Tougher Times in the Park
One of Lexington Park's first movie theaters.
Lexington Park today is at a crucial stage of its development. Remembering back nearly a half century, as we search today for ways to improve the area, I find myself hoping we always maintain our respect for how it has evolved.
Life growing up in Lexington Park and Leonardtown in the 60’s and early 70’s was a far cry from what it is today. The rite of passage for a Saturday night was a trip with your mom and dad to CD’s on Shangri-La Drive, the hot spot for ice cream and chatter.
Sometimes, maybe, we’d attend a drive-in movie on Route 235, where BAE systems has an office today.
Of course there was always Esperanza, Dukes and Lamarr Lanes for the bowling enthusiasts. That’s right, three bowling alleys as the sport was, at the time, exceptionally popular.
Back then there wasn’t the park system in place as it is today. No Lettie Dent, Lancaster Park, Chancellors Run Regional Park, Dorsey Park, Baggett Park nor Mrytle Point Park had been established. We didn’t need them! There were no soccer organizations back then. As a matter of fact, no one played it.
Of course you had softball and baseball, but no lacrosse, except legend-stories out of the Charlotte Hall Military Academy. There was minimal football, mostly neighborhood games. And minimal basketball. The best fields were in your neighborhood. And there were indeed winners and losers.
It wasn’t an era where everyone got trophies, even though their team stunk. You had to actually earn it the old -fashioned way. The Navy base had a wide assortment of facilities, but access was very limited. The government contracting industry was much smaller and the delineations between base personnel and non-base Countians was much stronger than today.
The only times you ever really went on base was to work or to see the air show. For a chance to see the Pax Bombers, if you were a non-Navy kid, you went to the Drill Hall in Leonardtown.
The Pax Bombers, usually the best athletes the Navy had, were always up to something. The Bullets versus the Pax Bombers was always a good event, and let’s not forget the King and his Court versus The Pax Bombers or the Redskins versus the County All Stars – all at the Drill Hall.
It seems there were only about a dozen police officers in the entire St. Mary’s County. Minimal crime was the norm. You left your house and car doors wide open. There were no crack markets or daytime burglaries. We didn’t have post 9-11 problems. We didn’t have three gates nor 50 traffic lights.
It was a great life and a great time to grow up. I hope embracing new ideas for Lexington Park manages to keep that same spirit alive.
