Livin' On the Edge
by Phil Girnis (Husband of Wendy (Elkis) Girnis, '77)
My name is Phil Girnis and I lived in Hicksville on and off for forty years, before leaving Long Island in the 1980s to pursue a job opportunity out of state. My parents moved from Queens to Hicksville in the summer of 1957. I attended East Street School for the 5th and 6th grades and Hicksville Junior High for 7th and 8th. My remembrances of Hicksville life are quite different than most because of one factor: Location. We lived in the easternmost section of Hicksville. Our little development was bounded on the west by New South Rd. (adjoining the Lilco building on Old Country Rd.) and the east by South Oyster Bay Rd. I was within two or three blocks from the borders of Hicksville, Bethpage, and Plainview.
Unlike most Hicksville streets, bare lots were still on our block when we moved in. A few months after we arrived, builders started to prepare the
Phil Girnis with his bike 1959 on Walter Ave. two lots across the street. What happened next was a goldmine for a bunch of fifth graders. The builders dug up dirt to accommodate the foundations. That left two great holes in the ground, just perfect for bicycle stunts. We would spend all day charging down those dirt walls. Who knew that dirt biking and BMX parks originated on my block?
Football Games
Another weird quirk of living in my neighborhood was the choice of a park/field where we could throw the football around. Our bizzaro choice was a 
"Foot Stadium" between the intersection of South Oyster Bay Rd., Old Country Rd., and Plainview Rdtiny spit of manicured land between the intersection of South Oyster Bay Rd., Old Country Rd., and Plainview Rd. We fondly called it Foot Stadium. Why we picked a little triangle of land in the middle of three busy roads to play football is beyond me, but it was OURS! A few months later, we really lucked out in regard to our football games. There were two sprawling ranch houses across the street. One was owned by the builder of our home, and the other by his cousin. Both men had sons my age. After a few months, we all became friends. This led to real football games in their backyards. Both yards together made one giant playing field.
The Best Part
One of the coolest parts of living in far east Hicksville was access to the Grumman property along South Oyster Bay Rd. They had at least a dozen softball fields and didn’t seem to mind if the neighbors used them. A couple of times a year, the Navy’s Blue Angels performance team would fly over the house before landing at Grumman’s airstrip. Finally, a powered model aircraft show was held by the ball fields for a few years. They had a 
dogfight competition where streamers were tied to the tails of the aircraft and the pilots, using hand controllers would try and cut the streamers of their opponent. They would also fly reproduction radio-controlled aircraft ( mostly WWII vintage). Finally, they held an aircraft carrier landing contest. People would try to land their model planes on the beautifully handcrafted flight deck using arresting hooks and cables stretched across the deck, just like the real thing.
Livin' on the Edge
Like I said, growing up in the wild east end of Hicksville was definitely a different experience than your downtown Mall scene, or the West side with the Levitt homes.
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