The Shoobie Shuffle: Tales From Wildwood Fanatics Near and Far...
Jackie Slaviero: From Michigan, With Love
When Jackie Slaviero looks at the green and white metal lawn chairs that reside proudly in her backyard, she sees far more than a decorative set of mid-century era outdoor furnishings. As eye-catchingly unique as the pieces are, the nostalgic significance they hold truly defines their importance.
"Those chairs are a link to so many things," she explained. "They're a reminder of our cherished home in Wildwood for so many years, the Packard Motel. They're a link to the wonderful times my family spent there.
“Most importantly,” she continued, her voice trembling slightly with raw emotion, “they're a direct link to my grandparents. They were incredible people, who introduced us to Wildwood and loved the island so dearly. Four generations of my family stayed at the Packard, from my grandparents to my children.
“The memories we created there together over the years are some of the happiest of my life."
Back in October of 2004, Slaviero was browsing online for information on the Wildwoods, when she read a rumor about the impending demolition of the legendary Packard, at the junction of 26th and Surf Avenue in North Wildwood. An urgent call to the motel's longtime owner and family friend, Alfred Haehnel, confirmed the unfortunate details.
"The news hit my family very hard and, frankly, brought me to tears," recalled Slaviero, 47, who works as the head secretary at St. Alfred Parish in Taylor, Michigan, just outside of Detroit.
"I just kept thinking that this couldn’t be happening. I knew that there had been a lot of changes going on all around the island at that time, but we just weren’t expecting this. It was almost surreal."
Slaviero, however, did not wait for reality to set in; she quickly rounded up her family, and planned an impromptu roadtrip of remarkable proportions. The following weekend, along with her parents, Jim and Joan Murray, husband Mike, and son Jonathan, she traveled nearly 700 miles by van to pay her final respects to the Packard.
She also arranged with Haehnel to secure several mementoes from the motel to take home with her to Michigan, including the aforementioned chairs that sat outside of the rooms her family vacationed in for so many years.
"Every year, usually around the Fourth of July, we rented the same two or three rooms at the Packard, right above the office on the second floor," Slaviero reminisced. "My parents always had the room at the end, we were in the middle, and my grandparents were on the other side of us
“I can still picture us all sitting up on that balcony, the entire family together. We’d sit up until the wee hours of the morning on some nights, talking and laughing, and watching all of the action below. It was a truly magical place.”
In addition to the chairs, the Slavieros took home a lounge chair, ashtray, room number and key, and a parking tag from the motel. Last summer, while visiting the Haehnels at their home, Jackie was also presented with a pink sea shell lamp that used to sit on a night stand in one of the rooms.
"Of course, nothing could ever replace the Packard," Slaviero noted. "But, the gifts from Fred and his wife Pat are reminders of the special place that this was, and mean a great deal to us.
"Fred and Pat are wonderful people, and it's been a blessing to know them for so long. They worked so hard to run their motel and it always showed. The Packard was kept so beautiful right up until the end. They were amazing owners, and they always made it a joy to stay there."
In the years since the closing of the Packard, the Slavieros have bounced around a bit, looking for a new place to call their vacation home in North Wildwood. They have stayed at the Montego Bay Resort on the Boardwalk, as well as the Horizon Motor Inn.
This year, the family booked a stay at the Surf Motel, located directly across the street from where the Packard stood prominently for nearly 50 years.
"That area of North Wildwood, near the Wildwood border, will always be home to us. It’s where we feel most comfortable. Everything we know and love is right there. Not just the old location of the Packard, but Gateway 26 and Sam’s Pizza are right up the block on the Boardwalk.
"Every year, we look forward to greeting the same smiling faces at Gateway and Sam’s, as well as Groff’s Restaurant,” continued Slaviero, who, incidentally, recently adopted two St. Bernard/ Lab puppies, named Jewels and Sammie. One guess as to how Sammie got his name…
“We also have such great memories of Hunt’s Pier, the Shore Plaza and mini golf on the roof of Ocean Center. In Wildwood, it’s all about family, friends and tradition. That’s why we love it so much. Over the years, we’ve also brought a lot of friends down and have probably introduced or recommended Wildwood to close to 30 people.”
Slaviero’s grandparents, Jim, Sr. and Elizabeth Murray, first came to the island in the early 60s. They, along with Jackie’s father, Jim, Jr., immigrated to the U.S. from Scotland. The Wildwoods were suggested to them as a vacation destination by family friends, as it reminded them of Blackpool, a popular seaside resort on England’s west coast.
Jim, Sr. and Elizabeth stayed at the Avalon (also right across the street from the Packard, next to the Surf) on their initial trips, first in the old rooming house building, then in the motel portion of the complex. Jackie, her parents, and brother Jim made their first visit to the Wildwoods in 1965.
"My parents love to tell the story of our first car ride in," said Slaviero. "I was four years old at the time, and was asleep in the car until we hit that old, rickety bridge on North Wildwood Boulevard. At that point, I perked right up, with eyes widened.
"It was almost like I could sense the excitement all around me, and I was hooked from that moment."
Hooked is the operative term, as, despite the distance from her home in southeast Michigan, Slaviero has not missed a year in Wildwood since.
“Not a day goes by when I don’t think about Wildwood,“ she said. “If I had the time, I could probably write a book based on all of our memories and experiences down there.”
If she did so, an entire chapter would surely be devoted to the Slaviero/Murray clan’s trip to the island in 1989.
“The whole car ride in that year, I just didn’t feel right,” Slaviero explained. “Of course, it was a long ride and it was hot as we were in the middle of summer and all, but as we went along and got closer, I was feeling worse and worse."
By the time the family arrived in Wildwood, she was feeling no better. At the Packard, a concerned Pat Haehnel suggested a doctor for Slaviero to visit.
"Low and behold, that was when I found out that I was pregnant with my first son, Joshua," she proudly remembered. "We were so overjoyed with the news, and I can’t even say how special it was to find out in Wildwood!”
That night, the entire family headed up to Ed Zaberer’s Restaurant in Anglesea to celebrate.
“It was an incredible time, and that turned out to be one of our best vacations ever. But, I have to say, every year it gets better and better, making new, lasting memories with our kids, just as my family as been doing down there for over 40 years now.
“My kids have never asked to go to Disney World. And, why would you, when you have Wildwood?”
|
