History Spotlight #2

With the cold weather our attention is on sledding and skating memories from the past. Two local sledding favorites were Walnut Street in NK and Drey Street in Arnold. In the past Walnut Street was blocked off from the top to the former New Kensington High School on Ridge Avenue. No cars were permitted during sledding and hay bales were placed on lower Walnut Street at the intersection with Constitution Blvd. in order to stop the sleds.

Another sledding area was the current Drey Street which was formerly known as Wild Cherry Lane. Sleds would take off from the top near Freeport Road and stop at the factory at the bottom. In Lower Burrell teens were known to sneak on to Hole # 10 at Hill Crest Country Club and slide on # 10 fairway.

As far as skating goes, the City would flood the parking lot at Memorial Park for skaters. Here’s an example of sleds from back in the day from the 1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalog. Check the prices! Thanks to New Kensington resident Gary Pallone for his recollections of sledding and skating in NK in the past