It’s been a while since I wrote about my wonderful home town of Slatington. I am in the middle of writing case notes for my job so I thought a little diversion can’t hurt.
Earlier today I drove down Main Street and made the left onto North Walnut. This is the last leg of Route 873, which ends at Lehigh Gap.
When I was a kid this was a bustling, commercial and industrial center right outside of town. Today it is kind of sad to see what is left of the area. I think the commercial initiative moved across the river to Walnutport and Route 145. In Walnutport you can find a McDonalds, a Burger King, and a Taco Bell. No fast food in Slatington! You can take that as a positive or a negative, of course!
So what was on that last leg of Route 873 when I was a kid? Ready for a trip down Memory Lane? In this one mile stretch of road there were two busy factories: Keystone Lamp Manufacturing and Pfizer. There were restaurants: Herman’s, the Green Lantern Drive-In (later The Big Top), and Valley Green Inn. There was the Slate Bowl, Table Supply Supermarket, and a gas station. There was Sunland Park and Slatington Airport. All in one little stretch of blacktop.
Of all the businesses I just mentioned, only Slatington Airport and the bowling alley remain. Both of those are just shells of their former selves. The businesses that are no longer there have been replaced by storage units, a karate studio, and vacant lots.
If you want to be happy and productive, learn to enjoy change! I have to remind myself of that once in a while.
A Semi-retired Kind of Life 