Jan. 02, 2002 - 21:42 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Prime Time

While riding with Heather on errands today we began to talk of New Year's Eve when we were kids, particularly the audio part of it.

Of course we all heard the ball fall at Times Square. But how it was in Denver on New Year's Eve, back then.

There were factories around town who all had whistles, churches that had bells. Five different railroads running in and out of Denver all using steam locomotives with whistles. To add to the celebration were the street cars and their clanging bells and of course there were auto horns.

Mom, Dad and I would turn the radio off at midnight Denver time, put on jackets and going outside to listen to the symphony of celebration. The sounds lasted for maybe five minutes containing harmonies of bells and whistles, punctuated but stashed Fourth Of July fireworks being set off, accompanied by the blasts of 12 gage shotguns, 22 rifles.

I never noticed the early ones, but at the last there would be an errant whistle or two, fireworks which lasted I guess until those doing the deed realized they were the only ones making noise.

The nearest factory to our house was Gates Rubber, a huge installation which had a whistle to wake the dead almost. In the quiet of the night during cold weather we could hear whistles from the Stockyards across town. Church bells near by and train whistles being operated enthusiastically by engineers. We were a half block from the street car line and the cars were still running every five minutes until after midnight. And our neighbors would go out to their cars toot horns and set off fireworks. Never did see any skyrockets, just heard the big noisemakers.

Then back into the house shedding our wraps and turning the radio back on to hear the new year arrive west of us. Then to bed for a nights rest and a short sleep in at morning.

There were sometimes fairly civilized parties at our house but while the big folks were swapping smooches I would sneak outside to hear the clamor. There was a sense of an event then, everyone cheering the new year in as it were. I knew that my town was yipping up a storm and figured every other town in the country was doing the same.

I stepped out at midnight this New Year's Eve, listened mightily and never even heard a car horn or a contraband firecracker. A let down for this old kid who remembered the old days and New Years Eve Prime Time . . . . . .

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