Snow scene at Town Clock in the early 1900s       (Evening Herald, Frackville Edition, March 26, 1976)  Harold "Hap" Hahn of 129 South Line Street was born in Frackville, May 5, 1902. The first home he lived in was next to the BVM Church on South Broad Mountain Avenue but it has since been demolished. He attended school to the sixth grade at the Franklin Building and recalled Alice Burns, Ida Felsburg, Myrtle Purnell, Agnes Frew as his teachers and Gladys Roberts as his teacher at Continuation School. If a student was not sixteen years old, but had to work to help out at home, it was compulsory, for them to attend continuation school for one eight hour day a week for one year.       Hap's parents had a family of seventeen children so as they became of age they went out to work to help the family income. "Large families were not unusual in the old days," said Hap. "I remember the Burchill family with twenty-one children and the Zuber family with twenty-three children."       Hap remembers his first jobs at tending curb at Draper Colliery, picking slate at Stanton Colliery, and his "outside job" at Gilberton Colliery. He recalled "walking around the square" as the thing to do each evening. "Everyone walked around the town in the old days", said Hap. "Campfires, Block Parties, and Church Socials were places for everyone in town to meet and there was one held every week-end during the summer months." He recalled taking a girl out on a date and the complete evening costing twenty-five cents - ten cents each for the movie and a five-cent bag of peanuts shared between them!       Another place to go on a date according to Hap was Grummies Dam which is where the Hale residence is located. He also recalled dancing to Jimmy Long's Orchestra at the Hillenbrand Hotel. "This band was the Lawrence Welk of the old days," said Hap!! He laughed when he told about the amateur shows at the Jim White Theater. Movies were shown every night except one and that was - "Amateur Night in Frackville." Anyone could enter these contests and if some performer didn't suit You, You could throw anything on the stage. Tomatoes and eggs often hit their mark in the middle of a song. This was allowed and considered part of the fun!       The trolley ride from Frackville to Shenandoah was another story, Hap recalled. It took an hour to get there because the trolley went from Frackville to Maizeville on to Gilberton and Boston Run and Wiggans where you changed to go to Shenandoah or Mahanoy City. The last car left at 11 p.m. so if you were courting a girl you had to leave early to catch it but the way Hap talked, I believe he missed this last trolley quite a few times!       Hap took music lessons from his father, Henny Hahn, who was leader of the Meredith Cornet Band, and Professor Dorsey, father of the famous Dorsey Brothers. He played clarinet and saxophone and said the band members had a real love for music and played at all campfires and church socials in the town. The first Band House was on Mahanoy Street and no alcoholic beverages were allowed in the band rooms. In later years the Meredith Band bought the building now occupied by the American Legion and used the rooms for many years. He recalled James Robinson as the first bandleader; his father, Henny Hahn, as the next leader, and Louis Springer, as the last leader of this famous Frackville Band. Hap was also a member of the Goodwill Band organized during World War I. When a soldier left for the service or returned home, the band serenaded him in front of his home. If they paraded at night young boys carried coal oil lamps on long sticks to give light to the musicians. If a parade was held out of town the men went by train.       The Reo football team was another of Hap's memories. This team consisted of young boys from town who loved to play. Charlie Foulk and Butch Tregembo played at this time. They never really had uniforms, and it was not exactly an organization but it was fun playing rival teams in town, even the Frackville Buffaloes. Hap played pool in the Dave White Pool Hall many times and also recalled his Model T Ford. This car had to be cranked to get it started. You had to crawl under the car to check the oil, and with the dirt roads of the time you got only 600 miles on a tire! He also remembered the mounted State Police riding horseback coming in from the barracks at Pottsville over the Burma road through Mahanoy City and Morea and on West Oak Street and on back to Pottsville. This trip was made once a day and Mr. Kessler from town was a State Policeman at this time.       The flu epidemic was a very sad time in town according to Hap. He remembers helping Funeral Director Wood Nice bury victims. Many bodies laid in homes for several days until they could be buried. They were placed in wooden boxes and buried without any service. Anyone who had a horse and wagon offered it to be used in burying the victims. This experience helped to inspire Hap to become a medic in the Army in later years.       Hap had a bootleg hole for several years and recalled the dangerous condition in these operations. Jobs were scarce, there was no unemployment or social security and you did anything to earn a living. No mine safety regulations were followed and many men lost their lives in these operations. The load of coal was sometimes cranked up by hand and then old cars were used to hoist the coal. Fans were rarely used and the only air in the mine was that which came in from the opening. This coal was sold to the Atkins Breaker by long tons, (2240 pounds) and resold by short tons, 2000 pounds. Many men in town earned their living in bootleg holes but there are not many in existence today.       In 1923, Hap joined the army and spent twenty-one years in the service. He saw action in World War I and the Korean conflict and was awarded the Bronze Star and Combat Medic Badge in both. He played in the Army Band at the funeral of President Harding on August 5, 1923, and at receptions honoring Secretary of State Simpson, General DeGaulle, and President Roosevelt.       I would say Harold "Hap" Hahn has led a very interesting life, wouldn't you?