- “Going into town” with your friends was a right of passage into teen-hood.
- Math is binary will forever be burned into your brain.
- You couldn’t wait until eighth grade to be able to sing “Five Golden Rings” at the Holiday Sing-a-long at Brookside.
- The A&P parking lot was designed by 4-year-olds.
- Your first manicure was at Swan Nails.
- Your first home run was at the Red Barn.
- You played for the Brookside Bulldogs.
- You ate at Matthew’s Diner after an eighth grade mixer.
- You knew at least two people who worked at Bernie’s Bagels.
- Your first date was at Garden State Plaza or the Ridgewood movie theatre.
- On summer nights after sporting events, you sat at the Dairy Queen and played tag against the walls.
- You secretly love the Allendale and 201 snap chat geotags.
- You marched in the Memorial Day Parade.
- You made a promise that your 21st birthday would be spent at AB&G.
- It took you years to realize that Allen Street and Dale Ave are right next to each other because it creates the word Allendale.
- You never understood the weird Allendale painting by the town clock.
- The train station underpass was for hard core kids.
- You went to a Sweet 16 at Lips in NYC.
- You went to at least thirty Sweet 16 parties in general.
- But you only went to four Bar mitzvahs.
- Going to the carnival without your parents made you feel like a bad ass.
- You still remember your partner for the flour sack baby health project.
- You went to the Haunted House every October and the Holiday Walk every December.
- You celebrated a birthday at Savini.
- In the summer, you never slowed down at the “caution turtles crossing” sign on Franklin Turnpike.
- You could identify everyone’s car when ever they were driving around town.
- You watched Louie’s Place become Darla’s Porch, which is now Nirvana in the span of 5 years.
- During your Hillside years, you called each other in August when you found out your homeroom teacher.
- You made your first purchase with your own money at the book fair and hated your parents for weeks if they let you out of the house without money that day.
- Getting a locker was by far the best day of your life in fifth grade.
- Even though everything was in walking distance, your parents drove you to school when Highlands didn’t provide bussing for Allendale residents.
- You sneaked into Crestwood Lake for Fourth of July fireworks at least once.
- You hated seventh grade because you had to eat lunch so late at Brookside.
- Then you also hated sixth grade because you always tripped up the stairs going to class.
- Every class party was catered by Village Pizza.
- Which is probably where you had your first job.
- Picking up your time capsule on your last day of high school made you wish time didn’t go by so quickly.
- There’s nothing like coming back home to Allendale.
Politics and ActivismOct 27, 2015
38 Signs You Grew Up In Allendale, New Jersey
Nothing like good ole Action-Dale.
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