didn't know that the light was referred to as that. Did anyone else? It makes sence. I always "hoped I was in the right" proceeded with caution, but never sure. The town has changed so much over the years
The town planners must not drive through Reading Square... Because ever since they took out the dummy, the traffic has been terrible. The parking in front of the town hall and CVS has made it so you have to take a left at the light in front of Wallgreens or in front the church. Doing this has made the traffic through the square basically one lane. Way to screw up a good thing for a couple extra parking spaces!!!
What a great piece, I can't believe the dummy is(finally) gone! Is it being stored at the Historical Society along with the Mineral Street Bridge, the RMHS tower, and the leftover Nike rockets?
the one in Dedham Square hardly compares! The crazy thing is, I know how to navigate the dummy as I've ben doing it all my life. Putting something different there makes me a little nervous.
Oh good Lord! Almost 13 minutes devoted to this thing. Never would I believe that I'd hear someone compare this thing to the Statue of Liberty. Get RID of it! Buh Bye! Thank U for saying this is a "mockumentary"! LOL
If anyone wants to see and hear singer / songwriter Kenan Cooper perform the "hit" song from this video, look up "Old Yellow" - Live at RCTV. A clip of a live performance at the RCTV annual membership meeting. Nice to see the performance of the song that is part of a delightful and fun video.
I love it! I grew up in Reading, remember Mr. Blodgett at RMHS, and used to live next door to Camille Anthony from this video! I can't tell you how many times I nearly crashed into that dummy when I was learning to drive... Great video, thanks for putting it up!
The dummy.... as much as we all will be sooo very happy to have a more peaceful intersection....ole' yellow will be missed a little bit. if it is just remembering the good old times slamming into it, swerving around it..or just plain trying to figure out to go or not to go... Yes I am going to say it... I will miss you dummy!!! All the way from NC
such memories..my father was fire chief at one time and I was thrilled that his department had the power to override the dummys settings to all red to let the engines roar out from the old fire station...if sufficient funds can be raised for transportation i will offer my yard in california for the dummy to have a well earned retirement away from the harsh winters..
OMG this is too much, I recall many a times trying to figure out which way was the right way around the "dummy"! Mr. Blodgett was my teacher at good ole RMHS.
Memories of growing up in Reading will now have no way to to rejuvenate themsleves when images fade in time. New High School, new neighborhoods, no woods, & now, no Traffic Dummy, Progress into the 21st. Century marches on and over our past.
We couldn't save the High School, but, we can still Save the Dummy!!!
My tears are still flowing over the loss of the beige concrete tower at the High School.. and now this?? I may not be able to go on. Where do I send my check?
As a teenager I remember driving with my friend Justin Nowell in his 1982 Ford Tempo when he accidentally dropped his Fish Fillet sandwich onto the floor. The sandwich got wedged under the break pedal and as a result we smashed right into the dummy! It was a delicious disaster! Save the dummy!
Nice. Very nice. We should save the dummy and all others. I, being a Reading resident myself, think we should keep it as a joke for people passing through, just to annoy them. :D LONG LIVE THE DUMMY!
time to get rid of the real dummies in town... like lets start with the selectmen.. time for a change... remember the mwra..... how is everyones waterbill
Absolutely inspirational. I have been gone from Reading for 30 years, but am so proud to be able to call it my home town. What a surprise to see Mr. Blodgett my high school chemistry teacher! He hasn't changed a bit!
Dear me! For seven years I have lived and ministered in Reading and now I finally understand--it was the dummy all along. If I had only known, perhaps I could have done something.... Who even knew it had a name?
They closed The Green Door, Laurel Hill (home to Reading's Finest Families) sold out, A Somerville mayor bought Hinnendael's house, legal booze arrived, Herbie retired, Wes Parker drained the Fryolator, The dump became a Starbucks, the RMHS tower fell, Charles's closed.
Now the George Agganis Traffic Light is next.
The only people who care are northside blow-ins; our Finer Families know Birch Meadow might as well be Canada and never venture much past the Atlantic.
Are you kidding me?? This is the least well designed bit of civic landscaping I've ever seen. I grew up in Reading too. Yellow is my favorite color. This dummie, however, must go...
The removal of the dummy is a good thing. With that extra space in the middle of Main St., perhaps there's room to build a small drug store in the town center. We don't have enough of those.
Great job!! It's time we did some thing to save the dummy. Reading will not be the same with it gone. 1st they take the tower down at the high school, now the dummy. What will be next. The water tower?
After many years of digging through old archives, researching collections, and careful back-dating and authentication, I am proud to announce the discovery of "Ode de la Dummie" by Walter P. Eaton.
Foreigners see your crooked signal mast And stare and gape aghast That Old Yellers managed to last As traffic flies by way too fast. Your pedestrian lights surely jest; Crossing Main Street is an Olympic test. Your yellow island gives no place to rest Should one need relief from heaving chest. Oh dear dummie, it looks like you're here to stay Centrally located in the worst possible way. Your lights do nothing to tell us who's got the right of way But it looks like you're here to stay.
I grew up in Reading and spent many hours sitting at this icon, waiting for the red AND yellow lights. No one believes me.... Through all of the blizzards and storms, the yellow dummy lives on....
I love the video! It has convinced me that "Old Yellow" needs to be preserved. It would be most fittingly relocated to the front yard of any of the members of the Reading Historical Commission or the Antiquarian Society.
Many thanks to those who gave their time and good words (and videotape) to make this need more widely known!
me too
brkools 1 year ago
didn't know that the light was referred to as that. Did anyone else? It makes sence. I always "hoped I was in the right" proceeded with caution, but never sure. The town has changed so much over the years
squackman100 1 year ago
Comment removed
squackman100 1 year ago
I miss the dummy too.
I had Everett Blodget for Chemistry at Reading High.
pjchooch1 2 years ago
I LIVE IN READING!!!!
crazyacid77 2 years ago
i know where it is now. its in the Imagination Station
Showjumper1011 2 years ago
GAHHHH!!!!that dummy was my friend!!! GRRRR!!!!i liked that dummy....hmmm...
snazzlcazzly 2 years ago
i miss the dummy
snazzlcazzly 2 years ago
Man, it's been two years since I moved south from N. Reading, made me glad to see this.
xXZynaXx 2 years ago
funny
ohalloranb95 3 years ago
The town planners must not drive through Reading Square... Because ever since they took out the dummy, the traffic has been terrible. The parking in front of the town hall and CVS has made it so you have to take a left at the light in front of Wallgreens or in front the church. Doing this has made the traffic through the square basically one lane. Way to screw up a good thing for a couple extra parking spaces!!!
tylernick 3 years ago
I miss the dummy!! now I know which way to go!! Remember when Walgreens was Bensons,Bersons? and CVS was the 5 &10?? those where the days!!
jinxkies 3 years ago
Ever since the Furrier's left Reading the town has never been the same.
jf781 3 years ago
What a great piece, I can't believe the dummy is(finally) gone! Is it being stored at the Historical Society along with the Mineral Street Bridge, the RMHS tower, and the leftover Nike rockets?
Tom Stohlman-former resident
namlhots 3 years ago
ya you are that dummy
hyper719 3 years ago
i was there when they broke it........check out my page
homsar4 3 years ago
the one in Dedham Square hardly compares! The crazy thing is, I know how to navigate the dummy as I've ben doing it all my life. Putting something different there makes me a little nervous.
Pupcleanup 3 years ago
promixcuous: that's the first thing I thought of too.
terraceten 3 years ago
There's always the one in Dedham Square.
promixcuous 3 years ago
Oh good Lord! Almost 13 minutes devoted to this thing. Never would I believe that I'd hear someone compare this thing to the Statue of Liberty. Get RID of it! Buh Bye! Thank U for saying this is a "mockumentary"! LOL
Paulac71 3 years ago
Mr Conrad? is that your voice on this video??
engfant 3 years ago
If anyone wants to see and hear singer / songwriter Kenan Cooper perform the "hit" song from this video, look up "Old Yellow" - Live at RCTV. A clip of a live performance at the RCTV annual membership meeting. Nice to see the performance of the song that is part of a delightful and fun video.
AceTough 3 years ago
I don't live in the town just work there,it's another piece of Americana being lost to progress. Hope you all can find a place for it goodluck!
cg4167 3 years ago
I love it! I grew up in Reading, remember Mr. Blodgett at RMHS, and used to live next door to Camille Anthony from this video! I can't tell you how many times I nearly crashed into that dummy when I was learning to drive... Great video, thanks for putting it up!
MikeInPDX 3 years ago
is this a joke because i love that dummy
penisland4lyfe 3 years ago
i love that thing i am only in 8th grage but i have so many memmories from that im gunna miss it
penisland4lyfe 3 years ago
The dummy.... as much as we all will be sooo very happy to have a more peaceful intersection....ole' yellow will be missed a little bit. if it is just remembering the good old times slamming into it, swerving around it..or just plain trying to figure out to go or not to go... Yes I am going to say it... I will miss you dummy!!! All the way from NC
Cloughycats 3 years ago
Are you kidding me?!?! The only place that stupid light should be is in the dump! If someone wants to save it, put it in your yard! Give me a break!
melscorcho 3 years ago
such memories..my father was fire chief at one time and I was thrilled that his department had the power to override the dummys settings to all red to let the engines roar out from the old fire station...if sufficient funds can be raised for transportation i will offer my yard in california for the dummy to have a well earned retirement away from the harsh winters..
aquamarina6 3 years ago
Goodbye old friend! Class of 1966
BiggieJack 3 years ago
OMG this is too much, I recall many a times trying to figure out which way was the right way around the "dummy"! Mr. Blodgett was my teacher at good ole RMHS.
edankellie 3 years ago
Oh my lord! That is too funny! I work in Reading and heard about this video from one of my customers. What a hoot!
blackboots224 3 years ago
being from the town of reading I LMAO over this dummymentary.I bet all of us have either driven into or swerved to avoid the dummy
paulnofsky 3 years ago
Tear that infernal contraption down and never look back! Let's put it in the cemetary where it belongs.
tlc2269 3 years ago
OMG, I laughed, I cried. And I'm not even from Reading.
harlowrenee 3 years ago
Memories of growing up in Reading will now have no way to to rejuvenate themsleves when images fade in time. New High School, new neighborhoods, no woods, & now, no Traffic Dummy, Progress into the 21st. Century marches on and over our past.
We couldn't save the High School, but, we can still Save the Dummy!!!
StonedMountainBoyz 3 years ago
this should be put in someones yard
ztd15 3 years ago
My tears are still flowing over the loss of the beige concrete tower at the High School.. and now this?? I may not be able to go on. Where do I send my check?
Fwaabee48 3 years ago
As a teenager I remember driving with my friend Justin Nowell in his 1982 Ford Tempo when he accidentally dropped his Fish Fillet sandwich onto the floor. The sandwich got wedged under the break pedal and as a result we smashed right into the dummy! It was a delicious disaster! Save the dummy!
pdmelan 3 years ago
Holy cow! Was that Kaitlin Sheedy yelling out the window of that station wagon ??
restonvaguy 3 years ago
Nope. It was someone else.
RCTVorg 3 years ago
I laughed, I cried, I was moved to get involved in the fight.
soundczar 3 years ago
Here's to Old Yellow, the most hated object in Reading Circus! Next we should save the Salon Muffy!
sconno03 3 years ago
Nice. Very nice. We should save the dummy and all others. I, being a Reading resident myself, think we should keep it as a joke for people passing through, just to annoy them. :D LONG LIVE THE DUMMY!
fnoogernooger 3 years ago
THanks goodness there are those who have "too much time on their hands" to give us such a lift in these depressing times.
foreverreading 3 years ago
I think the Dummy should be spruced up for Spring and placed at the foot of Haven Street, just in front of the depot.
Thanks for making my day!
justmex4 3 years ago
lol this video is awesome!
I think we should preserve the dummy, perhaps just make it a monument somewhere in the middle of town...
of corse it wouldn't actually opperate but it's truely an icon of reading, it's how people know they're here!
ZZZeroGold 3 years ago 2
time to get rid of the real dummies in town... like lets start with the selectmen.. time for a change... remember the mwra..... how is everyones waterbill
changereadingnow 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
To many people with to much time on their hands. Get a life!
cherokee852004 3 years ago
LONG LIVE THE DUMMY!
settingsun86 3 years ago 3
No bigger day than today! Will it be topped next year?!
secondleft1miledown 3 years ago
Absolutely inspirational. I have been gone from Reading for 30 years, but am so proud to be able to call it my home town. What a surprise to see Mr. Blodgett my high school chemistry teacher! He hasn't changed a bit!
skquach 3 years ago
Dear me! For seven years I have lived and ministered in Reading and now I finally understand--it was the dummy all along. If I had only known, perhaps I could have done something.... Who even knew it had a name?
theoneman11 3 years ago
They closed The Green Door, Laurel Hill (home to Reading's Finest Families) sold out, A Somerville mayor bought Hinnendael's house, legal booze arrived, Herbie retired, Wes Parker drained the Fryolator, The dump became a Starbucks, the RMHS tower fell, Charles's closed.
Now the George Agganis Traffic Light is next.
The only people who care are northside blow-ins; our Finer Families know Birch Meadow might as well be Canada and never venture much past the Atlantic.
O tempora! O mores!
atruehistorian 3 years ago
Oh you brought back some great memories. Putting together Sunday papers at M. F. Charles, Herbie, etc. Thanks, Dusty Cronin
croninn 3 years ago
Hugga, remember any of this? Love it!
croninn 3 years ago
they should make a memoryal for it. its a part of history it should be perserved
megameg2000 3 years ago
On second thought...It is cheaper than those traffic cops.
Schnitzer17 3 years ago
Are you kidding me?? This is the least well designed bit of civic landscaping I've ever seen. I grew up in Reading too. Yellow is my favorite color. This dummie, however, must go...
Schnitzer17 3 years ago
The removal of the dummy is a good thing. With that extra space in the middle of Main St., perhaps there's room to build a small drug store in the town center. We don't have enough of those.
farffir 3 years ago
Makes me proud to live in Reading. I need a tissue.
tygre50 3 years ago
Great job!! It's time we did some thing to save the dummy. Reading will not be the same with it gone. 1st they take the tower down at the high school, now the dummy. What will be next. The water tower?
emt1993 3 years ago
After many years of digging through old archives, researching collections, and careful back-dating and authentication, I am proud to announce the discovery of "Ode de la Dummie" by Walter P. Eaton.
Stmtrolleyguy 3 years ago 2
Ode De La Dummie
Walter P Eaton
Oh dear dummie who sits before our town square
We drive by you with oh so little room to spare
Your confusing signals make us want to tear out all our hair
And you're gosh darn impossible to read in sunsets firey glair.
But you've sat there for oh so long in the middle of the street
A hexagon forged of yellow-painted concrete.
Many a snowplow you've been known to defeat.
From your obnoxious location that's hard to beat.
Stmtrolleyguy 3 years ago
Stmtrolleyguy 3 years ago
Great poem, thanks, Dusty
croninn 3 years ago
I grew up in Reading and spent many hours sitting at this icon, waiting for the red AND yellow lights. No one believes me.... Through all of the blizzards and storms, the yellow dummy lives on....
nadda97 3 years ago
As an out-of-towner, I heartily protest this video and all it stands for.
pzykotic1 3 years ago
Save the Dummy!!!!
Stmtrolleyguy 3 years ago 3
great video! Here's to "Old Yellow"!
alfbsc06 3 years ago 3
Enjoyed the video greatly. I never really knew the history of "Old Yellow". Amazing.
AceTough 3 years ago 3
I love the video! It has convinced me that "Old Yellow" needs to be preserved. It would be most fittingly relocated to the front yard of any of the members of the Reading Historical Commission or the Antiquarian Society.
Many thanks to those who gave their time and good words (and videotape) to make this need more widely known!
:-)
Inkslinger03 3 years ago 3
lets save old yellow
yea first comment!!!!
almurph45 3 years ago 3