Post by esshup on Jan 23, 2022 22:06:10 GMT -5
I was going thru some of the stuff left by my parents and came across a box that said "Pennants from Dad's bedroom when he was a kid".
Mostly felt pennants from different states, but one was from Langhorn Speedway. Dad was buddies with Tony Benttenhausen and I can remember being taken to some dirt track racing when I was a kid. I can remember being taken to some races with some very small cars INSIDE a building. Doing a google search it seemed that they held racing inside the Chicago International Amphitheatre.
How/who he went with to PA to get that pennant I have no idea.
Looking up Langhorn Speedway I see that it was a MILE dirt track. Holy smokes!!!
Dad was a Chicago Fireman, so I got taken to a lot of "behind the scenes" things that a lot of people wouldn't see. Like when the circus came to town and played there, we weren't in the stands like most people, we were standing where all the acts came out from beneath the stands. Same with the Sport and Travel Shows that came to town, plus his cousin had a hunting/fishing lodge in Northern Wisconsin and Charlie would always have a booth at the show. I can remember them filling up the trout pond from one of the Chicago FD pumpers and then someone coming with a big tank on a truck and dumping the trout in. They'd have to drain the tank at the end of the show too, and he'd usually bring home a few trout for dinner.
One of the first memories that I can date (I THINK I can date it) is standing with Dad on Meigs Field and watching JFK walk down the stairs from the airplane and then going past us, shaking hands, etc. I swear it was Meigs Field because it was on the lakeshore, but maybe my memory is bad because it could have been Midway Airport. No way would Dad have driven to O'Hare. I can't remember if he was President or if it was a campaign stop. Mayor Daley was in charge of Chicago then. O.K. I did more looking and I think I am correct. JFK visited Chicago 5 times during his campaign, 3 times at Midway, 2 other times it just says "Chicago". Maybe it was one of those times? Then he visited after he was elected, but that was on Air Force One, and I don't know if that could have landed and taken off from a runway that was 3.900 feet long. O.K., after MORE research, no, Air Force One could not land and take off on a 3,900 ft runway, but he wasn't using that during his campaign, so maybe it was one of those stops.
Mostly felt pennants from different states, but one was from Langhorn Speedway. Dad was buddies with Tony Benttenhausen and I can remember being taken to some dirt track racing when I was a kid. I can remember being taken to some races with some very small cars INSIDE a building. Doing a google search it seemed that they held racing inside the Chicago International Amphitheatre.
How/who he went with to PA to get that pennant I have no idea.
Looking up Langhorn Speedway I see that it was a MILE dirt track. Holy smokes!!!
Dad was a Chicago Fireman, so I got taken to a lot of "behind the scenes" things that a lot of people wouldn't see. Like when the circus came to town and played there, we weren't in the stands like most people, we were standing where all the acts came out from beneath the stands. Same with the Sport and Travel Shows that came to town, plus his cousin had a hunting/fishing lodge in Northern Wisconsin and Charlie would always have a booth at the show. I can remember them filling up the trout pond from one of the Chicago FD pumpers and then someone coming with a big tank on a truck and dumping the trout in. They'd have to drain the tank at the end of the show too, and he'd usually bring home a few trout for dinner.
One of the first memories that I can date (I THINK I can date it) is standing with Dad on Meigs Field and watching JFK walk down the stairs from the airplane and then going past us, shaking hands, etc. I swear it was Meigs Field because it was on the lakeshore, but maybe my memory is bad because it could have been Midway Airport. No way would Dad have driven to O'Hare. I can't remember if he was President or if it was a campaign stop. Mayor Daley was in charge of Chicago then. O.K. I did more looking and I think I am correct. JFK visited Chicago 5 times during his campaign, 3 times at Midway, 2 other times it just says "Chicago". Maybe it was one of those times? Then he visited after he was elected, but that was on Air Force One, and I don't know if that could have landed and taken off from a runway that was 3.900 feet long. O.K., after MORE research, no, Air Force One could not land and take off on a 3,900 ft runway, but he wasn't using that during his campaign, so maybe it was one of those stops.
