Summer seemed to stretch forever when I was a kid. I didn’t have a care in the world. Nor did I have any plans.

Each day of vacation was an adventure and a mystery. What should I do? Play with my friends? Go swimming? Watch television? Read comic books? Raid the refrigerator? There was plenty of time to do it all, and if not, there was always the next morning.

Those days were a lifetime ago, and yet they’re still so vivid in my mind.

What do I remember? I’ll tell you.

I remember when my daily uniform was a white T-shirt and a pair of homemade cutoffs.

I remember hearing the Jingle Skoot truck’s playful song from blocks away, and running home to get coins to buy a Bomb Pop.

I remember how patriotic everyone seemed during the U.S. bicentennial, and how special the Fourth of July felt that year.

I remember how the bubbling tar stained my bare feet on country lanes near Pin Oak Point in Manchester.

I remember being so affected by the movie “Jaws” that even a dip in Turkeyfoot Lake seemed perilous.

I remember drinking a cold glass of milk while sitting directly in front of an oscillating fan.

I remember picking black raspberries so my grandmother could bake a pie.

I remember the relentless itch of poison ivy and the distinctive smell of calamine lotion.

I remember waving to celebrities at the Soap Box Derby parade and getting sunburned in the bleachers at Derby Downs.

I remember what a big mistake it was to eat a Mexican-style TV dinner before going on a spinning ride at the Cuyahoga Falls street carnival.

I remember the reassuring glow of lightning bugs in the night sky.

I remember the annoying buzz of mosquitoes when I tried to sleep.

I remember when Pilot’s song “Magic” ruled the airwaves: “Oh, oh, oh, it’s magic.” How strange it is to hear that tune today in Ozempic commercials.

I remember my mom dropping me off at Rolling Acres Mall to attend a matinee — all by myself.

I remember drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola at sleepovers and staying up late on Fridays to watch “Hoolihan and Big Chuck” on Channel 8.

I remember gulping root beer from frosted mugs at B&K, A&W and other stands.

I remember riding my bicycle as fast as I could to crest the hill at Pop-A-Wheelie Point and realizing with horror that I wasn’t going to make it.

I remember worrying that Skylab might hit Ohio after plunging from orbit.

I remember going to the snack bar before movies at the Summit, Gala, Ascot and Montrose drive-ins.

I remember buying comic books from 7-Eleven, Cope Pharmacy and Coventry Pharmacy.

I remember purchasing “Space 1999” and “Star Trek” cards at Bill Holdren’s Market on South Main Street.

I remember riding the Big Dipper at Geauga Lake and the Gemini at Cedar Point.

I remember hating back-to-school commercials because that meant my vacation was coming to an end.

I remember shopping for pencils, erasers, folders and other supplies.

I remember trying on husky clothes at J.C. Penney’s. Why on earth did they have to call them husky?

I remember how cool I thought I looked in a “Welcome Back, Kotter” T-shirt.

I remember going to the first day of classes and wondering: Where did the summer go?!?!?

Overheard at the deli

Waiting in line at the Diamond Deli in Akron, a young woman announced to the worker behind the counter, “I’m going to do an old bald guy.”

There was a moment of silence. Then other customers began to laugh.

It took a few seconds before the woman realized what she had said. You see, she had ordered the Old Bald Guy, a sandwich made with turkey, smoked gouda, bacon, onion, green apple and sun-dried tomato mayo on grilled ciabatta.

Reflecting on her words, she laughed, too.

“Now I’m going to get hot,” she said. “Now I’m going to sweat.”

This and that

Ten record stores I recall from the 1980s:

1. Camelot Music

2. The CD Connection

3. Grapevine

4. National Record Mart

5. Peaches

6. Quonset Hut

7. The Record Exchange

8. Recordland

9. The Record Library

10. Record Theatre

Mark J. Price can be reached at  mprice@thebeaconjournal.com

Sea World revisited: Vintage photos of Ohio marine park

Geauga Lake revisited: Vintage photos of lost amusement park

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Summer vacation seemed to last forever in childhood | Mark J. Price