This is a continuation of Mr. Bartko’s memories of Masaryktown, FL during the 1940s and 50s, before “the demise of the mom and pop farms.” His parents (Otec and Matka) at one point had about 4000 chickens on their farm.
Before the Wagon Wheel, on Saturday nights, people gathered at Blaha’s store. They sat around tables and talked, drank and ate. I remember a particular poster on the wall. It was Tropical Beer I think, it showed fishermen at a very picturesque place, having caught a turtle and the excitement it generated. There was also a poster for Sunken Gardens. The store sold a small number of grocery items. Mr. Blaha would go to Tampa a certain day of the week to buy special supplies. I remember in particular Matka buying poppy seed and lekvar. The other hub of social activity was the Masaryk Hotel where folks gathered to drink and dance.
Thomas Hafner Jr. built the Wagon Wheel gas station, beer place and small restaurant. That also became a regular Saturday night gathering place. Men would play cards, a Slovak card game call Marijash (I think). Tommy and Ned Hafner, Tom Jr's sons, were boys then. Tommy had a horse which they kept in the back of the Wagon Wheel. The restaurant had wagon wheels serving as light fixtures. Mr. Hafner also erected advertising signs for the Wagon Wheel along the highways at various locations. Tommy Hafner would do the painting and the lettering. They were done in red with white lettering. I tried to help with the lettering once but Mr. Hafner did not like my work. I don’t remember what the signs said but I don’t think that they were along the model of Burma Shave signs. They drove a woodies Ford station wagon with the Wagon Wheel logo-sign painted on the sides. Woodies are real collector items now. Elaine Tokos came to Masaryktown in 1948 and Ivan Placko came down in the early 50s. Ivan was two grades behind me and Elaine one grade ahead.
Some summers I worked in the watermelon fields. Someone would select and cut the melons from the vine, we would have to carry them to the truck roads, which were cut into the fields at various intervals and then when the truck came by “toss” them up to someone in the truck for packing. It was hot, dirty work. Bobby Durko also worked in the watermelon fields. He was in my high school class and part of our Beseda group. I particularly remember that we worked in Harrington's watermelon field putting paper plates on the vines to shield them from the sun during a very dry spell. Bobby and I also assembled chicken cages when people began moving to caged birds rather than open ranges. We did this for Lou Chorvat.
In the evening someone would ring the Catholic church bell. The church was near the Cimbora (Masaryk) Hotel but across HWY 41 about 100 yards away. It was a pretty brick building.
There were funerals of course. We had a pendulum clock on the farm which came from an estate sale of a WWI veteran who was buried in his Czechoslovakian army uniform. He was the first dead person I ever saw. I have the clock. There was a suicide in Masaryktown, a man hanged himself. This was the little house across from Blaha's store. The name may have been Ric?
There were many weddings in Masaryktown. The celebrations (after the respective church services) were held in the community hall. There was always lots and lots of wonderful food and pastries. There were no invitations, people just came. Of course there was lots of dancing too, especially the Polka.
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