Pullen Park

For anyone who has ever been to my hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, you have likely either seen a sign for, heard it mentioned or have possibly even visited the historic Pullen Park.  Situated just outside of downtown Raleigh and within close proximity to the campus of North Carolina State University, Pullen Park is not just a miniature amusement park for children, but one where adults can go to relax or even reminisce about their childhood excursions there.

Here are some random historical facts on Pullen Park courtesy of the City of Raleigh’s webpage:

• It was founded in 1887.
• It is the state of North Carolina's oldest public park.
• It is the fifth oldest operating amusement park in the United States.
• It is the sixteenth oldest operating amusement park in the World.
• It spreads across 66.4 acres.

An area that was once described as being similar to an old cow pasture with red and rocky soil, now boasts acreage of amusement rides including an antique carousel, a train and kiddie boats.  Additionally, there are plenty of swings, slides, paddle boats, an aquatic center, picnic areas and places to just sit back and soak in the sights and sounds of a historic park that’s filled with many memories.

The history of Pullen Park is quite an interesting read, but I won’t reiterate all of those details. (You can visit the City of Raleigh’s page and view a detailed document on the actual history, or better yet, you can visit the park and learn on your own!)

My Mom, baby me riding the train at Pullen Park, which
was driven by my Grandpa, Charlie W. Baker.

As a child, on many occasions, my parents often took me to Pullen Park, and while it was a fun place to visit, the park held special meaning to my family and me.  After my Grandpa, Charlie W. Baker, retired, in 1982, from his full-time job, he began to work part-time at Pullen Park.  Over the course of his 27 years of part-time employment, which ultimately meant he worked there until he was 91 years old and until the park closed briefly in 2009 for renovations, he performing a variety of duties including being the operator of the train and carousel.  In his later years, he operated the kiddie boats, and if you ever visited Pullen Park during the early to late 2000s, he more than likely would play you a tune on his harmonica as the kids squealed with glee while enjoying their spins on the kiddie boats.  

The Pullen Park Carousel
(or as I called it the Hobby Horses). 

While my Grandpa was absolutely loved his job and he loved visiting with the thousands of people he encountered during his years of employment at Pullen Park, I often wonder how many lives he may have impacted.  So many times, when I would tell people that my Grandpa worked at Pullen Park, they would immediately ask which one he was and as soon as I would describe him, they would instantly know who he was and they all had a story to share about him.  He was such a kind and caring man, and he always wanted to give the kids as long as they wanted to enjoy on their rides. 

Grandpa was somewhat saddened when the park closed from 2009 to 2011 for updating and complete renovations.  When the park re-opened, he was unable to return to work there, which greatly disappointed him. But, thankfully, we have all the wonderful memories of the years that he spent working there, ultimately years that I believed help him to live as long as he did (95 years old!).

So, next time you’re in the capital city of Raleigh, take a few moments out of your busy schedule to make a pit-stop over at Pullen Park.  Even if you’re not interested in riding a ride or swinging in a swing (which I always find utterly relaxing), take a stroll through the park.  If you’ve ever been there before, allow the memories of your childhood to reclaim you for a few moments, and if you’ve never been there before, make new memories and enjoy a little bit of fun that the City of Oaks has to offer. 

I always wanted to be an Astronaut, so a few years ago, I was
able to ride the Space Shuttle -- too bad I didn't fit, ha!  

Kisses for the tiger at the Pullen Park Carousel.

Oreos

We all have food vices, right?  What are some of the foods that you know you shouldn’t eat but you just absolutely can’t live without?  Obviously, I blogged (quite a few letters ago) of my top vice, doughnuts, but if there is another food vice that I have, it would be Oreo's. 

Now, when it comes to Oreo's, I’m pretty picky because I don’t like all the flavored and double-stuffed and reversed Oreo's, and all the varying combinations that Nabisco has come out with.  I enjoy the “regular” Oreo's, but as weird as it may seem, my absolute favorite Oreo's are the Halloween and Christmas ones.  No, they aren’t flavored in any way, but I just think the Orange and Red colored creamed middle, not only is pretty, but just tastes better.  (Yes, I’m sure it is a mental, psychological thing, but don’t try to tell me otherwise, because the Orange and Red are still the best!)

I remember back in high school (waaayyyy back when!), I earned the unofficial title and nickname of “Oreo Queen” because I managed to win an Oreo eating competition during our school lunch session. You know, we all do stupid stuff when we’re in school, and while to me, taking on an Oreo eating competition didn’t seem like a stupid idea at the time, I think later on in the day I started to regret it especially because of what class immediately followed my lunch -- chorus! 

In the last three or four minutes of lunch break, they placed Oreo packages on our lunch table to see how many we could eat WITHOUT any milk, water or anything to drink.  We had to eat them dry and had few minutes to spare until the bell rang.  Somehow, I managed to chew down, and shockingly keep down, 23 Oreo's (at least I think that was the total number; it might have been a few up or down but it was over 20, I know for sure).   Miraculously, I didn’t choke and I managed not to barf.  But once I got in to my chorus class and started doing vocal warm-ups, I think I began to regret my decision in earning the title Oreo Queen. 

Usually they say, we learn from our mistakes or crazy doings, but I'm not so sure I learned from that challenge in high school because if you put a package of Oreo's in front of me (especially Orange or Red!!) even today, they’ll likely be gone in no time.  Ironically, I usually prefer to eat them “dry” but occasionally, I will dip them or soak them in milk, but being that I don’t like to drink milk (nor do I like the smell of milk), I often will avoid that. 

Maybe because of my love for Oreo's is why I often prefer Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream or putting Oreo shavings on my frozen yogurt.  But, is there anything Oreo related that I don’t like, you may ask?  The answer to that is yes!   

Once at our State Fair, I tried the Deep Fried Oreo's, as I had heard everyone rave about how good they were.  I had previously tried Deep Fried Reese’s (loved them!), the Krispy Kreme cheeseburger (actually, it is very good!), and Chocolate Covered Frozen Cheesecake on a Stick (also something to LOVE!), so I thought to be sure I would enjoy the Deep Fried Oreo's.  But, I was absolutely wrong on that account.  I don’t know what it was about the Deep Fried Oreo's, and while I did eat them all, they made me absolutely sick. 

So, next time you are consuming some Oreo's, think about me scarfing down all those Oreo's in lickedy-split record pace to win my unofficial title, but also make sure around Halloween and Christmas to get the Orange and Red Oreo's.  Don’t get the peppermint flavored or red velvet, it’s just regular Oreo's (that have designs on the cookie, too) but the cream is just colored.  I promise you, they’ll be better and they’re worth waiting for those two times of the year to get!