Written By John R. Greenwood |  Photo provided

Twain said, “Write what you know.” One thing I know is how much I loved the Saratoga 70s.

I went from 15 to 25 years old during the 70s and it was the most eventful decade of my life. I went from puberty to adulthood, to fatherhood, all within the Saratoga 70s. In 1970, I was 15 years old. Mr. Shay was the Circulation Manager at the Saratogian. He put his sons, our friends, and me to work inserting advertising flyers into the Sunday Saratogian on Saturday nights. I would be steadily employed for the next 50 years.

In 1971, I met Patricia. She was a Junior and I was a Sophomore. I lived in Greenfield. She lived on the Eastside. On Saturday nights, I would hitchhike the six miles down 9N to Saratoga. Many times, my ride would drop me off at the corner of Church St. and West Ave. From there, it was my Converse All-Stars that transported me to Jumel Place. The future Mrs. G. and I would then begin walking to SPAC. We’d wind our way through the old Skidmore Campus, stealing a shadowed kiss or two along the way. We almost died of embarrassment the night an overzealous Skidmore Security Officer hit us with his spotlight. To our surprise, it was her uncle Richard, known for his offbeat sense of humor.

An hour later, we were at the main gate of SPAC, plunking down five bucks for two lawn tickets to James Taylor. I don’t remember carrying a blanket, so I can only assume we actually sat on the lawn. It was thick, cool, and plentiful back then. After the long walk back to Jumel Place and a little more kissing, I’d head back home to Greenfield using my thumb as the most basic form of transportation.

During the summer of those high school years, Patricia was a lifeguard at the Peerless and Victoria Pools during the day. In the evenings, she would be a chambermaid at the Gideon Putnam Hotel. She also worked at Pizza Hut and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce Information Booth. Our combined work ethic was key to our future as husband and wife and as parents. Our mutual love of Saratoga thrived in the 70s: movies at the Community Theater, grinders at the original Saratoga Pizza House across the street, dancing at The Rafters and Aquarius North, Saratoga Streak football games at the Eastside Rec, and watching Sonny Gooden and Buster Tillman tear up and down the basketball court in the Saratoga Blue Streak’s gym. Oh, and let’s not forget those my-parents-are-out-of-town house parties out in, “The Crest.”

Marriage in the mid-70s led to two sons and our first house on Marion Ave in the late 70s. I was working at Saratoga Dairy then and retired from its big brother, Stewart’s, in 2019. My wife retired from Skidmore College on the same day.

I realized how special the 70s were for me when my wife of 51 years passed away this past March. (See Simply Saratoga H&G 2026 issue). We went from 0-60mph in those 10 years. Every minute of every day was bursting with something new and exciting.

Why did we still love living here? It’s not simply what’s here now; it's the memories we collected as a couple. There isn’t a street or road in Saratoga County that doesn’t hold some vivid memory we shared.

Weeks after my wife passed, I opened her 1972 High School Recorder and began reading the comments her friends had written. There were several about the fun times they’d had in and out of school. There were lots of “Good Luck” and “Keep in Touch” references. But what I wasn’t expecting were two of her girlfriends commenting on the two of us as a known “item.” One said, "What a good couple we make," and another wanted to be notified if we were going to elope.

Yes, the Saratoga 70s were a long time ago, but the memories and the high school “butterflies” never faded. The scenery changed. Friends came and went. But love hung on tight and never let go.

Saratoga 70s, oh yeah...

I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.