SCRANTON — After rousing a crowd of 400 people Wednesday morning at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, former Vice President Joe Biden stepped out of a silver Cadillac onto a quiet Green Ridge sidewalk and climbed the steps of his childhood home.
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate didn’t stay long at 2446 N. Washington Ave., but took time to speak with occupant Anne Kearns and a handful of neighbors and bystanders who happened to be in the neighborhood.
Earlier in the morning, Biden told the crowd that everything he learned came from Scranton.
He recalled childhood memories of climbing a 10-foot stone wall at Marywood University and having apple fights behind it, climbing the flag pole at Maloney Field and buying penny candy at city shops.
“It feels good to be home,” Biden said while standing in front of the house he lived in until he was 10. “I have a lot of incredible memories here.”
Biden next visited Hank’s Hoagies on Woodlawn St., where he bought a root beer, Tastykake and ice cream and posed for pictures with a few patrons. Biden left $17 — his change from his purchase — to buy snacks for the next kids who visit the store.
“If they want ice cream or soda or anything, give it to them for free,” Biden said. “You don’t have to tell them it’s from me.”
Even before Biden spoke at the cultural center, several supporters said they feel like they know him. Some of them actually do, or at least did.
Carole Johnson Phillips, of Lake Ariel, was last in the same room with Biden 41 years ago. She served on the staff of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee when Biden was a committee member.
“He pays attention,” she said of Biden. “He wants to know more. He has a good sense of humor. He is a human being who does not see himself as more than other people. He works hard. He pays attention. He thinks through things. He cares. He shows up.”
Source: Former vice president visits childhood home, hoagie shop | News | citizensvoice.com
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