ENID, OK - I was a child of the 70s. You know, the good old days. That was before computers, video games and hundreds of TV channels. Summers were the best because our parents worked and we got to spend hours exploring the far reaches of our neighborhood and beyond.
Bikes and skateboards were our only modes of transportation and we used them to get around everywhere. Almost every street had sidewalks that ended at a curb. These were our thoroughfares and by the end of summer we'd have every bump and crack memorized.
There seemed to be less crime or at least it wasn't on TV 24/7 so we didn't know about it. Most people didn't lock their doors and kids were allowed to go just about anywhere alone. I think it was the freedom we had that makes such good memories of those summers.
The July 4th holiday was always the highlight of the summer. Fireworks were pretty much unrestricted so we always had lots of explosives in July. Below are the memories I have of the July 4th holiday and the things we would do during that fun summer weekend. I may add more to the list from time to time as new memories pop into my head. Enjoy!
Listen to The 70's Buzz Podcast about growing up in the 70s.
Fun Summer Activities We Did In The 70s
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1.) Ran around the yard with sparklers.
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2.) Chased lightning bugs and put them in a jar.
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3.) Found turtles, painted their shells and raced them.
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4.) Watched the local fireworks display at Meadowlake.
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5.) Threw Jarts in the air and tried not to get impaled.
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6.) Walked through Boggy Creek in our sneakers and got stuck in the mud.
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7.) Stuck Black Cats firecrackers into red ant dens and blew them up.
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8.) Ate watermelon and spit the seeds!
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9.) Made homemade ice cream in a churn bucket.
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10.) Ran and slid on the Slip'n Slide and got bonked with the Water Wiggle.
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11.) Set up the spinning sprinkler and ran through it.
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12.) Stuck pinwheels on our bikes while we were riding.
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13.) Stuck little American flags in the grass.
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14.) Ate burgers and hot dogs cooked on the grill.
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15.) Made real lemonade and sold it at a table in the front yard.
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16.) Covered ourselves in bug spray and played hide & seek.
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17.) Watched the sky at night looking for falling stars.
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18.) Walked barefooted on the hot cement until our feet were on fire.
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19.) Drank soda out of a bottle with a straw.
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20.) Washed our bikes with a garden hose.
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21.) Rode our skateboards over a wooden board on a brick.
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22.) Ate Popsicles while they melted all over us.
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23.) Licked Kool-Aid powder out of a packet.
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24.) Hula Hooped, but tried to look cool doing it.
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25.) Played catch with a Frisbee.
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26.) Slid down a burning metal slide at Meadowlake Park.
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27.) Spun each other on the merry-go-round at Champlin Park until we were sick.
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28.) Told jokes and scary stories under a corner street light on W. Broadway.
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29.) Swung on a swing at Champlin Park and jumped out as high as we could.
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30.) Sat in webbed lawn chairs trying not to fall through the broken strap.
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31.) Tried to ride wheelies the length of the block.
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32.) Climbed trees on boards we nailed to the trunk.
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33.) Blew bubbles with our Fruit Stripe gum.
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34.) Dug up worms for fishing bait.
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35.) Threw water balloons at each other.
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36.) Slept with a fan in the window to stay cool.
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37.) Watched the clouds and looked for shapes.
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38.) Filled up a wading pool and played for hours.
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39.) Caught tadpoles in Boggy Creek and took them home.
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40.) Slid down the hill at the Bird Sanctuary on a cardboard box.
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41.) Drank water from everyone's garden hoses.
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As a girl, I didn’t do all of those but substitute roller skates and I’m there. I’d like to add a few. Rode my bike into the country and went fishing. Made clay housing developments and blew them up with firecrackers. Built humongous sand structures, decorated them with flowers. Swang on a gunny sack swing. Walked many many blocks in our small town to buy fireworks. Played for hours in our treehouse. Saved my money to walk to the store to spend it on Charms lollipops, hoping you’d open it up and get a free one! Swam in a nearby lake using inner tubes. Thanks for the memories!!!!
I lived in Enid Oklahoma to and I moved to California in 1978 but as a kid growing up we used to go to Chaplin swimming Pool I would walk 5 miles just to go swimming every day it was so much fun nothing like growing up in a small town of being at Oklahoma I lived in Enid Oklahoma to and I moved to California in 1978 as a kid growing up we used to go to Champlin swimming pool I would walk 5 miles just to go swimming every day was so much fun nothing like growing up in the small town of Enid Oklahoma
We would attach a “ski” rope to the seat post of a bicycle and pull each other on a skateboard. Got really good at it too. Everything would go great until you hit that one rock in the street that would stop the skateboard cold and you met the concrete. Hearing the whistle on the train at Meadowlake and watching the fireworks show every year from my back yard on Hayes or my Aunt and Uncle’s house on Oakwood. Playing in the water in “the ditch” and catching crawdads and ,believe it or not, a lot of catfish…. We would even “sled” down the side of the ditch on cardboard or the plastic saucers. And can’t forget watching T37’s and T38’s flying around all day and into the evenings.