Lets all take a moment to remember our home towns.  That downtown area that has changed so much over the years.  What do you remember as some of your favorite old places that have gone the way of history?


Places that are gone but not forgotten from my youth:

The Town Clown Ice cream parlor with Blue Moon and Black Licorice Chip Ice cream and rock candy on strings.  That was a treat after shopping for school shoes at the original Shippy Shoe store where they gave out coloring books with each pair, and the boxes were tied with strings.  And Cambells Department store where we shopped for school clothes and winter coats every year.

Ahhhh   memories............ :)

Beautiful, Redd,

Me...Mount Vernon, Wa...

There were 3 movie theaters...The Lincoln (high class, 1920 era and decorations, first run movies). You felt like a grown up when you went there. It's the only one left, now a performance theatre.

The Lyric..up by the river...cheesy seats, cheesy movies, cheesy PERIOD...but where I saw Bonnie and Clyde the first time. Now it's cheesy shops and I still remember...

The Lido...now, that was my favorite...the seats slid out like lounge chairs...never since have I experienced that...oh my, permission to SLOUCH. It too is kitcshchy shops...I can't bring myself to go in...

Lots of fond memories...thanks for the nudge...

Jon

The caramel corn shop. More flavors of popcorn than you can imagine. But the odor of fresh caramel corn would wrap around and pull you through the door.

Skyline drive in. Where do kids go to get in the backseat nowadays?

Ohhhhh yes.... the old drive in...Hwy 13 Drive in.  Last movies I saw there was double feature with John Wayne in the first movie, can't remember the title, but I believe it was his last movie ever filmed, and King Kong was the second movie.

Went with my oldest brother and his wife, and my two other brothers, and his wifes two children from a previous relationship.  It was carload night, so it was cheap, and the trunk was filled with sodas and munchies and blankets to lay on the ground while we were eaten by mosquitos.

The thing that I remember, as a kid, about the downtown area was all the big beautiful elm trees that surrounded the town common.  I loved those elegant trees!

Then the Dutch Elm Disease hit, and killed everyone of them ... I SO miss those trees!

Then there was the W.T.Grant store, that is now converted into offices ... The old movie theater with the balcony (I won't mention the things that we did up there) that has been torn down, and now has a restaurant on the site ... That A&W Rootbeer stand just on the outskirts of downtown ... Now a big high rise senior citizens assisted living building ...

SO many places no longer there ... (what do you expect for almost 60 years of change?)

I just miss those elm trees the most ...

Chuck

What do I remember most about my childhood home....first and foremost my river - just a hop across the road and I was in the river.  The Sombra/Marine City ferry crossing - my uncle owned the ferry so we rode for free, often in the wheel house, spending day after day just going back and forth;  Pic'n'Pay variety, on the corner of the block, where you still got coke bottles out of the old coolers that were like a chest freezer and full of ice;  campfires in the back yards, community halloween parties, being able to go anywhere and do anything without fear of strangers (of course we never got away with anything cause everyone knew everyone and if you got in trouble, or did something wrong, Mom knew about it before you even got home hehe).

The Sombra day's parade, and the grease pole;  my dad's cabin cruiser, took weeks for the royal blue marine paint to come out of my hair after painting the hull.  Water skiing, going to the park and generally having a wonderful lazy childhood.

Of course those are the memories I choose, there are many ugly ones too, but the ones that matter are the ones that make me smile :)

Oh yeah, and all the animal rescues, mice, birds, snakes, frogs, and even a baby owl.

Carrying home a snapping turtle on a license plate, going to the drive in to see Jaws, BBQ's every night in the summer....

To be innocent in childhood again....


Cat

Sam and Katies liquor store which was katy corner to the movie theatre and had a huge glass display case full of penny candy. We'd all hit Sam and Katies before hitting the movies and load our pockets up with candy....movie candy was WAY too expensive. Back when our folks thought nothing of letting us walk downtown alone to watch a movie! :)

Joe

Guiseppi wrote on Apr 30^th, 2009 at 11:04am:

Sam and Katies liquor store which was katy corner to the movie theatre and had a huge glass display case full of penny candy. We'd all hit Sam and Katies before hitting the movies and load our pockets up with candy....movie candy was WAY too expensive. Back when our folks thought nothing of letting us walk downtown alone to watch a movie! :) Joe

Funny, I was just telling Gordon a few days ago how much I miss the penny candy stores.  Other than that, everything is pretty much the same in my old neighborhood.  

I remember the owner too, Freddy was his name - with the biggest afro i've ever seen.  He'd encourage us to bring him our report cards and when we did and we had good grades, we'd get 50 cents worth of candy for free.  That was a lot of money then.  LOL.  

His store also always smelled like incense. Do they even sell incense anymore?

Langa

Jamestown, NY. Six floors of American made stuff at Bigelow's department store. 5 men shops, The Toy Shop....always had a Lionel layout in the window, 6 great Italian restaurants....all gone  :'( Claire's restaurant with Marabell's homemade pies....very decadant. 1/2 dozen Swedish bakeries, two drive-ins, four movie theaters, Clyde Beatty circus parades on 3rd St. and of course: Jenkins Dairy....right across the street....slurp.

(Even you're not old enough for Dutch Elm Disease, Chuck....)

Charlie

Quote:

(Even you're not old enough for Dutch Elm Disease, Chuck....)

And yet people wonder if it's affected his wood....

(Sorry, Chuck - some jokes write themselves)

Brew wrote on Apr 30^th, 2009 at 11:42am:

And yet people wonder if it's affected his wood....

BUT, unlike my lovely, elegant elm trees, they now have a pretty little blue pill to help with MY wood ...

ClusterChuck wrote on Apr 30^th, 2009 at 2:13am:

The old movie theater with the balcony (I won't mention the things that we did up there) that has been torn down

I don't know if this is just a post for the OAP's ;D but here i go. I to remember the old movie theatre and i can still remember the last film to be shown in it because it remained on the bill board for a couple of years before they tore it down it was Breathless with Richard Gere. Still haven't seen that film...! Most of all i miss Doran's old bakery on the main street, my Da used to take me and my sister there after school on Fridays to get a couple of fresh cream doughnuts.

Chuck we used throw popcorn from the baloney, why what else went on up there... ;D

Lefty..!

Lefty wrote on Apr 30^th, 2009 at 5:56pm:

[quote author=1C332A2C2B3A2D1C372A3C345F0 link=1241060178/4#4 date=1241071986]Chuck we used throw popcorn from the baloney, why what else went on up there...

:-X

(To protect the not so innocent ...)