The lazy days of summer have a way of igniting many vivid memories from years past, when I was a young girl growing up on Beach 84th Street, and Rockaway Beach was an unparalleled summertime mecca all its own…    

In the 1940s, when Rockaway was a peninsula of Dutch-style front porch homes and bungalow rows, the summer season provided an annual rhythm of transformation, where the quiet town became a lively and spirited summertime nirvana. Each year come late June, our tight-knit community of

Reid Ave/bay side boardwalk. These bungalows were mostly seasonal rentals, but a few folks lived and braved the winters. With all the American flags flying, I am guessing it’s Memorial Day, which began in 1865 immediately after the Civil War ended.

Katie Lucev is the daughter of the late Rockaway Beach Historian, Emil R. Lucev, Sr. (1933-2018)

While we ALL wait patiently for the Major League Baseball season to begin…

Few things are more “New York” than the NY Yankees. Their logo has been ubiquitous throughout the city for as long as most people can remember. But where exactly did the design come from? While there is an official story regarding the origin, the truth is actually more controversial. Claims have been made, and continue to be disputed to this day. According to the franchise itself, the logo origin is as follows:

It

This old advertisement was sent to us by Rockaway historian, James Supple. This is from a 1928 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Both buildings still exist today, though not quite as what they were. Visitors today will soon be able to stay at The Rockaway Hotel on Beach 108th Street and Rogers on Beach 116th Street. And AirBnB options are also available in Rockaway.

Note the phone numbers in the ad, only five numbers. We presume you called and got an operator who would connect the call.

This is just one view of the many retail stores that existed a hundred years ago in Far Rockaway. Honorable mentions, on the left (ground level) is F. W. Woolworth 5 & 10 Cent Store. The second level is Remsen B. Decker, Men, Women, Child Apparel Clothing. Left towards the center is F. Susset Shoes, then Liberty Candy Soda Shop, United Cigars. Center/Right is the Mott Avenue Train Station (LIRR). Further right behind the lamp post is the old Far Rockaway Bank building. Many Rockaway

 In last week’s Rockaway Times, we featured John Roberts and Dee McClean and their fifty-plus years of friendship. We were sent this photo and thought it deserved to stand alone. This awesome squad went 19-1 under coaches Jack O’Neill and Bill Ryan. The names we can make out include: Artie Blum, Fran Blum, Dan (Dee) McClean, William Davie, Joe Gilbert, Ed Keating, Bill Madtes, Bill Brennan, Larry Connors, Charles Rayder, Ken Ford, John Roberts, and Rick O’Neill.