kid I used to really enjoy their "dusty road" sundae. When older, in college, I used to go to the Grunings in South Orange village, as well as "Grunings at the Top" up South Orange Avenue, on dates or after Seton Hall basketball games.
About ten or eleven years ago I took my kids up to take a quick tour through the old neighborhood and the Seton Hall campus -- all much changed, of course. I promised them we would eat the best ice cream ever, and drove into South Orange, and then up the mountain -- but alas! Both Grunings were long gone.
Life has been good to me, and most of the changes of life positive, but that is one change that like to broke my heart.
We left Roseville for South Orange in 1970- pretty much I hated SO but the Grunings duo was a real bright spot for us. IMHO- Grunnings had and still has the absolute bestest peach ice cream that I have ever had- Christmas was the awesome ribbon candies and Easter time - well the chocolate bunnies were to die for. Their windows with that cellophane lining for each holiday was magic- I know how you feel- every time I go past that apartment building on SO Avenue where the Grunnings Top was- I get a pang-
You know- I thought that we moved far away from Roseville- I mapquested my old address to the South Orange address- the distance was only four miles!
Laura, you say "still has." Is there still a Grunings (Or is it Grunnings? That seems more correct to me.) somewhere? Please say yes
I know what you mean about the distances - they seem vast when you are a litle kid, but they are really rather short. When I first came back to survey the old neighborhod, I started driving down Roseville Avenue from Orange street -- and found myself crossing Bloomfield Avenue in such a short stretch of time I was amazed!
Alas, Joe- I misspoke- wishful thinking on my part- Grunnings is gone forever- I am horrible with dates- but whenever the SO center Grunnings closed- (the icecream making business was behind that location) - there were rumors for several years about a group buying both the candy and icecream formulas (that were Grunning family secrets) Turned out to be not true-
Too bad- there are no more places like Grunnings or the Palm-Carvel and Baskin Robbins are just not the same.
Do you recall Scharaff's(sp) in downtown Newark? I seem to remember going there as a little kid for lunch with my grandmother- we took the bus and were all dressed up with gloves and hats- it was a real treat but Grunnings was better.
Hi,
You mentioned the family recipies for Grunnings ice cream. Does anyone know where they are, or who owns them? I would love to get into making at least a few of them if they were authentic. My memories of Grunnings are at the Plainfield store. I am sitting looking at an old place mat/menu as I write this. If only I could run down and have a half pint of mint chocolate chip (65 cents hand packed).
As late as 1990 you could still get gallon containers of their ice cream at the Kings market in Short Hills, but no longer.
it was "Grunings" and I still have a straw wrapper to prove it! And, Joe, I'm with you. I absolutely loved those Dusty Roads at Grunings. They must have been a NJ thing because when I moved to CT I had to explain to the waitresses at Friendlys exactly how to make one. My sons were SOooo embarrassed! Hope to see you and all the other correspondents on this website at the dinner dance. It should be a hoot!
I may be there on Friday, John. I did request the day off so that I could go down to Newark with my brother Ray ('50), but as the date gets closer it seems like a long haul to make round trip in one day, only to return to Jersey from central CT the next day for the dinner dance. If only I had a private jet...
While it's not Grunnings, Denville Diary in the center of Denville on Broadway has some of the best ice cream around. For those coming west just take Rt 46 West and upon entering Denville take the road off of 46 near the Lake Arowhead sign, this is Bloomfield Avenue, which leads into Broadway. Two blocks down on your right is the store.
I had a cousin who lived in Denville and we used to drive up Bloomfield Avenue, which became Rte 46, to get there -- it took an hour or so. It was pretty rural in those days - I think they got indoor toilets around 1950.
I remember catching fish and turtles and hunting fossils at a couple of lakes that were on either side of a railroad track, as well as shooting my cousin's .22 rifle. I loved all that stuff and I was always kind of disappointed to come back to Newark -- of course we had other conveniences in the city -- like flush toilets and easily available comic books and candy stores -- and of course, Grunnings.
I imagine that if I went to Denville today I would not recognize anything. Oh yes, one last note -- there was a good ice cream place on Rte. 46 in those days, I think in Whippany -- it was called O'Dowd's and attached to a dairy farm, if I recall correctly.
i worked with ray in the a&p on orange street along with richie myers fl.
married to shiela washington, paul biss married to peggy moere al dietrick , bob clark, tom maholand . i am trying to be there.
Joe, Well Denville hasn't changed that much, a few more buildings in the town center. The city sewage came about in 1966. The lakes you talk about are Indian and Esling. I live in the Indian Lake community on East Shore Road and about 10 houses from the railroad tracks you talk about. The real building in this township is on the other side of Rt.10, which is called Union Hill. In the past few years people have been enlarging their homes. There are no summer homes left in the lake, and slowly the bungalows(?) are either being torn down or are being enlarged. One thing you can no longer do is fire that .22 rifle, unless it's hunting season, and even then I think you have to use a shotgun. On another note O'Dowds was in the Pine Brook section of Montville Township. My son went to school (Morris Catholic) with some of the O'Dowd clan. The store sign now sits on a hill on the family property in Pine Brook.
What about Nasto's Ice Cream? My father worked a part-time night job in the Ironbound section of Newark. He would bring home Ice Cream or Lemon Ice from Nasto's. Nasto's Ice Cream is still there today. It's location is at the corner of Jefferson Street and East Kinney Street in Newark's Ironbound Section (Which is still a solid middle-class thriving community today.). I have had Grunnings and O'Dowds etc. and I believe Nasto's was the best then and is still the best today!
I never had the pleasure of eating Nasto's ice cream or ices but my benchmark for lemon ice has always been Louis Ting-a-Ling's over on Bloomfield Avenue. There were some interesting fights to watch in the parking ot there as well.
I will take a ride to Denville, if I can find it. Once I got off the interstate up there but must have been in the wrong area of town, as I was befuddled -- but that's not unusual.
You are right about Indian and Estling Lakse, of course -- now I remember the names. My relatives lived up the hill from the railroad station, if I recall, and we used to shoot the .22 in the backyard --with a safe backstop, of course. Then, as now (mostly), hunting in NJ was a shotgun proposition, as you note -- we just used to shoot tin cans with the .22. We found the fossils in a hill cut through for the railroad -- i still have a few.
I also remember a river (the Rockaway?) running through town behind the main street-- there was a little park there and I used to go down to the stream with my crappy old steel fishing rod from R&S on Orange Street and try to interest the waiting trout I could see in the worms I would flail at them. They were unimpressed at my ineptitude -- "stick to sunfish" kid, they seemed to say.
A few years back some friends and I flew out to New Mexico and fly fished the San Juan river -- and, although I am at best a mediocre fly fisherman, I caught my share -- and as I did so, I remembered those longago trout in Denville. Guess I had the last laugh, but maybe not, because I released all the trout I caught.
Great ice cream. They may have had to work on political correctness if they were around today. I vividly remember "swasticka" designs on their floor tile.
As kids we got a kick out of employees
disapearing behind the counter as they descended down a shaft leading to the cellar on some sort of mini elevator. I also loved the two Grunings in South Orange, both now long gone.
We loved O'Dowds and the big indoor flea market type of building behind the store.
Could someone please tell me about when Grunning's closed? I lived at the McAvoy Courts from 70 till I left for California in Nov of 74. Of course I lived in the projects (where I was born at St Joesph's Hosp.) then moved to central ave. (went to sussex ave. school) then to N. 12th St between 7th and 6th and ave. when I was 7 in 1963(address was 42-44 N. 12th St. Pretty good mem. huh?) then we moved across the street. Then to 185 N. 11th st (between park ave and 4th ave.) Our Landlords were the Rallo's as some of you may remember Rallo's Italian rest. on Orange Street (they sold the house and moved to southern cal. they were related to my good buddy Louie Caloia and when I moved to southern Cal in 74 I had dinner over at the Rallo's family's house....small world!). Tommy's was on the corner of 4th ave and 11th st anyone remember the 2 Italian bros. who owned it?? they made the best meatball sandwhiches and 2.00 cheese pizzas that were awesome!! then in 1970 moved to the McAvoy courts til I moved to Cal in 74. I could remember as a small boy going to SRL on sunday and my stomach would be growling cause I knew afterwards we go acroos the street to this I think it was a deli or something and my mom would buy a dozen cream filled chocolate donuts.......anyone recall the name of the place? I think it was next to Uncle Sam's shoes. I could also remember my older brother and father used to work at the Tivoli and in the summer, my friends and I used to go everyday for free, and the lady in the concessions I found out later had a crush on my dad so she gave us anything for free and as often as we liked! Now that was heaven!! Man! do I miss those days!!
my dad owned a deli on orange street, a few blocks down from the tivoli, between sixth and fifth street, uncle bill's. there was a bakery immediately to the west and flieschman's hardware store to the east. just saw some comments about dolan's, which was at the fifth street corner. there was an a & p on the sixth street corner, but that eventually gave way to home liquor.
Hello Harold. I remember your father's store very well. My mother would send us there for a quart of milk and a loaf of bread. I would also save my money and come in to buy a 5 cent candy bar. We lived in the apartment building on North 6th Street and I remember you - we played together along with my brother Ralph. (The 2 of us had light blond hair then.)
yes, i remember you and your family. as i recall there were a lot more than two of you and i seem to remember you lived in one of the apartment buildings on sixth avenue, between orange and sussex. i also remember that my dad called your mom 'brownie' and how surprised i was that your mom was having a baby (this had to be in the mid '50's). moms were moms...they didn't have babies.
John C., Once again, I am in awe of your ability to make this website a clubhouse for all the many folks who lived their lives in and around Roseville. Welcome, Hal; I hope you visit often.
Hi Hal,
I just love this site. My parents owned Ratner Candy Store on 108 Orange St. We had an apartment-I think it was 106 North 6th St-
above the Police Station) In our apartment we had a dumbwaiter where each nite at 6 we would Chester, the superintendent's son would always have that job to do. Boy have times changed.
Hal - Wow, what a good memory you have. Actually, it was my dad that was nicknamed "Brownie" rather than my mom. My mother gave birth to my youngest brother in June of '55. I also have 2 older brothers so there are 5 of us!
this is an amazing experience. moved from the neighborhood in 1959 after my mother died. dad closed the store that year after the medical bills outran the blue cross. any sussex ave school people out there?
This message has been edited by hlevine from IP address 160.254.20.253 on Oct 13, 2004 8:55 AM
We lived on Sixth Street in a three room apartment. One Easter someone gave my sister & myself two baby chicks. These two chicks were confined to the kitchen. Grew rapidly as if being fed miracle grow. My Father & your Dad agreed the chicks would be put in cages in the basement of the deli. Faithfully everyday Carole & I would go through the store down the back steps to feed the chickens. One day my Father & yours came down with us. We had to say good bye your Father had found a 'farm' where they could run free.
i remember those chicks...they did grew fast, although i never knew about the "farm." we seldom used the outside steps to get to the cellar of the store. that's where we stored canned foods, paper products (bags and wrapping paper)and the empty soda bottles. it was my job to take the empties down to the basement and sort them according to brand, of which there were many; coke, pepsi, hoffman, canada dry, hires and dad's root beer, nehi, yoohoo, orange crush. never liked that basement!
Thanks to Dick Evans, we have some photos from the earliest Roseville Soapbox Derby races. Look for them at http://www.thecanteen.com/scrapbook03.html. Thanks so much, Dick.
Welcome Dick Evans, a fellow Roseville Ave. and Sussex Ave. student,and thanks to you for your photos of the Derby and beautiful St. Rose, however I do not believe that 1951 was the first running of the Soapbox Derby. I remember watching the the derby more than once at the foot of the viaduct, but in 1951 I was nineteen and had little interest in litle boys in soapboxes! I believe the derby started earlier and may have restarted in in 51. Also I never heard the viaduct called Indian hill.
The name "Indian Hill" intrigues me. Was it a 50's thing? I lived on N. 12th St. at 7th Ave. which was right at the foot of that ramp from 1940 to 1953 and I never heard it called by that name. We always referred to it as "The Ramp." Anyone know why it was called Indian Hill?
I grew up on 23 No. 11th St. between the tracks and Orange St. Our house was the second house from the tracks on a dead end street. I remember the hill being called both. I'm not sure there was an official name since 7 Ave. continued beyond the hill. Perhaps the name depended on the time or the side of the tracks you lived. We referred to the hill with both names.
John, You are so right! The Viaduct was the only way for autos to cross the railroad from Bathgate Pl. to 17th St in E. Orange, so the traffic was always heavy. The steps at the dead end of N.13th lead to the top of the Viaduct. At the top was a small, narrow sidewalk; however, there were not sidewalks down the three ramps to 7th Ave, 14th St. or Hedden PL. Today I have no idea why I liked to go up these steps to the sidewalk to nowhere!
Another thought, does anyone remember the Kosher chicken market at the dead end of N.13th St. at the foot of the steps?
Yes Doris, I remember that market. I think every single day of my childhood my mother sent us to that store to pick up stuff for her. I remember the owner (I think he was the owner) would pick the items off the high shelf with this long handled grabber gadget thingy. He would then add up the cost of the purchases on the brown paper bag with a pencil after he licked the lead point. High tech in those days.
I also remember those steps leading to the sidewalk to nowhere. And another memory I have about the (ehm) Ramp was my brother building some sort of scooter contraption made of a piece of 2X4, an orange crate with roller skates nailed to the bottom. He and his friends would race these things there. Good times!
Mary, yes I remember the orange crate scooters, they were all over Roseville. My mother would not allow my brother to build one, she said they were too dangereous. However, we both skated in the street. When I was about 12, I went to a indoor roller rink (Dreamland or Twin Cities) and was scared to death! I never went back.
Dear Tobie...I was very happy to find this message and this web site. I knew louie, and liked him very much...he had a great sense of humor. He, and the perillos used to be best friends with my sister, alice beverly, on 9th street. They would come over and sit on the porch, and talk forever. It was great having them as company, as I had to remain home quite a bit as my Mother was bed-ridden with multiple sclerosis. sometimes they would be very helpful, and run errands, or come in and talk to my mom. anna perillo was especially out-going, and humorous. do you remember louie and cindy ? They were quite a couple. cindy's sister nancy, used to come over also...they were from 12th street. I sure hope you get this message. .I would love to hear from you.....my sister alice would too. G-d bless and write back!
I too remember that awesome ice cream. I am 39 years old now and everynow and again I wish I could have just one scoop of the vanilla ice cream. Gruning's simply had the BEST ice cream I have ever tasted in my life. I grew up in Fanwood NJ and recall going to the South Plainfield store after church on Sunday with my father to get a cone. One scoop of vanilla on a sugar cone for me and a scoop of strawberry or butter pecan for my father. Although I am not very fond of chocolate in any form, the Chocolate ice cream was EXCEPTIONAL! My brother's favorite, I gladly ate Chocolate when all of the vanilla was gone.
How I wish this brand was still available! Every ice cream has always paled in comparison to Grunings. I would love for my children to be able to taste a sample of sheer creamy perfection!
