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CB Nights
I’m seventeen in 1980; it’s too late at night for me to be up - it’s a school night - and my grades would suggest more sleep would help....
Patrick Ashley
Jul 6, 20245 min read
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The $29.95 Life Lesson
Every child must learn certain things in this world if they are to navigate it and not risk their lives - don’t touch hot stoves, look...
Patrick Ashley
Jun 23, 20244 min read
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The Day the Airplane Crashed in Ogdensburg
It’s September 16th, 1928, the place is the ‘burg. Bert Geddes, of Pine St, is stunned to learn that part of an aircraft, the flywheel,...
Patrick Ashley
Jun 8, 20242 min read
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Seaway Festival Parade
I’m 14, and standing on the curb of a street; there are many others with me. There is loud music playing. Suddenly, a very large spider,...
Patrick Ashley
May 18, 20246 min read
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𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿, 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆
It’s a wonder we ‘70s kids weren’t a bunch of juvenile, obese, toothless diabetics, with the diet we consumed; I hope it wasn’t just me....
Patrick Ashley
May 4, 20245 min read
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That Time we Got Malled...and Other Retail Musings.
“We’re losing him!” cried the nurse. “I’m going to have to reroute the artery around the heart!” the doctor shot back. “Quick, I need...
Patrick Ashley
Apr 28, 20246 min read
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The Odd History of the 'burg's Street Names
I hadn't seen any documentation in the History of Ogdensburg Facebook group regarding the history of Ogdensburg street names...
Patrick Ashley
Apr 19, 20243 min read
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Deadly Antics of a '70s Teen Boy
By rights, I should be dead; dead, or at least severely injured. Why? Because I was a teen boy growing up in the 1970s in a little town...
Patrick Ashley
Apr 14, 20246 min read
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In Praise of Pizza Hut
Well, my recent column on 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 in the ‘burg seemed to bring back a lot of good memories for people, so let’s try it this...
Patrick Ashley
Apr 6, 20244 min read
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Silver Lining
It was the worst attack on American soil ever, until the tragedy of 9/11. Some 2,350 people died; 1,178 more were injured. Nine ships of...
Patrick Ashley
Apr 1, 20243 min read
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We'll All Go Together
Most of us dream every night, though we remember very little of it - that is unless the dream is particularly important or disturbing....
Patrick Ashley
Mar 28, 20243 min read
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Round and Round: Remembering the Carnival at LeBeau's Field
It’s a warm summer night in June in the ‘burg; it’s the kind of night you only get a handful of times a year, when you are comfortable...
Patrick Ashley
Mar 24, 20245 min read
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125,000 to 1
He knew both of the pistols worked perfectly; Richard had tested them. He wanted to make sure he had a backup, just in case, when he...
Patrick Ashley
Mar 22, 20244 min read
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The Fourteenth Colony
I’m sure you paid enough attention in your studies in grade school to recall how America, in 1776, declared her independence from the...
Patrick Ashley
Mar 20, 20242 min read
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The Ship of a Dream
She’s not much to look at; her features have long since been weathered by time. She’s old, and no one bothers with her much anymore -...
Patrick Ashley
Mar 19, 20243 min read
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The Witch of November
The insurance company that built her wanted her to be named after Ed, the chairman of the board, but Ed wasn’t comfortable with the idea;...
Patrick Ashley
Mar 19, 20242 min read
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Love and Roller Skates: Tales of Finding Teen Love
It’s summertime in the ‘burg, circa 1975; the air is fresh and warm; ships and small craft are traversing the mighty St. Lawerence behind...
Patrick Ashley
Mar 19, 20244 min read
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What Uncle Chick Said
You never know when nuggets of gold are going to fall into your lap. No, not real gold, that never happens (unless you slap some guy so...
Patrick Ashley
Mar 19, 20244 min read
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A 1970s Boy's Ode to Christmas
I’m ten years old and I’m sprawled out on my back under a tree; I’m happy, fascinated, and in a state of anticipation. No, I wasn’t hurt,...
Patrick Ashley
Mar 19, 20244 min read
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Golden Days at Our Town's Dairy Queen
In the 'burg, Dairy Queen was more than a place; it was a feeling. It was the anticipation in the pit of your stomach as you rounded the...
Patrick Ashley
Mar 18, 20244 min read
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