(Recollections of Joe Ragucci – recorded 1/10/2005 by Joe Ragucci)

Uncle Tony and Aunt Priscilla’s cellar was the gathering place for several teenagers.  In particular, Tony Jr., Joe, Linda, Frank Cundari, and Billy Capik.  Among other things we used to listen to and sing to popular music of the time.

In the summer of 1965, Uncle Tony decided to help us build a float for the Halloween Parade in Woodbridge.  We decided to make a flying saucer onto of a 6’ x 6’ square flat-bed trailer that Uncle Tony would use to carry stuff to job sites.   So that summer we starting making full head masks out of paper mache’, costumes, and building a flying saucer on top of the trailer.  It was round and large enough for us to go inside (about 7 ft tall).   It was completed by the end of summer but in early September we had a terrible hurricane and the flying saucer was destroyed.  We worked long hours to rebuild it in time for the Halloween parade.

Joe’s VW Beetle convertible was used to pull the float in the parade.  It was also decorated to look other-worldly. Linda sat on the back of the convertible dressed as the “queen” of the Martians.  We played the music “the Martian Hop” over and over again.  They rest of us were dressed as Martians and danced into and around the float.  We came in 2nd Place for non-commercial floats and won enough money to reimburse Uncle Tony for the expenses to build the float twice.