Growing up on the East Side of Kansas City during the 1940s and ’50s was wonderful. Our house was on Benton Boulevard between 39th and 40th. Mom and Daddy, my two sisters, my twin brother, Charles, and I all lived there.
One block west was Bellefontaine, where our parish church, Blessed Sacrament, was. A big part of our life centered on it. My friend Kathleen lived right behind me on Bellefontaine, and Charles and I would cut through her yard to get to school on time.
Two blocks farther south on Bellefontaine lived Roseanne and Mary Alice. Other girls lived along those streets, but I can’t remember all their names. We played girl games together, jacks and paper dolls, but sometimes we ran with the boys.
My brother’s friends also lived there — Louie, Tom, Larry, John and D.J. were a few along Bellefontaine and Agnes.
Charles would run out the front door in the morning, jump on his bike and off he’d go to gather up his friends for baseball on 40th Street, football on a lot on Benton or just running around.
But the best time to be out was on summer nights. After we went home at 6 for supper, the girls and boys were free for a little while in the evening, especially as we got older.
Our gathering spot was the intersection of 42nd and Bellefontaine. Roseanne lived there with her grandmother, who was raising her family. We played out in front, and her grandmother would sit in the window and watch us. She couldn’t hear very well, so we didn’t answer her when she called out. We hung around until about 10 o’clock, and then we knew it was time to go home.
Even in the winter that was where we gathered, because Agnes was at the top of a steep hill, and we all went sledding. The city furnished a barrel that was kept burning to keep us warm. Imagine that!
Over on Prospect was the Oak Park Theater, where we went to the movies on Saturday afternoon. A quarter would buy you a ticket and a bag of popcorn, with 5 cents left over for church on Sunday.
When we all went to high school, we went our separate ways, and the neighborhood was not so important, but the friends still were.
It was a great neighborhood and simply a great time to grow up.
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