Alan Crawford

Spring time is here, the end of the current school year only weeks away, and it’s finally beginning to warm up. When I was in middle school, we’d be putting in for our working papers and hunting about for gainful employment with local businesses, mainly farms and orchards, dreaming of making enough chump change to get maybe a new bike or some other longed- for item, maybe some of the latest fashion styles our parents wouldn’t pay for.

By the time we reached high school, we began setting our sights higher with after school employment. The Hot Shoppes on the New York State Thruway at Modena and Plattekill attracted us like bears to honey! And, not just my generation. No sir! For a few decades these were great places to work, gathering the funds for a first automobile, insurance and all the related expenses.

Some of us worked the snack bar, some the kitchen, some were servers, and some petroleum transfer technicians (gas station attendants), as I was. And, we were finally making “big money” on our first real job! In the mid 1960’s, $2 per hour went a long way! You have to remember, gasoline was only about 30 to 35 cents a gallon. Guys could take their girls out (if neither of them had to work), spending their hard earned pay for a pizza, a movie and some popcorn. We even had the choice of indoor and outdoor movies! Wow, just didn’t get any better!

The Hot Shoppes were like your family. Each hosted their own sports teams, bowling, softball, baseball and so on. The teams played in local leagues and also in competition with the other Hot Shoppes along the Thruway.

The Hot Shoppes came into existence in the 1950’s, shortly after the toll road opened. Plattekill opened in 1956, and Modena opened in 1957. Local newspapers displayed many ads seeking employees. While there were permanent positions, most of us were part timers during our high school years. Leaving the area to attend college ended our short-lived but memorable careers, grooming us for our future professions and learning what was expected of us in the workforce by future employers.

And there was always a bit of excitement in the mix, even an occasional robbery. Criminals are not the brightest, and anyone robbing a business on a toll road has to make it to the nearest interchange to get off. The Hot Shoppes were placed roughly 40 miles apart, and never at an interchange. In the event of a robbery, all the interchanges were closed, trapping the culprits. There were a few who managed to get out through the gates which allowed deliveries, however.

So, this article is for all of you, my classmates, and other comrades in arms, putting on the uniform supplied for us to proudly wear while serving the public.

I managed to locate a post card of the Modena Hot Shoppe and even a menu from those days, besides local ads in the Help Wanted section of the Evening News. Plus, there’s an article about an attempted robbery! And, if you’re complaining about potholes and the condition of roads today, look back and see how one valiant employee struggling to get in to work in the winter froze her legs! Oh, those were the times! I hope these bring back some fond memories for all the alumni of those rest areas.