In the book section I briefly mentioned I was reading “Once Upon a Town”, a book all about the story of the North Platte Canteen, the legendary railroad stop where during the war dozens of volunteers took the time to prepare food and snacks for the troops heading by rail across the country. They were nervous young men, many leaving home for the first time, and heading off to war and a future that was uncertain. This was the way for the people of Nebraska to show their appreciation to them for what they were about to do. For the troops, it was one last taste of kindness and compassion before the ugliness of war, a little bit of heaven before the hell to come. I can only imagine what it must have been like to pull in to the station and find that surprise waiting.
I had read the book the week before, and now it was here unfolding right before my eyes. I was one of the volunteers at the museum, and I was dressed in period clothing so I would blend in as one of the townspeople, here waiting to greet and welcome the troops.
Before me were the tables of goodies, and what a mouth watering sight it was. There were dozens of sandwiches: ham, turkey, and peanut butter ‘n’ marmalade. There were home made cookies of all flavors, chocolate chip muffins, a birthday cake, donuts, rice crispy treats, bags of popcorn, and popcorn balls. Along with all that, there were also oranges, apples, hard boiled eggs, Hershey bars, and chewing gum. Hungry yet? And to wash it all down, hot coffee, Coke in the little bottles, juice, and my favorite, cucumber water. Cucumber water? Yes, this was a new one on me too, it’s a trick to make well water taste better, you float some cucumber slices in the water (with no sugar added), and it masks the well water taste. A note about the items, most were home made using vintage wartime ration recipes, so some things I didn’t even recognize.
Suddenly we heard a train horn in the distance. The troop train was arriving! The Platform Girls grabbed their baskets of goodies and hurried forward to greet the troops. The train slowly pulled in to the station and came to a stop. The troops poured out of the cars, smiles on their faces, and came forth to receive their happy surprise. One soldier hugged one of the girls, sweeping her off her feet, twirling her round and round. Then it was all eating, laughter, handshakes, hugs, and good times for all.
So, did I get to try any of the goodies? After all, it was for the service men, not regular civilians like me. But in the end there was plenty for all, and after a while a Platform Girl came to me with her basket and offered me a treat. I said, “Only if there is enough for the boys first”, and she assured me that there was, she had already been around to them all three times. So I began to dig in! Everything was absolutely delicious. The unique recipes used meant everything tasted different than what you get at the store, or even from a bakery. I ended up eating a small sample from just about everything (except the meat sandwiches, which were gone). It was a very memorable eating experience.
At one point a girl came around and offered me a popcorn ball. I had read in the book about these popcorn balls, and they are a very special item. Back in the day, single girls would put their name and address on a little piece of paper and hide it in a popcorn ball, so a lonesome soldier could have a pen pal and someone to write to. The popcorn balls ended up being responsible for at least two marriages I read about, maybe even more. “Somehow we find each other” Indeed! So I slowly ate my popcorn ball, wondering what I might find inside, and sure enough there was a little note inside. What a nice surprise that brought a smile to my face:
(All photos by Rey)
But that is not all! It was time to enter the time machine once again, next stop: Anzio, Italy. To be continued...
When I participated in the North Platte Canteen skit last year, I had the same feeling. It was just like I was really there. Reading the book gave me a certain level of expectation, and the event went above and beyond!
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