Friends for Life - Dave’s Midwestern Ohio Memories

A Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s.

Friends for Life

During WWII, my mother worked at a place called the Box Factory in Minster that provided corrugated containers for the war effort. During her stint there as a single girl working in her first job away from the farm, she befriended another farm girl who was a co-worker. After the war both my mother and her friend married guys who also knew each other, so that further set the stage for a lifelong friendship that would eventually bridge at least two future generations so far. In the early 50’s, a neighboring farm to my parents went up for auction. So they encouraged their close friends to consider buying the place. All day farm sales in that era culminated with a live auction of the farm itself in the late afternoon, following a full morning and early afternoon of bidding off the household items and farm tools, with food being served throughout the day. Auctions provided a genuine social event that attracted not just potential buyers but also many on-lookers, including kids like me and also Tom, the oldest son of our parents' friends. So all day long, with the staccato of the auctioneer’s voice in the background, Tom and I roamed the grounds, checking out all the items for sale, exploring the huge barn, large brick house and various surrounding sheds. It eventually came time for the main event, and my dad and his friend were side by side facing the auctioneer. As the bidding proceeded, my dad noticed that his friend never appeared to place a bid, so as the price rose with numerous bids by others, dad became fearful the farm would be bought by someone else. As the bidding came to a close, the auctioneer exclaimed “sold" and pointed to my dad’s friend. Unbeknownst to my dad, his friend had been bidding the whole time by winking an eye to the auctioneer. That evening, the new neighbors celebrated the farm purchase over a meal at Brucken’s Cafe along with for sure a few toasts to the occasion and long-lasting friendships!

That eventful day was the first escapade in the lifelong friendship between my new neighbor Tom and me. Stay tuned to future blogs for more tall tales about our adventures!