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Margaret Friedmann wrote: Wed Apr 7, 2004 6:28 PM    Subject: Layfayette Park
[click thumbnail images to enlarge]

Lafayette Park (although we always called it "City Park") is where my dad (Martin "Mickey" Friedmann) took me and my sister Marsha, and later Betty, on Sundays when we were children.

There was a large fenced area with farmyard animals, and a large pond where we used to feed popcorn to the ducks. There were also a couple of swans, too. The big attraction for us was always "Blackie the Bear" --who lived in a one-room enclosure (we called it a cage, then, I think) about half the size of a train car, with large iron bars on three sides. When I think about him nowadays I feel sorry for the small enclosure and lack of proper habitat. We would take waffles left over from Sunday breakfast and toss them to Blackie. Sometimes they had syrup on them; he liked those the best. Nowadays there would be rules about not feeding him, but back then we were allowed to do it, and boy, did he like those waffles!

There were large swings and "monkey bars" to climb on, and a large cement enclosure with a sand box inside, so it was cool in the summertime sun. I was somewhat of a "tomboy" and liked to climb on the monkey bars and hang from the bars by my knees. I know I have some pictures of me and Marsha on the swings and the monkey bars. I will send them when I find them; perhaps Marsha has a few that she can send, too.

After the park, we would go over to Reisner's Deli, which was on 35^th Street right across from the park, and pick up corned beef, whitefish, and bagels for Sunday brunch [Reisner's moved later to JANAF until the late 80's and are now at Great Neck Village, VB]. And I remember Sunday nights we would always go to the Sai Gai at Ward's Corner for Chinese food (although back then I wouldn't eat Chinese food, so I got a hot turkey sandwich!).

Here is a picture of me taken on Aug 03 at the Yahoo Yodel Challenge in Seattle. The judges soon realized I could hula-hoop much better than  yodel, so I got eliminated (I did get a gift certificate and a T-shirt for making it to the semi-finals, however!). Since I learned back in the 50's when hula hoops first came out, it came naturally. By the way, my daughter Michelle has won hula hoop competitions in various places, so the skill/talent has been passed on.... ~Margaret

Editor's Note: Margaret? For more City Park images, see Guy's Riverview
In 1892 Norfolk purchased the 65 acres for Lafayette Park as it was named in 1899. In 1985 Lafayette Zoological Park is renamed the Virginia Zoo. No wonder we don't know what to call it! Yet, we were tickled when they honored Ernie Morgan with the Environmental Action Center (next to the zoo) --it provides a facility for anti-littering, recycling and environmental education.
The Layfayette River was renamed soon thereafter.

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