Raymond Pert recently took this picture of the old Kellogg YMCA.Different conversations I have been having recently have reminded me of some of the activities I was involved in at the Kellogg YMCA.
Many kids in Kellogg have memories playing basketball in the YMCA gym. But I'm not sure any of my YMCA memories involve that sport.
Here are some things I remember:
I took a tumbling class in the gym after school in my later grade school years. We learned how to do flips on the trampoline, do some tumbling on the mats, maybe we even did something on the horse, and the balance beam. Maybe we were all Nadia Komenich want to be's. I'm not sure. But I think I had a fun time.
The Y had a swimming pool down in the basement, a stuffy, chlorine-smelling, humid, sauna-like pool. You would travel through the gym and go to this door in the far corner and open up the door, and descend down into the basement to the pool.
When you entered the Y, there was a desk where you either showed your Y card that showed you were a member, or you paid a fee. They also sold candy at the front desk. I remember buying red rope licorice. Once you were paid up, or showed your card, they would press a button that would allow you to go through a swinging half door.
There were places in the Y that kind of scared me as a young girl. Like the stairs that headed down into the basement. I think I always thought creepy men lived down there, perhaps because sometimes they were hanging around upstairs. I have no idea what the story was on the rooms or the men, but that was my perception as a young girl.
In high school, I remember our church youth group would meet with other youth groups in the valley for volleyball or other activities.
Yes, I have memories, but I feel mine pale in comparison to many kids in the valley. Some kids lived at the Y, playing basketball, and the Y probably saved more than one kid.
It is sad seeing the building now. All boarded up, and gutted. It is probably going to become a condo or something. Who knows?
Anyone have a Kellogg YMCA story to share?
