What Were Your Summer Jobs At The Lake
 

Whether you were a Lake Winnipesaukee area native or a visiting flatlander, most teenagers got jobs around the lake every summer. I’m glad to say that I was one of them.

I had many different jobs at the lake during my teenage and early 20’s years.

I’m going to anecdotally describe what I did and then I hope others will perhaps do the same. It will be interesting to see what made our summers go round and round during those formative years.

1958 - I worked as a Busboy at Bald Peak Colony Club. I applied for and received my Social Security Number. We worked breakfast, lunch and dinner. We started at 7am and worked until about 1pm. Had the afternoons off until about 5pm when the dinner service began. We were allowed to eat dinner there before work but you had to show up early. Saturday nights were special as the chef always carved an ice statue from a block of ice harvested from the lake the previous winter. The ice statue was displayed in the dining room on the buffet dessert table. As I recall, I think I made about 50 cents per hour.

1959 - I worked running a very small convenience store at Lanes End Camp in Tuftonboro. Lanes End, at the time, had both summer long and weekly vacationers renting cottages there. The store carried milk, bread, eggs, donuts, soda, candy and ice. Not an especially busy place but my friends would regularly stop over and we’d chat and play cribbage. The man who was married to the owner of Lanes End at the time would occasionally stop by in the afternoon and we’d play chess. Most of the time he won but we had several draws and I checkmated him once. There was a resort wide cribbage tournament at the end of the summer. My friend, Jackie R and I took the crown.

1960 - I split the summer at 2 different jobs. During the first half of the summer, I worked at Castle in the Clouds. Vacationers who toured the castle needed to be driven from the lower parking field to the castle in a VW bus. I was a driver. We had to learn the history of the castle so that we could provide commentary to the customers while driving them up there. I also spent some time as a castle guide. After hours we privately toured parts of the castle not then open to the public. These were the days when Norm Langdon and Al Brac managed the castle.

During the second half of the summer, I returned to Bald Peak Colony Club as a Greens Keeper. I held that job for the next 3 summers.

1961 thru 1963 – These were some fun summers. The day was 7am – 3:30pm, 6 days a week and sometimes 7. I remember listening to WBZ, AM radio 1030 while waking up and eating breakfast before heading to “The Club”. Don Kent’s weather was important to listen to each morning. The first task every day was to sweep the morning dew from the greens. A 12 – 15 foot tapered bamboo pole was whipped across the surface of the green to disburse the dew. Every other day the greens needed to be cut. The 18 greens were divided among 3 Greens Keepers who used a special power mower to do the cutting. Sweeping and cutting basically took the whole morning. Then it was back to “the Barn” for lunch. Following lunch, the tees needed mowing, ball washers needed cleaning and filling and a wide variety of miscellaneous golf course maintenance tasks needed to be done. We were allowed to play the golf course after work so long as there wasn’t a tournament going on. Our boss was Al Malucci. Other full time workers included Gil Morris, Ken Haley, Charlie Plummer and Leo Phelps. We, the summer help, were paid 90 cents per hour in 1961, one dollar per hour in 1962 and a whopping one dollar and ten cents per hour in 1963.

1964 – This was another 2 job split summer. I was a general laborer for the first 2 weeks and then became a milkman for the now defunct Brewster Dairy in Wolfeboro. I had delivery routes that took me to Tuftonboro, Moultonborough and Alton. The day began by getting to the dairy around 4:30am to load my truck. Then it was off delivering. Most days I was done by noon but, on shorter routes, it was possible to finish by 10:30am. Either way, the rest of the day was left to enjoy, boating, swimming, waterskiing, etc.

1965 – This was the final summer before graduating from college. I worked as a laborer for Walter Smith in Tuftonboro. We did land maintenance, water maintenance, building and demolition. You needed it done and we did it. Some of the full time employees that I worked with included Walter’s son Richard, Grady Hodgdon and Guy Woodman. When I said my goodbyes to my workmates, I told them I would be going to work full time the following summer. They all wished me well.

The bulk of my post college work career was spent in the data processing world as a programmer, systems analyst and manager. I continued to spend part of every summer in the Lakes Region until 2010 when I retired.

OK, now I’ve told you my story. What’s yours?

Nice idea! Looking forward to replies. Good luck.

We only started summering in Moultonborough a few years ago, but I'm looking forward to when my kids--now 6 and 8--find their first summer jobs and explore the lake on their own. Thanks for sharing!

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Our 9-year-old granddaughter has already told us she wants to work at the gas docks at Mountain View as soon as she is old enough!!


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Can We Go?
 

Our teenage boy guests always want to go with us when we go to the marina to get gas. 😍

First summer job at the lake was as a short order cook at Dorothy's Restaurant in Glendale, now the Lyons Den. There were lots of family style restaurants and small motels in those days, so lots of kids jobs. Lots of kids living on the islands and commuting through Glendale, as I did. You could literally hitchhike to almost any Gilford island up until 1-2 am when the late night dinner places, and Weirs dance halls closed. Sometimes the band from Huffy's at the Weirs (Bobby and the Twisters, right?) would pack everything up and play again at the Goodhue Boat Yard storage building. Great parties.
I was paid, I think, $0.90'hour and I got meals.
The next year, we got a lot busier with the installation of air conditioning and a liquor license, and I moved out front to the counter. I think the same pay, but now I got tips, and had more interaction with customers and waitresses.

Both of those years I had Wednesdays as my day off. I loaded my boat onto a trailer and drove it to Half Moon Lake in Alton. I unloaded and taught water skiing at Camp Mi-Te-Na all afternoon. $7.00/hour for me and the boat, skis, and gas.

The next job was to drive the Miss Winnipesaukee speedboats at the Weirs. Again, I could commute by boat. And what teenager didn't want to just be at the Weirs all day every day? Of course in June before the boat season started, we were up on big ladders painting and washing windows in the Winnipesaukee Gardens, and all the stores along the boardwalk. Occasionally, they needed extra help at the ballroom or the Bingo Hall and I was able to add that to my regular hours and get paid as overtime. I never thought I'd be a professional BINGO caller!

Irwin Marine stopped running the Winni's and I moved to their Lakeport facility. Now I had to boat to Glendale and drive to Lakeport. We had (there were three of us) duties of picking up and delivering boats all around the state. I had my own tools, so I got a little mechanical training and did a lot of rigging of new boats. Boat, motor, trailer and accessories, horn, fire extinguisher etc. were all packaged by the dealer then, not the manufacturer. We, (married now) rented a house on Foster Ave in the Weirs.
The Irwin's (Jim Jr and Jack) were great people to work for, and we are still loyal customers.
After that last lake summer job, I got a job at a cotton brokerage while I waited for the Navy to call me up, so we could head for Pensacola for basic/flight training.

Twenty five +/- years later, my daughter and my niece lived on the island and commuted to Glendale. They were both dispatchers for Marine Patrol.

First summer job here was as a cashier in Wolfeboro at what was then "Hunter's IGA." Had an "interview" with Charlie Hunter and he hired me on the spot. At the time, the other local supermarket was Prescott Farms, but I chose the IGA because their baggers were required to wear a necktie, and that impressed me as being more professional. (Market Basket employees also wear a tie; and I still I like that!)

Summer jobs
 

I spent every summer from 7 years of age to 19. My first job was at Chases country townhouse restaurant. I had just got my drivers license that year and was allowed to drive the family station wagon. I washed dishes . I could also commute by boat as the restaurant was right across the street from the public town docks. Guess what method of trans. Got my vote! That was a fun summer, went out all summer with a waitress who also worked there. The following summer l ended up at the Windmill restaurant.longer ride but I had 2 days off instead of 1. Those days were so long ago that both places are now history. Managed to return to the lake for many years after that , but as a 2-3 week vacationer. I will never forget those years of my life.

I was a jack-of-all-female-trades at Ames Farm Inn. I wasn’t allowed to do the job I wanted, which was “The Boy.” “The Boy” mowed the fields, emptied the trash bins, delivered cots, and various other jobs that girls weren’t allowed to do in the 70’s.


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What Were Your Summer Jobs At The Lake
 

I worked at Papa Gino’s in Laconia in the 90s during the summer while in high school and up for the summer.


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1985-1986 Bus boy at the Oak Birch Inn, Alton Bay

1985-1986 Pumped gas on the docks at Downings landing

1986-1989 Parker Marine- worked on the rental fleet and all other marina type duties. Met some interesting people here, and asked some interesting questions about the lake and boating which now explains how people drive and act on the lake.
When a customer asks “where’s the brakes” on a rental boat, you know you’re gonna have problems!!

1989-1991 Barge marine works- building docks and rock walls/break walls around the lake.

In 1960 I got a job at Lake Shore Park. The Spanos's had just bought the park from the Jones's, and they needed help, so Wally Rugg, who was managing the park, gave me the job as the garbage man and the ice man. There were two trucks that I drove for that, a 1946 International for picking up the trash, and a 1948 International for the ice. Every morning I would go to the pavilion and take the "46 around the park to empty about 80 trash cans that were spread around the park. There was about 15 empty cans loaded in the back of the truck, so I would fill the cans and take them to the dump which was across from the park on the other side of Rt 11.
Then it was into the other truck and off to Lakeport to the icehouse to load up two three hundred pound blocks of ice to sell to the campers. I got pretty good at cutting ice with the ice ax. I would drive around the park and cut blocks for the campers and load them into their ice boxes. Ice was a penny a pound. The job was a seven day job every week all summer long, but it was a blast.
I had that job for three years.

Summer jobs at lake
 

Fortunate enough to spend summers at the camp from freshman year in high school through college. Without a car the first few years I had to keep it local so I would walk to Ames Farms and chambermaid and also waitress, depending on the time of the season.

I was also the first employee hired by the William Tell and helped paint the dining room, chambermaid for the little motel that's long since been torn down. Once the restaurant was open I worked in the kitchen prepping salads and desserts.

For a few summers I walked to Ames for the the mornings/lunch and then walked in the other direction to the Tell for the dinner crowd.

Later years when had a car my friend from Diamond View and I would drive to the Weirs and work Big John's for breakfast/lunch. After a few hour break I would then walk to the Tell to work dinner.

Fond memories of those years!

summer job
 

Worked at Kona mansion inn in 1970 or thereabouts. All 5 of our children were lifeguards at the Long island beach spanning 12-13 years. Good gig. Both my oldest and youngest sons did engineering internships at firms in Laconia. The CEO's of both firms stepped up and hired them (10 years apart) since they showed the initiative to reach out and apply.

My parents did side work on weekends opening and closing camps and light maintenance so there was a lot of raking, plumbing and roof shoveling.

Before I could drive summertime was all about mowing lawns every place I could get to with my bike.

Every april school break a bunch of us would work that week at Camp Winaukee getting that place cleaned up and ready to open.

My last real summer job was at the Tulsa gas station across from the Meredith town docks. Way before self service,I graduated from Kingswood in 1978.

My summer job in my high school years was teaching Navigation and Boatmanship, for the Squam Lakes Association. In the late 70's

I didn't discover the lakes region until I graduated from High School. I spent most of my youth at the ocean, either Salisbury beach when I was real young or Cape Cod in my High school years. So I never worked in the lakes region but I wish I had grown up there.
When I discovered the lakes region I never really went back to the sea shore. Even now I may go to the Cape once a year to visit friends but that's it.

I wish....
 

Between the ages of 12-16, (1974-1978), my mother and I would spend the summer at the lake and my father came up on weekends. We'd head up the day school got out in June and not go back to MA until the day before school started. When I was 16 and had my license, I so wanted to work the summer at the lake, but my father wouldn't hear of it....had to be back in MA working in the family construction business...a "real job"...not "goofing off at the lake". Dug ditches, drove a dump truck, carried sheetrock, etc, every summer from 16 through college, but still came to the lake every weekend. Actually taught me a lot of life lessons.

My daughter has waitressed the last 3 summers at The Akwa and has lived at the lake from May through August. She made some decent coin, learned a lot, and has made some very great friends of all ages, both co-workers and customers. She graduates in a couple weeks with a Bachelor's in Nursing and will become an RN, so hopefully no more waitressing, but loves the lake and is pursuing jobs in NH!

summerjobs
 

I'd love to hear from anyone who worked summers at Edward's Vacation Spot aka Edward's on Wentworth. I remember the waitresses who were great!
My family spent two or 3 weeks there every July probably beginning in the late 40s or early 50s. What a fantastic place that was!!

What Were Your Summer Jobs At The Lake
 

It’s a shame that most kids these days don’t partake in a summer job. The competitive nature of top schools has shifted kids focus from earning a few bucks in the summer (and learning the value of hard work) to internships and volunteering.


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1996- Porky's in Moultonboro, I was 15. - after it was Black Bear Café ( I think that was the name) and now a Subway. Great summer job as a prep cook while staying at Camp Iroquois. Not quite as far back as some of you remember- but I'm catching up quick!

Summer job
 

I had the joy of being a counselor, and later a group leader, at Camp Kehonka in Wolfeboro from the mid-60s until 1971. Taught swimming and canoeing, and loved the camp activities of all sorts. Singing, stargazing, cooking out - all that stuff. And trips to Bailey’s and the Yum Yum Shop when we had time off. Plus helping out at post-camp when bands or family groups came to enjoy our treasured grounds after the campers had left. Golden days, Golden memories...

question for Gravy Boat
 

Gravy Boat i sent you a PM. Was also interested who your friend is at Diamond View? I lived there for 20 years and live in Alton in the winter.

I was a CIT then counselor at Girl Scout Camp Treasure Island early ‘60s. It was a magical place where girls from all kinds of backgrounds lived, worked and played together. At first the inner city kids were pretty nervous, but by the end of their 2 week stay Winni would work its magic and they couldn’t wait to return the next summer. The girls cooked most meals over wood fires, and there was electricity in only a few of the buildings,so light was from kerosene lanterns a


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...lanterns and flashlights. There were no flush toilets or showers, a big adjustment for the girls! The job paid peanuts in money but fortunes in experience.


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"Work"—Good for You and Good for The World...
 

I had some summer "hard work" at Wolfeboro's Fred E. Varney Construction. Gordon Colby was my supervisor. Getting up at 6-AM was a real pain for a teen! With only the one car in the family, my Mom would drop me off every weekday. Aside from my appearance at the occasional concrete "pours", my actual "specialty" was forcing metal screens to fit wooden frames. The finished screens were bound for the many Fred E. Varney homes being built off Wolfeboro's Springfield Point Road and Hopewell Point.

More at "Esso—Fred E. Varney, Proprietor":
https://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums...ead.php?t=6962

At the time, that construction workshop and office was just uphill from the former Schillereff's Leather-Goods store on Center Street. (And just downhill from a present-day optometrist's office).

Once away from "hard work", I had some "fun work" getting paid to search the lake bottom using my $45 Aqua-Lung.

'Bought Air Force military-surplus-used, with scalloped bottom, and painted yellow, it probably was intended for some other gas. :eek2: It was so heavy, I never needed weights. Equipment included a "Dive-Air" two-hose regulator and rare "J-valve" w/reserve. The nearest compressed-air-filling station to Wolfeboro was Laconia. While they did fill it—they declined to test it—as the last inspection date-stamp indicated 1947! :eek:

I also "subbed" at Harry Hopewell's Shell gas pump at Mast Landing—suited-up in heavy yellow coveralls.

Oh—you didn't know that Lake Wentworth once had a lakeside gas station? :cool:

Taken from an 8mm movie "still", this is the person I occasionally substituted for—the movie being taken at the Mast Landing site:

:

You wouldn't be allowed to do that today. You weren't 18.

Aps, Congratulations on a hard working youth. Can't figure where you went wrong and became a blow boater after such a solid work history. Not intended to be an insult, just a recognition of a different cloture, where I grew up in a similar time frame doing water ski marathons.

Summer jobs
 

Summer of 1964, I was a dishwasher at HoJo's at the Weirs. This was before I had my license. I either boat from Terrace Hill, walk/thumb, or able to get a ride to and from work. Mr and Mrs B were the owner/operator then. Their son Ed Baroody was the cook. I worked '65 as waiter, busboy, short order as well as dishwasher. '66 I got my driver's license and worked year round at Dunkies in downtown in Laconia. When I started college, I had 3 jobs, Star Market in Gilford, Yard man at LLM and Irwin Marine. Of course my Sundays with Winni Water Ski Racing and Winnisquam Ski and Boat. They were the 'glory' days.

Wow that is an impressive resume!!! Awesome

Back in the early 70's when I first started going to the Lake it was with a very good friend of mine who's family owned the Margate. We use to go there on weekends and stay with his Grandmother who live in the house attached to the motel. She use to do all the laundry for the place and she would make us go gather all the dirty sheets and towels and bring them to her. In the spring we had to take all the lawn furniture out of the tunnel that went underground down to the lake. That was before the expansion of the lakefront building. Now that tunnel connects those buildings. We didn't get paid but we got free room and board. She was Italian, Mrs. Antico, so the meals alone were worth the work.:D

My first job was in 1964 when I was 12 years old. I worked at a place called Coach Lantern Terrace. It was located on Eagle Shore Road (near Black Cat Island). I cleaned cabins and provided clean towels to the renters. When I finished that work I would clean the owners' house and iron clothes. I made $1.00 an hour. I then worked several years at Anderson's Bakery in Center Harbor. The following years I worked at the Big Banana in Gilford, Interlakes Dairy Bar in Meredith, Hart's Turkey Farm in Meredith, and the Corner House Inn in Center Sandwich. Every job was great fun and a good way to meet other teenagers from all over the lake. THOSE WERE THE DAYS!!!

I have to say....
 

Wow...what a great NH Lakes Region Resume! I remember going to quite a few of the places you worked at. Question: was the Interlakes Dairy also know as Longwood farms? Probably not as the whole Meredith vs Center Harbor location? If it was not...was the Interlakes Dairy right there by Inn at Bay Point and across from True’s? Definitely have memories of Longwood Farms....but might have a few of the Interlakes. Also, lots of memories of Anderson’s Bakery....and Robbins!

I am from MA, but got married at (the old St Charles in Meredith)....I wanted to get married at Our Lady of Victory, but because of the time of year, it was a no go.

Thanks for the memories folks.

Ok, so after I posted the above question, got into a 3 way text my sisters. We all agree where Interlakes was. So now the question is....what was the supermarket that was behind it ?

And finally, how come no one has mentioned Longwood Farms (the old Canoe)? No one work there?

Think it was IGA- never knew it by any other name.../ I think there was a little bookshop- Sunshine Shop (?) also in same block

I had the best summer job at the lake when I turned 16. Started on a gas dock, then moved on to the service dept where I would be out all day on the weekends in the tow boat. The best part I was able to go to/from work by boat. Best commute to date.

The grocery store behind Interlakes Dairy was an A & P or a Grand Union. I can not remember which one it was. I use to go to Longwood Farms to eat. Do you remember Mallards Restaurant. It was located where Aubuchon's Hardware is in Moultonborough. There was also an Italian Restaurant In Meredith called Parizzi's. I believe I have the spelling wrong on the name. It was located near the Meredith Village Savings Bank on Route 25.

Worked at Robbin's store (currently Wild Meadow Canoe and kayak) in Center Harbor, which actually I believe was technically in Moultonborough, since the town-line marker was between the store and the old Post Office. Most vivid memories were the line of people waiting for the clock behind the counter to hit Noon on Sunday to buy beer. The other was asking Fred Robbins why he was raising prices when supposedly there was a nationwide price freeze in effect. Maybe that's why he didn't hire me back the next summer. :laugh:

I had the best job! My freshman summer of college, I worked as a Deck officer on the Mount! Spent my days (and some nights) working on the Mount with some of the best Captains around. I would get off my shift and would take my 17' Arkansas Traveler over to Handy Landing where I would live on my Trojan Houseboat at Handy Landing! Felt like I would go days without touching land!

That must have been fun.

Wildcat IV
 

Hi, thanks for your post! My first summer job as a teenager was in Meredith at Interlakes Diary Bar. . Loved serving the locals coffee and breakfast in the wee hours of the morning! Next began working at Chase's Restaurant in the kitchen preparing salads for the waitress staff. Both experiences were phenomenal !

I worked there also.

Sailing—No Insults to the Environment...
 

Actually, I had self-funded—and built—three powerboats earlier: before my folks gave me a sailboat as a HS graduation gift. ($300-worth of "blow-boat"!) :rolleye2:

Just prior, a 30-foot cruiser was towing a water skier in Winter Harbor :eek2: and my hand built tunnel-hull speedboat capsized because of the cruiser's breaking wake. :mad: (I'd slowed, the wake tipped me backwards—sending the boat engine-first to Davy Jones). :( Fortunately, an especially long fuel line and buoyant gas tank kept the boat "located" for recovery. :look:

Not appreciating sitting in windless situations, I'd added a small outboard engine to my new sailboat. But...discovered that by studying the shapes/intensity/colors of the clouds upwind, the darkness of waves far upwind, and the density of haze, I could avoid being becalmed. (Or being hammered by microbursts). :eek:

So...I left the tippy, heavy, smelly, noisy outboard at the dock, and never looked back. :)

>

Good history. I too was capsized by large boat wake once. One of those at half speed, before he could get on plane, and we couldn't avoid it. The boat was towed to shore upside down and when we righted it, our ice cream was still under the bow deck. Ironically, the only thing lost was the Scott-Atwater self bailer.

Longwood Farms
 

I was a dishwasher on the night shift at Longwood the summer of '72... had a great time! After cleaning up the dinner dishes, we would do prep for the next day... peel potatoes and cut fries, make cole slaw, measure out clam portions, etc...

The best part was when Rick Tower would toss the keys to his bright yellow Corvette to one of us to go get something at the store or more ice etc...

That was the same year his parents opened the Woodshed, and I worked one night there on Labor Day weekend when the two dishwashers quit unexpectedly (or were fired)...

Funny... almost 50 years later and I still don't mind washing dishes -PIG

Love that story, PIG. I remember Longwood and Rick.

Blue Jay, Alton Bay
 

Def some of my best memories were from my summer job at Blue Jay Luncheonette in Alton Bay in late 60’s early 70’s. Forget the $$ as my main objective! I just wanted the All American Summer Job. Meet boys was #1, then came parties, sit in sun and have those boys pick you up to go water skiing. Pretty simple. No phones, no apps, no FaceBook, no texting. No amount of $$ from parents could provide this kind of fun. Worked out well for me.