Childhood in Yorkville, Illinois

• 🏡 Andy Richter reminisces about growing up in Yorkville, Illinois, during the 1970s and 80s.
• 🚗 He recalls family station wagons, including a red Pontiac with a rear-facing seat and a blue Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser with a unique electric tailgate that slid into the car body.
• 🌳 His childhood home was built by his great-grandfather and featured a large yard with a pond stocked with trout (later overrun by bluegill and frogs).

Early Jobs and Work Ethic

• 📰 At 12 years old, Andy delivered newspapers for the Aurora Beacon News and the larger Kendall County Shopper, sometimes requiring his mother to drive him.
• 🤕 He recounts a childhood accident where he broke his leg falling out of the back of a station wagon while delivering papers.
• 🛠️ In high school, he worked for his stepfather's plumbing business and his mother's cabinet business, eventually taking a job at a grocery store to avoid working for his parents.
• 🏞️ He also worked summers at a state park, painting outhouses and feeding fish, which taught him about low-pressure work environments.

Family and Political Connections

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Andy's family had deep ties to Illinois politics; his grandfather was the director of conservation for two terms and a campaign manager for a future governor.
• 💰 His grandfather's political influence led to family perks, such as state road crews blacktopping their driveway and a groundskeeper working on their yard.
• 🦢 The family land was used to start a game farm, raising pheasants for stocking game preserves, which is how Game Farm Road got its name.

Family Vacations and Travel

• ✈️ Family vacations often involved visiting relatives who lived in various cities like Chicago, Florida, Atlanta, Dallas, and San Francisco.
• 🚂 A memorable trip involved taking a train from Joliet, Illinois, to Oakland, California, to visit his aunt, offering unique views of San Francisco.
• 🎢 Other family trips included visits to Universal Studios and Disneyland, especially after his parents' divorce.

Nostalgic Memories

• ❄️ Snow days were a cherished part of his childhood, marked by listening to the local radio for school closures and playing in the snow.
• 🤕 He shares a story about a childhood accident involving a swing set leg and ice, resulting in a significant knot on his forehead that lasted for months.
• 📻 Listening to the radio for school closures on WSPY was a common ritual during big snowfalls.