Cruise recalls the way Shamokin used to be - News Item
SHAMOKIN - The city's downtown was log-jammed with traffic Saturday night - a sight not seen in ages, and a welcome one at that. Countless vehicles rode bumper to bumper into Shamokin for the casually organized and hugely successful Take Back Our Town cruise. Motors idled on every side street along Independence Street, with drivers jockeying for position to get at least one lap in around town. Market Street and Lincoln Street were jammed, too. For every eye-catching ride, there was a mini-van or plain Jane SUV and sedan with drivers intent on doing the same thing - riding around with no place to go. "This was the town when I was a teen. Delbo's 1964 Buick Riviera and 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air parked near the post office. Steve Stehr, of Coal Township, rode by in a Ford Mustang, the official pace car of the 63rd annual Indianapolis 500 Race May 27, 1979. If there was any doubt, it was emblazoned on the car doors. Hundreds like Delbo remember the heydays of cruising downtown with storefronts lit up and sidewalks lined with people. At 35 years old, Stehr is of the generation that recalls when the social scene petered out - no more lit storefronts or foot traffic. No traffic on the streets, either, by the late 1990s. He misses cruising, a sentiment shared amongst Saturday night's crowd. Source: newsitem.com
