Those were the days

In 1965, I entered Sullivan County Community College (SCCC) as a freshman. The state’s community colleges were not known for having dormitories, but SCCC was located in the heart of the Borscht Belt, which was ideal; and thus, the deal was signed and delivered to accommodate the students at both the El Dorado and Olympic hotels, located in Fallsburg, NY. My luck was great, having the best room in the hotel, next to Olympic Hotel owners Harriet and Bob Rosenberg. My roommate and her two pals came from Callicoon, and my family had property here since ‘54.

My dorm acquaintances often spoke of their parents spending their weekends at any of the numerous resort hotels. Grossinger’s was quite popular, among others such as Kutcher’s, Brown’s, the Flagler etc. We kids parked cars, babysat and had other little decent-paying weekend jobs readily available if desired.

It is ghostly to see the remnants of these once thriving properties disintegrating, with in most cases not even the third- or fourth-generation descendants of the hotel owners having kept the business in the family. Now I’m nearing 70, having outlived my parents by over 30 years. Where has the time gone? Time cannot come back; only the fond memories stay with us, hopefully (if our memories even stay intact). Crazy times, hitchhiking, The Crossroads (our weekend social hangout), classrooms in the firehouse and town hall and many of the kids glad to get away from their home’s Kosher kitchens. “We had quality kids with quality upbringing,” according to Mrs. Rosenberg in her comments about the classes of ‘67 and ‘68.

Some SCCC alumni have stayed in touch over these decades and remain lifelong friends, as I have done, and we still talk about the good times during the hotel era. Like the lyrics from the song, “Those were the days my friend, too bad they had to end ....”

Afi Phoebe

Narrowsburg and Queens, NY