THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, August 15, 2025 Page 7 unique characters, with the local children marking their territory as the previous generation before them had done • Had a park system that allowed and encouraged you to be young • Had Boone’s Farm Apple Wine and Schlitz (maybe not such a good thing in the Malden of our youth — LOL) • Had the “Brother Gilbert’s Carnival” at Brother Gilbert Stadium • Had semi pro baseball, night softball, Sunday morning softball, Men’s Recreational Basketball, the Junior Police League, Park Instructors, a YMCA Outreach program with hip, young, caring and enlightened personnel • Had earth shattering fireworks — hello San Rock! • Had a YMCA that was the center of most of our lives • Had a head shop, record stores, pool rooms, bowling alleys and ice skating in the winter • Had large families, large extended families — all living in the same house • Had John O’Brien • Had Creature Double Feature on Channel 38 • Had Kappy’s Bicentennial Beer • Had Mark Cannon, Dave Moulton, Buddy Arthur, Red Harris, Matty Marden, Billy Croken and Johnny Salmon • Had great baseball cards! Captain Carl with sideburns. Oscar Gamble with a huge “fro,” Rollie Fingers with THE best mustache in the history of ball players • Had neighborhood schools we would walk to • Had the 1967 “Impossible Dream” team Boston Red Sox • Had BRL legends Bob Rotondi, Bob Rosano, Leo Moro, Peter Gaelis, Perry & Pearl Verge and Joe Saia • Had police officers, firefighters and educators who were your neighbors, your high school classmates and your friends • Had some of the best police officers around walking the beat — hello, Kenny Coye! • Had the Boston Celtics in their Red Auerbach glory years • Had less traffic lights • Had a young Diego “Dickie” Barricelli and now has a “more experienced” Diego “Dickie” Barricelli. Happy birthday, my friend! • Had Stevie Wonder in the Jenkins Auditorium and The Lovin’ Spoonful in the Marshall Gym • Had Sal “Butchie” Gennetti! • Had a riot — in Malden Square • Had a handful of television stations, which made us happy (as long as we had 38 & 56) • Had Mr. Brendan Duffy, Mr. Brown, Mr. Dempsey, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Hines, Mr. Benotti, Mr. Schwartz and Mr. Barry Fitzpatrick as high school mentors • Had a public swimming pool you could sneak into on a hot summer night • Had the best hockey players Another reason to save. NEW CD RATE 4.25% APY* 9-Month Term *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate of the date posted and is subject to change without notice. APY assumes the interest remains on deposit until maturity. A penalty may be imposed for early withdrawal. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. A minimum of $500 is required to open a Certificate of Deposit and earn the advertised APY. Member FDIC | Member DIF in the state! • Had Pearl Street Bakery, DiPietro’s Bakery, Nelson’s Bakery & Harvard Pastry • Had David Brickman and a local paper (Malden Evening News) that was the rival of any daily on the North Shore and well beyond • Had Beebe, Browne and Lincoln Jr. High • Had our fair share of cafes: Mike’s, Maher’s, Stadium, Rosebud, Salemwood, DeMarco’s and The Highland. • Had our fair share of grilles: Jessel’s, The Horseshoe Bar, Jack Haney’s and The Do Re. • Had long hot summer days (and nights) spent at Devir Park enjoying all that Malden of a bygone era had to offer As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” — Merle Haggard once asked the age-old question “Are the Good Times Really Over?” Well, no offense to Merle, but around here in Maldonia, we think the answer is a resounding “Not a chance!” Sure, Larry Bird ain’t walking through that door anytime soon, and Elvis has most certainly left the building — but who says the party’s over? In fact, right here in our beloved five-square-mile slice of the world, we’re living through a full-blown Malden Renaissance. And it’s not by accident. It’s thanks to some rock-solid leadership, starting with Mayor Gary Christenson — a guy who seems to run on espresso and civic pride. His dream team (shout-out to Maria Luise, Elaina Savino, Kathleen Manning-Hall and Ron Hogan!) and the city’s Directors (looking at you, Carol Ann Desiderio, Nelson MiIler and Chris Rosa!) are the kind of behind-the-scenes heroes every great city needs. Of course, it’s only natural to get a little misty-eyed thinking about the Malden of yesteryear: Billy Callahan 4th of July parades; corner stores (Frenchie’s, Pete’s, Steve’s Conna, Lombardi’s, etc.); Italian bakeries; simpler days when your biggest worry was being home when the streetlights lit up and what kind of pizza to order at the Highland. Malden was a great place to grow up! But here’s the best part: It still is! And while we’re busy telling MUSINGS| SEE PAGE 20 617-275-0700 916 Broadway, Everett, MA BUSINESS HOURS Mon - Thurs 1:00 PM-10:00 PM Fri & Sat 12:00 PM-10:30 PM Sunday 12:00 PM-10:00 PM www.cajuncorner916.com
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