Former resident enjoyed reading about Brick’s past while visiting

One of the highlights of my Jersey Shore vacation was reading Darren DeBari’s Aug. 11 letter to the editor titled "For Better or for Worse, the Times Are Changing in Brick Township." Although I reside in Florida, I was raised in Brick and often find myself waxing nostalgic about my own childhood against the backdrop of Brick’s "Golden-Age," an era masterfully illuminated in Mr. DeBari’s prose.

Judging by allusions to venues such as "Kmart Hill," the old drive-in theater and pre-parish center St. Dominic’s, I surmise that Mr. DeBari and I are of roughly the same vintage and, thus, he may recall that the Brick of our youth also featured Little League baseball at Kissock Field, "secret-sales" at Steinbach department store, and a General Store on Brick Boulevard, which seems as though it only consisted of only about three rooms (including a delightful old-fashioned ice cream parlor and a room, which featured turn-crank silent projectors!)

Yes, the Brick of days-gone-by was ruled solely by the Dragons because there were no Mustangs, and the "Rustler" always turned out a hearty rib-eye dinner for $2.99. We saved our pennies in Christmas Clubs at Pinelands State Bank and bought our presents at Britt’s, Two Guys and Grant’s. We celebrated our baseball victories with fried chicken from Geno’s and sundaes from Carvel. Most important, we spent our wonder years in a closely-knit seashore community where, as Mr. DeBari mused, all of us "first learned to dream."

Over the years Brick’s commercial and residential landscape have evolved at a confounding pace. Even a frequent visitor can scarcely recognize scenes and neighborhoods which were once so familiar. However, the changing scenery does little to dim the fondness of my memories. Indeed, although the entrance to my old neighborhood is no longer adorned with the green sign with white letters which read "Welcome to Pine Cone Village," it still radiates the same intimacy, warmth and character as it did when Brick and I were coming of age.

To paraphrase the great Mark Twain: The Golden Age is never the age we’re living in.

While the times in Brick Township are undoubtedly changing for better or for worse, the memories of our youth and of our town’s beginnings are forever emblazoned in the hearts and minds of people like Darren DeBari, citizens who embrace Brick’s present, revere its past and dream of its future. I thank him for serving us all a unique slice of Americana!

H.R. Punkinias III

Florida