LODI HAD EVERYTHING YOU NEEDED

By Paulette Likoudis

She's one of the newest lifetime members of the Lodi Historical Society, and she's a prime example of why its membership includes folks living from coast to coast.

Main StWhen Lynnette Trippiedi of Henderson, Nevada, signed the guest book at the Lodi Museum during a recent visit here, she wasn't seeing the quiet, bolted

storefronts along Main Street for the first time. She had walked through many of those doorways. When she sent her membership check, she wrote to say she had seen the new museum and was "impressed with its beginning."

"I lived in the area from 1948 to 1962 and have many fond memories. The Main Street of Lodi was more active then, with the Clover Farm Store owned by Percy Pulver and the drug store owned by Mildred Stevens," offered Trippiedi.

"There was an oil store, barber shop - operated by Andy Simmons - and dry goods store owned by Smiths. It was fun to stop at the drug store that included a long counter with stools, and have an ice cream soda or cherry Coke. Sometimes, there was a cat on the inside sill among Mildred's plants. She was often sitting in the back of the store, playing cards and sharing news with the locals. Looking back, it was a Norman Rockwell at its best," Trippiedi recalls fondly. Some customers stopped in just to pick up the local newspaper.

On East Seneca Street, a small building was headquarters for a single telephone operator overseeing "central."

"We all had party lines and used the crank system. We had 18 parties on our line, and all rings came into your home. Then, our number was 33M, which was two long rings and a short one."

Trippiedi was born in 1942 at Watkins Glen as Lynnette Grosjean. Her father died in World War II, and her mother, Marjorie, later married William Dohrer, Jr. in 1948. At that time, the Dohrer family owned the "Lodi Hotel."

"It was well-known for a good meal and rooms were available to rent, plus it was a place for regulars to stop and have a cool drink on their way home. The town was very active then, with very few vacant buildings and most of your needs could be met. It wasn't necessary to drive distances for supplies," reports Trippiedi.

Lynnette grew up at the Dohrer Farm south of Lodi Point on land now occupied by the King family and Sunset on Seneca Campground. That neighborhood holds precious memories for her.

"The State Park at Lodi Point was a swamp with fallen trees, ducks swimming within, salamanders, frogs and plenty of mosquitoes. It was a very private place for night beach parties. The point was accessible only by boat unless you were a brave sure footer," said Trippiedi.

Lynnette's most vivid memories of the Dohrer Farm are of its fruit trees. The orchards in the "south point area" are now homesteads and camp sites.

"Missed are the Fowler, Red and Hale Haven, and Golden Jubilee peaches once grown in the orchards, next to Lodi Creek. There were sour cherries, too," noted Trippiedi, who believes the English walnut tree she is standing by in the photo accompanying this story is still standing south of the stream. She remembers the tree was producing nuts in 1948.

The Lodi Point neighborhood Lynnette grew up in has changed greatly.

"The original dirt road was closer to the lake, just behind the first row of cottages. There was an old metal bridge across Lodi Creek. Now, the bridge is a base support for a nearby dock. In 1960, there still was 125 feet of open lakeshore just below the Lodi campground that was included with that property. Houses now occupy that stretch of land. Campers use the point for lake access."

"Progress, maybe, but how I loved it then," Trippiedi reminisced.

During her visit to the changing landscape of Lodi, Trippiedi, a cheerleader and 1960 graduate of the Ovid Central School, also recalled other favorite gatherings for her peers were the "Sheep Pond," the "Mill Pond" and "the railroad swimming hole under the bridge over Silver Thread Falls of Mill Creek." All are now posted as private property.

Lynnette moved to California in 1980 with two young children and continued her nursing career until retirement. After relocating to Nevada, Lynnette met her husband, Michaelangelo, to whom she has been married for seven years.