From The Mercer County Italian Festival Site: Burg Memories: Pete Lupinacci

From The Mercer County Italian Festival Site: Burg Memories:
Pete Lupinacci

Fond Memories - by: Pete Lupinacci
Hometown: Pedivigliano vicino Cosenza, Italy

I was brought to this country from Italy at the ripe old age
of 3 months. It's needless to say I don't recall a thing
about the trip but man, do I remember growing up in my
adopted Chambersburg. My father, mother, sister and I lived
in a humble little row house on Mott Street. I can recall it's
entire length being tree lined and littered with stores and
restaurants including Dimucci's Food Market, Tammaro's Fruit
and Produce, Ike's Luncheonette, the Hudson Beer Garden and
the ClinMott Tavern. It was a wonderful time and place to be
a child. My grandfather would take me to Columbus Park as an
infant to watch him and his stogie smoking friends play
multiple rounds of bocce. There were kids everywhere and
although we weren't blessed with endless supplies of toys or
sports equipment we always managed to have fun whether that
meant wiffle ball and football at Immaculate Conception/St.
Joachims or basketball and hard ball at Columbus. It was truly
the proverbial "Life of Riley" and I didn't even know it. I'm
wondering how many people can relate to my fondest memories.
One was the collection of change from the front of Immaculate
Conception church on Saturday afternoons after the wedding
masses ended and the other was waking up to the tantalizing
aroma of meat, garlic and onion wafting through the house on
a Sunday morning. A simple life during simple times. What I
wouldn't give to experience that all over again.