A journey back to South Williamsport, the hometown I was born and raised in, was full of wonderful memories and a nostalgia I never dreamed would overwhelm me. I had never been homesick in my life. This was a feeling of longing to be there and wanting to stay that seemed to take over my very being . I had not returned to Williamsport Pennsylvania since my mother passed away nearly 10 years ago. Most visits before that were short and spent shopping and visiting just with her. I never took the time to really reacquaint myself with the town itself and look up some of my classmates from high school. I never truly appreciated the beauty of this small town. This year was different. My 50th high school class reunion was taking place and I felt it was time to return. It was time to experience it with new eyes.

There were 78 members of the South Williamsport class of 1958. Twelve of our classmates have passed away, 43 attended the reunion. Recognizing faces after 50 years was quite a challenge. The ravages of time (a Greek poet wrote, "time, the impetuous sculptor of people" - O. Elitis) had altered the appearance of just about everyone there. We grew up in the fifties when poodle skirts, pedal pushers, neck scarves and leather jackets with the collar turned up were the rage. The new music of the decade was rock and roll and, " IF" you had TV, you were a fan of American Bandstand. Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Ricky Nelson were "cool" celebrities that everyone idolized and wanted to imitate. Crew cuts and DA's (ducktails), pompadours and sideburns were in fashion for the guys and girls sported pony tails, beehives, poodle cuts and soft curls (usually permed).

Although the fashions and hairstyles were long gone, the same friendly, warm comaraderie of this group was still quite apparent. Everyone was just like I remembered them, their delightful and impressive personalities had not changed one bit. Even though we hadn't seen each other for many years, we fell into effortless, amiable conversations. It seemed like time had stood still and we were back in high school once again, although our conversations were now about our accomplishments, lifetime memories, health issues, children and grandchildren instead of football games, homework and movie stars.

The street that I lived on, West Second Avenue, had 8 of our classmates living there through out our school years. We were always outside playing kick the can, hide and seek, baseball, sled riding,bike riding or just hanging out on someone's porch. We were never without something to do. The night of the reunion 4 of us from Second Avenue sat at the same table and laughed and reminisced about, yep, the good old days! We joined in with group karaoke of songs from the 50's and danced the Hokey Pokey, the Stroll and some rock and roll. The very best part of the whole evening was being able to reacquaint myself with some of my closest friends from the past. We have exchanged emails and phone numbers and have promised to keep in touch and visit one another in the future. I am going to hold them to their promises and keep mine. I keep wondering why we ever lost touch in the first place.

We followed up the next day with a wonderful picnic by the Susquehanna River.

One of our classmates maintains a river lot there, where they spend many of their summer days. It was a beautiful day except for a thunderstorm that sent us all running for shelter. It didn't dampen our spirits one bit. We took a cruise up and down the river on a pontoon boat, played some games, and continued our conversations and fun from the night before. Oh, did I mention the hula hoop contest? Another blast from the past. That was one game I never was able to master.

We continued our journey back home by visiting some of the places that were memorable to me. The elementary schools I went to are long gone. The Junior Senior High School is still there but is no longer used for classes. The house I grew up in with my grandmother is still standing but is in very bad condition. The house next door where my friend Sandy lived has been torn down. The rest of the street looked pretty much the same except for a playground area that has been added and the extension of the street where it had been a dead end. We also checked out the house where my own children grew up and the one my first husband and I built. We also visited Lycoming College, one of the oldest colleges in Pennsylvania dating back to 1812 and where I graduated. Driving into Williamsport we passed Bucknell University where I received my Masters Degree. We spent the rest of our visit playing tourist and hit the museums.

Williamsport is known as the birthplace for Little League Baseball and hosts the Little League World Series in South Williamsport every year in August. As a young teenager we would spend many days hanging out, watching all of the young guys practice and play at the Little League ball field. An absolute dream come true for a young girl at that time in her life. Boys being the main attraction , of course. Little League's tradition started with three teams in 1939 and has since grown to become the world's largest youth sports organization with over 2.5 million participants from all over the world. My own uncle was one of the first umpires for those early Little League games in 1939. We visited the Little League Museum where we were able to enjoy the history and even have some hands on fun with batting and pitching. We took lots of pictures and video at the field and camp site.

Williamsport sits in a beautiful valley with lush forests in the surrounding hills and the Susquehanna River running through it. These hills with their outstanding natural beauty and the strategically located river contributed to the amazing prosperity and history of Williamsport making it the most important regional center of northcentral Pennsylvania. The hills were clear- cut to provide the logs that were floated on the river to the famous lumber boom. The boom collected and stored the lumber before it was sorted and sent to the lumber mills. The city became known as the city of millionaires. At that time in Williamsport there were more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world. All were lumber barons. The city was known as the "Lumber Capitol Of The World" during the second half of the 19th century. The men of wealth that the lumber industry produced built grand and opulent Victorian-style mansions. These homes featured beautiful examples of Tiffany windows, and fine woodworking and craftsmanship of the era. Each one tried to out-do the others. Some mansions boasted ballrooms where the rich and famous gathered. Some have carriage houses that are still standing. Many of these are still in existence today on a street labeled "Millionaires' Row". The churches are also rich in their architectural splendor and beauty. Streetcars, powered by electricity, were also common on the streets as early as 1865 and 1891 a full year before the big city of Philadelphia accomplished this. Walking or driving along "Millionaires' Row" is like taking a step back in time.

We also visited and explored the Thomas T. Taber Museum where we viewed the history of Lycoming county from the area's Native Americans and prehistory to the lumbering era in Williamsport. Williamsport was founded in 1806 and designated a city in 1866. South Williamsport was created in 1886 when the villages and surrounding vicinities merged to form a borough. I also learned that Williamsport is home to the Repasz Band, started in 1831, which is the oldest continuously playing non-military band in the United States. I lived in Williamsport nearly 40 years and never really appreciated the rich and interesting history of the town I was born in. I passed by these wonderful old homes, went swimming in the river and even" stuck my fanny in the Susquehanny" during one of the celebrations during the 1960's for the lumber era. We floated down the river in inner tubes just as the logs did on their journey to the log boom many years ago. I remember we took our dog Tronco along and tied the tubes together for our trip down river. What a grand family adventure that was.

Taking this journey home was quite an eye opener and certainly made me proud of the heritage I share with this river community. As I look back it was the perfect place to bring up my children, go to school and start my career. I have a much better understanding now of the richness and beauty of the area and also it's outstanding history. It is a perfect destination for an enjoyable getaway and a walk back in time. You can do things as diverse as backpacking in the nearby mountains, go biking on the Pine Creek Rail Trail (USA Today ranked this as one of the best hiking trails in the world), ride a historic trolley, visit the museums, tour a millionaire's mansion or cruise the Susquehanna River on the Hiawatha Paddlewheel Riverboat. Don't forget the Little League World Series. If you love baseball August is the most exciting time of the year when 16 teams from all over the world compete for the title.

There are many many other things I could tell you about about Williamsport and the surrounding area. Far too many to mention here. We truly enjoyed our trip back to my home town and are looking forward to returning in the future to experience some of the activities we didn't have time for this time. The longing I experienced when I arrived had dissipated and I was eager to return home to my my own bed and familiar surroundings. I encourage anyone who has not been back home for a long while to do just that and to be sure and explore the history you may have missed as a youngster. It is a fantastic journey.