St.
Louis Memories 2011 - 2012 (Current)
David A.
Lossos
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return to the "Genealogy in St. Louis" Web Site click here.
Send your
memories to Dave
Lossos
Note: If your name and/or e-mail address appears WITHIN the body of
your E-Mail, I will include them in your posting. If not, the post will
be attributed to "Anonymous".
This website has gotten so big I've had to divide it into pieces.
Submissions that I received from 2001 through 2003 are posted at
Memories 2001-2003
those I received in 2004 are posted at
Memories 2004
those I received in 2005 are posted at
Memories 2005
those I received in 2006 are posted at
Memories 2006
those I received in 2007 are posted at
Memories 2007
those I received in 2008 are posted at
Memories 2008
those I received in 2009 are posted at
Memories 2009
those I received in 2010 are posted at
Memories 2010
memories currently being sent in are at
Current Memories (You are currently looking at this website)
For all you former "Altar Boys": "Ad
deum qui laetificat juventutem meam."
(Missouri Sales Tax Tokens, commonly referred to as "mils". Red ones
were worth 1/10 of a penny, green ones worth 1/2 a penny)(Images
courtesy of Bob Doerr)
This twenty-five cents would get you a double feature and a bunch of
cartoons to boot.
On April 4,
2001, I posted a few memories I had of growing up in St. Louis. I
received so many great replies that I thought I'd post some of them
here.
Original
Post from Dave Lossos
I
remember when my phone number was Mohawk 2343
I remember going to see a double feature at the Ritz Theater for 25
cents.
I remember coming into the movie in the middle and eventually saying to
the person I was with "This is where we came in".
I remember the way to get your friend to come out to play was to stand
in front of their house and yell their name (was this a St. Louis
thing?).
I remember the first time I had the nerve to wear "bermuda shorts".
I remember getting all the news I needed from a St. Louis publication
called "Prom Magazine".
I remember (as a ten year old) being sent to the corner tavern to get
my grandma a pail of draft beer.
I remember riding the Grand Avenue electric street cars.
I remember riding my bike in Tower Grove Park (even after dark!).
Post from Pam Harster (1/1/2011)
My parents were born in the 20’s and raised in South St Louis on Water Street and Broadway. They are no longer living, but used to tell us wonderful stories about growing up in St Louis. Dad talked about the hot tamale man…where his friends would like to tease “how’s your wife?” and the tamale man would say “hot…red hot”. He also talked about bowling at a little alley on Virginia. He was a pin setter there. Anyone remember the name? We still go to Carondelet Bakery (Doering’s) on Virginia….best cheesecake and gooey butter cake anywhere; south St Louis style…slabs of cheesecake in cuts….apricot cake; peanut cakes; stolen. My grandparents took us to Doering’s every Saturday and then we would go to Fehlbaum’s (sp) Meat Store for good braunsweiger and cold cuts. In the true German style we would have baked goods and cold cuts for breakfast.
My parents were good friends of the Dohack’s and we used to go there all the time for their Jack Salmon and BBQ sauce.. Dad talked about playing corkball behind Red Villa’s tavern; going to the firehouse on S Broadway where they would ring the bell. Dad was an altar boy at St Boniface then went to Cleveland HS. Mom grew up on S Broadway in one of the beautiful old homes with the turret style roofs. They lived around the corner from the Rathgaber’s in the beautiful house on Davis Street. Had a chance to visit with the Rathgaber’s a few years ago. That house is amazing and is on the St Louis historical registry. Mom’s family owned a sand and gravel business at the quarry…Ruprecht’s Sand and Gravel. Her mother’s side of the family were named Riekus and lived on Minnesota. They had their wedding breakfast at the Bevo Mill. When they were younger they used to dance on the Admiral and then go up and “neck” on the top deck. Dad used to go to Sportsman’s Park and sit in the “Knot Hole Gang” section where his uncle, Harry Kramer was a police officer working at the Park. He used to upgrade Dad and his friends to front row seats. My Grandma Harster worked at the Tums factory.
When we were little we loved to see Santa at Famous Barr, go to Mavrakos for Heavenly Hash, go to Ted Drew’s, get pretzels from the street vendor, see the Cardinals. We also liked to see the Vess Bottle off of Hampton across from Steak and Shake. We would eat at the Chariton (great shrimp).
I live in Ohio now, but still think St Louis is the most wonderful city ever! And of course, still a huge Cardinal fan! Great post…thanks for the memories!
Post from Kathy (1/2/2011)
Hi everyone and Happy New Year. I graduated from Aquinas in 63’ and what a great year that was. I remember Jerry and Pat who were upper class men then. The great bands we always had to dance to. Bob Kuban was on Channel 5 this morning about his “one hit wonder” and he can still play. We were lucky to have grown up at this time when things were so simple; no shooting or drugs. The guys fought like men; with their fist. The next day they were friends again. I hope the memories keep coming in because it’s such fun reading them
Post from Tom in Imperial, MO (1/13/2011)
Hi Dave, this site is fantastic. I was born in October 1956, lived on Parchester Drive in Normandy as a kid, phone number was JAckson 1-9236. Okay here goes:
"The Melody Car" cruising through the neighborhood around 6 every evening in the summer. It resembled a scaled-down hearse, painted white, with blue notes painted on it and had a "loudspeaker" atop the right fender, out of which flowed a dreamy lullaby,. Popsicles, fudgesicles, ect were sold out of the back of it, packed in dry ice in cardboard boxes. I liked the malt cups, which came with a little wooden spoon and cost 6 cents.
"The mosquito man" slowly driving through the neighborhood on summer evenings was an exciting event. Some kids would ride their bikes behind the truck but I never did. However I loved the smell of the insecticide, and you could here the truck coming blocks away, and what a thrill it was to see the cloud of blue fog rising in the air a couple of streets over, knowing it would soon be on my street.
"The Little Store" on Bermuda Rd. is where I bought most of my baseball cards (5 cards and a stick of Topps bubble gum for a nickle), as well as jawbreakers, string licorice, sweet tarts, etc. If I still had all the baseball cards I had in the 60s, and they were in mint condition, I could cash them in for a fortune. I also collected "Beatle cards" briefly.
...and speaking of the Fab Four, when A Hard Day's Night came out, I was 7 and my neighbor Gail (she was about 14) and I sat through every screening of it over a weekend at the Gem Theater on the Rock Road. I guess we saw it about 7 times total.
My older sister (St. Thomas Aquinas High class of '65) 'going steady' with a guy who gave her his class ring, and she stuck a hunk of parafin wax between the ring and her tiny finger to hold it on. I remember she hung out at 'Steak' (Steak & Shake on Natural Bridge) and 'Chuck' (Chuck-A-Burger on Florissant Rd), two places where many a high school couple would commence going steady.
North Hills Dairy had amazing chocolate malts, similar to a Ted Drewes concrete, and next to "The Dairy" was Ozenkoski's Bakery, featuring great gooey butter cake and glazed donuts at 7 cents apiece.
Friday night TV - The Time Tunnel, The Green Hornet, and Gomer Pyle. Saturday nights from 8:30 till 10 Wrestling at the Chase, where you could see Dick the Bruiser, Gene Kiniski, Fritz Von Erich, Johnny Valentine, Cowboy Bob Ellis, Black Jack Lanza, et all, with George Abel calling the action. Following wrestling on Channel 11 from 10 till 11 was Roller Derby, Walt Harris doing the play-by-play, great stuff with the likes of Charlie O'Connell, the 'Blonde Amazon' Joanie Weston, 'the big blond tiger' Jerry Cattell, and 'the fiery, unpredictable' Ann Calvello. On Sunday mornings the two shows were repeated in reverse order; Roller Derby from 10-11 a.m. and WATC from 11-12:30. Oh, don't want to forget Saturday morning TV, Roy Rogers, and Fury ("the story of a horse, and the boy who loved him.")
Luigi's pizza, on Natural Bridge (or was it the Rock Road?) as has been mentioned by other North Countians, and also Pagliacci's on Kingshighway, were favorites of my family.
My uncle Clyde owned a tavern on Lincoln St. in north St. Louis, I recall Saturday nights there with my parents, me panhandling nickels from patrons to play Beatles songs on the jukebox, as my parents, aunts, uncles, and various others pounded down bottles of Falstaff, Carling Black Label, Stag, and other rotgut. I can almost smell the place now. There was a shuffleboard, bumper pool table, bowling machine, pinball machine, and also a player piano. And of course ceiling fans.
E.J, Korvette's in Cool Valley had an extensive record department and great sales on albums.
Besides the Melody Car and Mosquito Man, as a very young child I liked to watch for 'The Scissor Sharpener' to cruise thru the neighborhood; I remember his cream colored truck and its one, resounding clang of a bell at about each block as he drove. Also there was the produce man, an Italian guy who would stand up in his truck as he ever so slowly coasted along the street, bellowing 'home...grown...tomatas!'
A few days before July 4th every year, my parents would drive me to buy fireworks across the Lewis and Clark Bridge, into Illinois, as fireworks were illegal in St. Louis County. One year when I was about 11, a buddy told me he had heard that there was a fireworks stand in KInloch that sold M-80s and cherry bombs. I had never gotten so excited in my life. The two of us jumped on our bikes and peddled as fast as we could across 'the creek,' up the hill on land belonging to 'the farmer,' across the railroad tracks, down Bernhart Drive, across Florissant Rd, up Evans Lane to Carson Road, and then into Kinloch, and when the fireworks stand was in sight, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest in anticipation, only to be broken upon finding out that there were no cherry bombs or M-80s to be had there. At some point later I matter-of-factly related the story to my mom, and received a stern scolding for going to Kinloch. (you're lucky you didn't get your throat cut!')
We rode our bikes anywhere and everywhere, including to the cemetary next to the infamous Olympic Drive-In on the Rock Road, where we sat and watched "Adults Only" movies on the big screen. Nowdays there is raunchier stuff on Skinamax than what the Olympic showed.
Post from Gary Palozola from Maplewood (1/13/2011)
I remember when guys stood on the corner and sold bags of hot pretzels. And when another guy used to ride down Manchester Ave. down by Kings Hwy. on a bike with a big box on front selling hot tamalies.
I remember when you could get gas during the gas wars in summer for 11.9 cents. And when you could go to Mc Donalds with a dollar and get a burger, fries and coke and still get change.
I remember Phil the Gorila at the zoo and how they used to give him a Budweiser every day...he loved it. I remember having a news paper route and walking up and down the street yelling the name of the paper. Or standing on the corner paper stand in front of Caveleir Ford in Maplewood on Sat. night selling the weekend paper.
Our phone nuber was Sterling 12665 and my best friends was Mission 58442.............those were the good ole days !!!
Post from Buddy Goldstein (1/13/2011)
I remember the playroom at the downtown st louis Famous Barr department store. My mother would take me up the elevator to a magical place. With a small ferris wheel and toys toys and more toys! At times I felt my mom would not come back for me, but
the ladies in charge would always calm my fears. It is a wonderful memory of my childhood. I hope someone has a photo.
If so please send it in. Thank you.
Post from Rita (1/26/2011)
Aloha - I was sharing memories of my childhood in St Louis with my 9 year old grandson, and mentioned the
black man on his wagon pulled by a horse driving down the alley between Montana St and Osage St, in South St Louis crying out "Ragshenny" (not sure about the spelling) and collecting junk and stuff. Any one else have these memories?
Love your site, Dave. Every time I go on I have a fit of nostalgia, even though I moved from St Louis in 1964
and have lived on Maui ever since, going back to St Louis for visits with family and friends.
Post from ????? (1/26/2011)
Great site! Love the memories. I'm wondering if anyone from Hazelwood, in north county, remembers the pool that was behind Village Square shopping center in the sixties and early seventies. Lots of great memories there!
Post from ????? (2/4/2011)
This goes back to the late 1930's. What was the name of a department store that was at Newstead and Natural Bridge Road in St. Louis around 1939? Memories were of a great Christmas display. Another name comes to mind was a department store named Charlots (Charlotte's). Anyone remember that far back?
Post from ????? (2/4/2011)
I remember Post Bellum head shop in a really old home in Ferguson. They moved down the street and started selling waterbeds along with other things.
We would hang out a bit there then go to Henri's burger joint down past hwy 70.
I also remember going to Kiel auditorium for roller derby and wrestling.
All of us running up to steak n shake on natural bridge at the circle on friday and saturday night.
Post from Dawn K. (nee Collins) (2/26/2011)
Just a few memories and adjustments to some other people's memories. I grad.'d
from Ritenour 1993, and have returned to Overland/St.Ann area since. The Airway
theatre is now a Shop n Save, though the Neon Drive In sign is still there.
Northwest Plaza Is now closed in, (used to have outside entrances to individual
shops n stores). And business was slow for a while there. The Chuck A Burger
has closed down across from the school. Across from Hoech Middle is Tiemeyer
Park (named for the late Mayor?). Many things have changed! Lived for a short
while (1-2 years old) in Baden, near a Catholic church, my Great Grandmother
(Mrs. Hugo Cierpiot) lived across the street from it. It is great reading about
all these memories!!! Thank you to all of you, especially Mr. Dave!
Post from Millie (2/26/2011)
Does anyone know the name of the Horse riding stable (around 1948) that was located at the end of the Hampton Gravois line? I think it was Valley Mount Ranch, but not sure.
Post from Phyllis DuVall Tonkovic (3/6/2011)
I grew up in afton and remember walking to the crest show and getting in for .25
H and L ice cream parlor on Gravois avenue
Going to the Highlands amusement park and then highlands swimming pool.
Roller skating on Sunday afternoon in the roller cade next to the arena
Epiphany Teen town that night cause it was the best teen town around
Going to the Granada show
Spending the night with my Aunt who lived on Kingsbury place and walking to the Muny Opera, on the way back stopping at velvet freeze ice cream store on kingsbury and my brother Terry, walking into the Stardust lounge and watching Evelyn West with her 50,000 chest and my aunt yelling at him to get out of there.
Thanks for all the memories
Post from ? (4/13/2011)
I lived on Bermuda Court from 1957 to 1971. Graduated from Normandy HS in 1968. I worked for 2 years at "The Little Store" at age 12 stocking shelves and recycling soda bottles. The owner was Bill Steele. I also hung out at Steak & Shake on Natural Bridge Road during HS.
Post from Patti Liermann (5/14/2011)
My family moved from a house on Mardel to Warson Woods in 1958.
I remember seeing the Three Stooges at the Arena as part of the circus.
I remember being part of the audience for Captain 11 and being excited when Corky the Clown (Cliff St. James)wished me a happy birthday through the tv.
I remember going down a slide at Famous Barr after seeing Santa (just Like in the movie A Christmas Story)
I remember sitting along Lindell at night to watch the VP parade having made my own confetti to throw with a hole punch
I remember the red net hang in under the Arch as it was being built and signing a piece of paper in second grade that contained everyone in my schools names to be put inside the Arch.
I remember getting that button candy that you ate off a strip of paper at some store in Hampton Village
I remember wrestling on tv late at night and the cool name "Dick da Bruiser"
Post from Gloria (5/23/2011)
In response to Dawn K. (Collins) 2/26/2011 - I enjoyed reading your memories, you might be glad to know that Chuck A Burger did not close, it's still on the Rock Road.
Post from Ellen Forrest (5/26/2011)
One of my fondest memories is the Battle of the Bands every weekend at Famous Barr Downtown. I would love to acquire a picture of Bob Medley and Bill Penny & The Pacemakers. I know there were so many other ones down there, but these 2 were my favorite. Bob used to sing “Sunny” and sounded just as good if not better than the original artist. Bill and his band would do a rendition of “They’re Coming to Take Me Away”. It was hilarious! I would really love to know where they are today too!
And let’s not forget Walter Scott, what an awesome singer & person. May he RIP and never be forgotten.
Post from ? (6/9/2011)
Hollywood Golf had 2- 18 hole miniature golf course. There was an arcade section at the entrance.
Hollywood Golf was located in Kirkwood . On the south side of Manchester and a block west of Woodlawn.
Post from Karen (6/30/2011)
To the person who inquired about the name of the restuarant in Famous Barr...there were two in the Northland Famous Barr. "The Jade Room" the nicer restaurant and "Mr. Pickwick's" which was a sandwich shop. They were located between the first and basement floors. I remember going downtown on the bus with my mother to see the holiday windows at Stix, Baer and Fuller and Famous-Barr. Loved the candles on top of the Famous Barr at Northland every Christmas season. Love your website!
Post from Carolyn Cassani Ring (7/17/2011)
Just discovered the web site you created. Our parents were the owners of Cassani's Cafe at Daggett and Hereford on The Hill. They owned it from the early '40s until our mother sold it to Galemberti's in 1966. John "the B-B-Q man", was our mother's brother. Everyone loved his BBQ, but in reality, our parents were the creators of the sauce and cole slaw. A couple of other eateries attempted success at the location, and currently FIVE Bistro is doing a great business there. The pin oak tree I used to cliimb as a young girl is still standing, and is over 70 years old.
Louis Miriam had a small grocery store across the street from us on Daggett, and Leotta's were on the opposite corner of Daggett and Hereford from us.
There was Serra's drug store at the corner of Daggett and Marconi, as well as Berra Furniture on Marconi. Across the street on Daggett, was Dr. Gaydos, the dentist.
Our paternal grandmother lived a few doors from us on Hereford, while our maternal grandmother lived in the 5200 block of Daggett.
My mother and I used to walk up to the corner of Daggett and Marconi to get the bus which would take us to Kingshighway. There we would transfer to another bus which would take us to Famous-Barr Southtown. Or we would transfer in the opposite direction on a bus which would take us downtown.
Your web site has brought back many memories. Thanks.
Post from Lou (Rock) (7/17/2011)
Found you site while working on a Documentary. In 1957 I was stationed at Scott Air Force Base.
When we got a week-end pass, we'd take a bus to St. Louis. We would get off near the Katz Drug
Store, which I believe was at 9th and Locust. After having a hamburger, fries and a coke, we'd split
up and do some sight seeing. Maybe see a movie at The Fox Theatre, a visit to the U.S.O.(which at
the time I believe was in the War Memorial building), the Ball Park, or a tour of the Anheiser Busch
Brewery, all compliments of the people and the City of St. Louis. At night, some of us would stay at
the Sheridan-Jefferson, which at the time was located at 12th Blvd. and Locust (if you were in uniform
you were charged half price.
St. Louis at the time, I found to be a very military friendly city and made us all I believe, feel
very welcomed.
I made many friends in St. Louis, So. Jefferson, Woodson Terrace, Cole Street and in East St. Louis, Dora
Dr. St. Louis and its people will always be a bright spot during my time in the Air Force.
THANK-YOU, ST. LOUIS.
Post from ??? (7/24/2011)
I have not been back on this site for about 2 years. I absolutely love this website and I think that Dave has done a great job in setting this up. This is an answer to Pam Harster from the 1/2/2011 post. I grew up close to where your parents grew up and I have so many great memories of St. Boniface and South Broadway. The bowling alley that I think you asked about was located on Michigan Avenue and was either called Centry or Century Bowling alley. Although, St. Boniface also had a very small bowling alley in the basement of the school that you accessed through a side basement door. The bowling alley was located a half block from Centry Bowling alley which was also on Michigan Avenue. There also used to be a "Dairy Island" across the street from the school but they tore that down years ago.
Does anyone remember the Michigan Show that was usually followed up by going to Durenzo's (not sure of the spelling) pizza parlor that was located across from Blow school? I loved that neighborhood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post from Wayne Rosenthal (7/27/2011)
I just noticed a posting from Carolyn Cassani Ring which talked about how her parents owned the Cassani's Cafe on Daggett Avenue. I absolutely loved that place, along with Galimberti's. They had the best barbecue beef that I've ever tasted in my life.
My Great Uncle and Aunt (Tony and Ida Chinicci) lived a few houses down from there in the 5100 Block of Daggett. They later moved a few blocks away to Elizabeth Street. Which is how I first found Cassani's. Carolyn also mentioned Leotta's Market. She was somehow related to my Great Aunt Ida, who I mentioned earlier in this paragraph.
Post from Ed Kotowski(8/4/2011)
In response to Ellen Forrest's 5/25/2011 questions on the whereabouts
of local musicians, Bob Medley and Bill Penny and the Pacemakers,
there is a wonderful website of St. Louis bands in the 60's, 70's, and 80's:
http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/
There is a search function that will allow you to search for names, etc.
Bob Medley was in the Chevels:
http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Chevels.htm
and The Klassmen:
http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Gayle%20McCormick.htm
Bob Medley is alive, and on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bob-Medley/638612174#!/profile.php?id=100000074141720&sk=wall
After the Pacemakers, Bill Penny played drums for Johnny Polzin on the Admiral.
He passed away unexpectedly in the 1970's. http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com/Pacemakers.htm
Post from Robert Bierer (8/28/2011)
Hollywood Golf, to the best of my memory was down Manchester in what is now Rock Hill.....I think. The long 18 hole ran along Deer Creek. I can vividly remember the aracade part as you entered/left the miniature golf course. Also the entire course was done in blacktop.
Post from Mike Hruby (chapmike@kc.rr.com) (8/31/2011)
Dave, we LOVE this web site, and have spent several hours reading, and savoring memories shared! My wife and I lived on the Hill in St. Louis for some time, now live in the Kansas City area, and miss St. Louis, often!
I have a question for your readers, that I need some help with-- as life long Cardinals fans, we are acquainted with one or two folks who recall that the Cardinals players of the 1930s and '40s would often join "local" fans and kids, in playing pickup games of stickball, corkball, or baseball!
(Joe Medwick, Frank Frisch, and Pepper Martin were among the players mentioned.)
Fairgrounds Park was one of the places mentioned (many of the Cardinals players would stay at the old Fairgrounds Hotel, which was a mere block and a half from the old Sportsman's Park, and Fairgrounds Park, of course, was just across the street from the hotel--I want to get in touch with people who remember the Cardinals players "playing ball" with fans, at Fairgrounds Park, or other neighborhood locations, during the 1930s and 40s, particularly. I'd like to know the players names that participated, the years, and some background about the fans that participated. I would even pay (reasonably), for copies of photos of the Cardinal players "playing ball" with the fans, in the '30s or 40s.
Post from Gerry (Knee) Atchison (9/13/2011)
Just found your web site enjoyed all of the comments. I remember mom buying powdered detergent and getting free dish towels in the box. Buying gas for $.19 and get a set of glasses and green stamps. Going to Chain of Rocks and The Highlands for school picnics. Being sent to buy a pack of smokes for my dad at a cost of $.22 and a bucket of beer for $.15, always licked the foam off of the top before I got home. Dancing at Club Imperial and The Peppermint Lounge. Driving around Steak N Shake at the Riverview Circle. Having to wear those ugly gym suits in high school. Going to a double header at Sportman's Park, for $.75 and sit in the bleachers. I also have PROM magazine from 1961-1965. Remember the hot tamale man on Fri & Sat night, 3 for $.10.
Post from ? (9/15/2011)
The "Little Store" I remember that store. The "Y" pool was just a couple blocks away and my sibs used to go there for candy after mom made the drop off to the pool. I preferred listening to "Lean on Me" playing thru the loudspeakers and sharpening my skill at doing back dives and back cut-a-ways off the dive board. Am with you on the great mems!
Post from Tommye Fleming (9/24/2011)
Here are my memories:
· My phone number was Hempstead 2-4462.
· 905 Liquor store, where my uncle worked and my parents ordered their party supplies
· Admiral day trips where I tapped dance with my Carmen Thomas dance class.
· Art Hill ... going sledding and enjoying the bonfire
· Bettendorf Grocery
· Bookmobile at the nearby schoolyard during the summer
· Catching fire flies and storing in a jar with holes in the lid
· Central Hardware, with everything from Scoops to Nuts
· Cherries Jubilee at Cyrano's
· Cruising Schneithorst’s (Clayton and Lindbergh) and Parkmoor (Manchester and Lindbergh). Vanilla Cokes and Cherry Cokes. Yum.
· Crystal Palace in Gaslight Square where Barbra Streisand and Smothers Brothers both performed
· Earthquake … the rumbling caused the ground to crack
· Evelyn West's $50,000 treasure chest at the burlesque house on DeBaliviere
· Fireworks display put on by the firemen on the football field at Washington University
· Fish fries on Friday nights at the Catholic Churches
· Forest Park Highlands
· Garavelli's
· Gaslight Square on Delmar and Boyle. Tornado and drug deals took it down.
· Going downtown to Famous or Stix or Scrugg’s to see Santa Claus and all the store windows. Famous dedicated the 9th floor for Santa and Toyland
· Going swimming at McConnell’s Pool/Beach Park on Meramec River in Valley Park
· Hampton Village, the big building now gone
· Harry Caray broadcasting the St. Louis Cardinals
· CYC Night cruise on the Admiral and having our picture taken in a photo booth
· Hollywood Arcade in Kirkwood, with miniature golf, arcade games and black and white collector postcards of famous people
· Hootenannies my trio sang “Puff the Magic Dragon”
· DrPepper soda cap had 10-2-4 on it for the best times to have a refreshment
· Johnny Rabbitt and Dick Clayton were popular local DJs
·
Milkman delivered milk to the back door
· Muny Opera … getting very dressed up to sit outside on those hot summer nights, they would turn on very large, very loud fans at intermission
· Olympic Drive-In on Natural Bridge Road … scandalous
· Pfeifer’s Bakery on Clayton Road; their triple chocolate torte was what I always asked for for my birthday
· Phil the Gorilla at the St. Louis Zoo.
· Playing games like hopscotch, jump rope, kick the can, Red Rover, Swing the Statue
· Playing with marbles my dad had collected as a kid
· Playing with fad toys: yo-yo’s, hula hoops, squirt guns
· Polio vaccine "shots" at school
· Popping tar bubbles on really hot afternoons
· Prom Magazine, a St. Louis publication, had two "reporters" from each area high school writing monthly "happening" columns; I was one from Visitation in 1965
· Ravioli dinners on Palm Sunday at St. Ambrose Church on the Hill
· Royal American Midway visit each year
· Siebert's Restaurant on Chippewa. The owner made creations like the Showboat (ice cream and sugar cookies with smoking stacks and she blew a whistle when served table side) and the tallest sundae ever, the Empire State building! Colored whipped cream and a burning sugar cube on top
· Sound of Music at the Loew’s Theatre on Grand
· Spring coats that came in Easter egg colors and you wore them until the weather warmed up
· Stardust Club at the top of the Chase-Park Plaza hotel
· Teen Towns and St. Louis Hop
· The OLD boat rides in Forest Park; you and/or your date would end up in the water, and have to stand up in muck to right the boat
· Thurteen Carnival at Wash U
· Tom Dooley buried in Calvary cemetery
· Tornadoes … hiding under your desk as part of the tornado drill because so many storms whipped through tornado alley. A big one hit CWE in the late 50’s.
· Veiled Prophet Parade and the VP Ball broadcast from the Khorissan Room. My mother always referred to the “Queen of Love and Beauty” as the Queen of Love and Money
· Watching fireworks from the Police Circus when it was held at Public School Stadium
· Watching planes land at the OLD airport on Lindbergh
· Webster Groves Train Station where we went to see the evening train pass through and then went to nearby Dairy Queen. We liked to put pennies on the track and let the train flatten them out.
· Winter Garden Ice Skating Rink on DeBaliviere and the nearby Goody Goody Train where they delivered your burgers and fries in a Lionel train car
· Wrestling at the Chase
Post from ? (10/4/2011)
I grew up on Pershing Avenue near DesPeres. I later learned Pershing Avenue was originally named Berlin Avenue but was re-named Pershing Avenue during WW I.
Attended St. Roch's church and school, which look today pretty much as they did in the '50s.
Loved Vess cream soda and Whistle orange, Mavarocco's candy, Garavelli's (on DeBaliviere) pizza, Velvet Freeze orange sherbert, Parkmore's hot dogs on toasted buns, and Hodge's chili.
Kiddy matinees at the Tivoli, Varsity and Hi-Pointe theatres.
Playing baseball on the large green field at the SW corner of Skinker and Forest Park Blvd., where Washington U's marching band used to practice and which the university later paved and turned into a parking lot and is now constructing a new building. Cherry, lime and vanilla cokes at the little lunch counter that used to be catty-corner from there on the NE corner.
Getting a tiny chip off a block of ice from the Sealtest or Pevely milkman on a hot summer morning. Just getting into the cool inside of their trucks while they carried their bottles up to the doors.
Hucksters selling fresh fruit and vegetables off their trucks. The man who came by occasionally with a bicycle-mounted honing wheel for sharpening knives and scissors.
Putting pennies on the streetcar tracks to see them flattened. Eating raspberries from the bushes that grew in places alongside the tracks.
Browsing through the comic book section at the local candy and news shops.
Brock for Boglio.
The wonderful Anheuser-Busch sign in left field at the original Busch Stadium (fka Sportsman's Park), with the eagle whose wings would flap after a Cardinal home run.
Hoping for and imploring "the Man" to hit one out onto Grand Avenue (which was then an avenue). Trying to get to the weekend games where Gibby was matched against Marichal or Koufax.
Musial and Biggie's.
Bob Pettit launching a shot.
Larry Wilson and Sonny Randle.
Hockey games at the Arena.
The huge old Standard gasoline sign with hundreds of individual light bulbs at Skinker and Clayton Roads.
School day on the Admiral.
Looking at the black and white photos in the display case at the Stardust Lounge.
A day at the Highlands.
Sneaking a sip from the pail of cold beer I was fetching from the corner tavern and delivering to an uncle or my dad .
Coal being shoveled from a truck to a wheelbarrow to be poured down a chute to the basement of our apartment building.
The man who seemed forever to be mayor-- Mayor Tucker--until one day there was Mayor Cervantes.
Galvanized steel trash cans that always were banged and dented too severely for the lids to fit any longer. The smelly little ones lined with newspaper for garbage.
Always wanting a pair of Red Ball Jets but always getting just Keds.
Itchy wool pants. Itchy wool sweaters.
My playmate and classmate Debbie; together we mustered the courage to face the first day of kindergarten.
Post from ? (11/1/2011)
Response to "Millie" of 2/26/11:
I think you might be talking about Maizzie's Stables, just a few blocks down (East) of Gravois, at the end of the bus line. The short street now bears the name.
Post from ? (11/1/2011)
Does anyone remember the Dusty Frank Trio?? Dusty on piano, jack briggaman on drums, Leo Ward on guitar. Could they do Boogie Woogie
Post from ? (11/8/2011)
Does anyone remember Frank and Till's tavern? Thanks
Post from Michael N Carosone (11/18/2011)
Wow Dave, things have really slowed down a bit… let me try to kick it back in high gear. For all you north county-ites from the 60’s do you recall:
What was at the corner of Jennings Station Road and Halls Ferry? Both sides.
Where was Sands drug store at?
Where was the Florida hot dog stand?
Gambills Bargain Barn? Where I saw pairs false teeth wired together sitting in a barrel to be sold?
Where was Arcobaso’s?
How many floors to Rizzo’s Top of Tower restaurant? (I worked there in 67, $1 an hour)
Zimmermans Coach restaurant was near?
Red Light was known as where?
The fishing tackle stand at 367 and 140?
When Lindbergh was 2 lanes?
What restaurant was across from the North Drive-in?
What were the donuts sold out of down at the circle?
Get free _ _ _ _ _ _ _ from Sam the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ man at _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Shopping center?
Reply from Gene Moore 11/23/2011 tp Post from Michael N Carosone (11/18/2011)
What was at the corner of Jennings Station Road and Halls Ferry? Both sides. River Roads Shopping Center & Zayres
Where was Sands drug store at? West Florissant and Jennings Road
Where was the Florida hot dog stand?
Gambills Bargain Barn? Where I saw pairs false teeth wired together sitting in a barrel to be sold?
Where was Arcobaso’s? West Florissant Ave in Dellwood
How many floors to Rizzo’s Top of Tower restaurant? (I worked there in 67, $1 an hour) 16
Zimmermans Coach restaurant was near? West Florissant and Jennings Road
Red Light was known as where? The Cabins
The fishing tackle stand at 367 and 140?
When Lindbergh was 2 lanes?
What restaurant was across from the North Drive-in? Ozzello’s (Spelling?)
What were the donuts sold out of down at the circle?
Get free _ _ _ _ _ _ _ from Sam the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ man at _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Shopping center?
Post from Millie,born 1933 (11/28/2011)
Wow! Really enjoying these postings, but especially Chapter One because the memories seem to come mostly from people around my age. I wish others would state their age. These posting bring back so many wonderful memories.
One that I have not seen so far is the fact that we never called a married woman by her first name. Even our parents called them Mrs. Smith or whatever. I was shocked when little kids would call me by my first name after I married ..... guess it's because us parents did that.. ( At age 51 I went to work for a company where the father 93 and the two sons near age 70 all wore suits, white shirts and bow ties (with no air conditioning).....and wanted to call me "Miss Millie". I stopped them dead in their tracks .... wouldn't answer to that).
I too remember the first time my kid's friends knocked on our front door. I thought it was so brazen of them. (Wow, was I in the dark ages!). One of my brother's friends would so a "sing/song whistle" between his teeth while coming thru the gangway. We knew who it was.
My fondest memories were Poker and Pinochle on the front porch with some of the many other children on the block, followed by walking to Marquette Pool for the first and third shift .....and having to wear those awful tight rubber caps on our head. and getting a dime to split between the 3 of us .....usually buying a large Nickel pretzel and one Twin Pop (now how do you split a Twin Pop btwn 3 kids?.....the sibling in charge of the dime was the same one who tried to convince me that Queens were higher than Kings.). Walking to Carondelet Park for ice skating on the lakes.....day and night. Always had to be home on time for Supper, yet we never owned a watch .....listened for the Church Bells. Walked a 1/2 mile to call a friend and find them not at home. No phone. Playing "Crack the Whip" on our metal roller skates on Tennessee Ave when they first tarred over the cobblestones. They later spread gravel over it and ruined our "skating rink"
The memory that blows my mind is that we had a Furrier on Grand Avenue (Zenthhoffer) just two blocks from our house.
We were a large family and our parents sought out the bargains. I believe the name of the bakery was Piper's on Bates near the railroad tracks. My younger brother and I would take our wagon to the bakery on Saturday morning and go to the back door to get a shopping bag full of day old pastries for 25 cents. We also bought "broken"cookies at Dad's Oatmeal Cookies. Incidentally, their secret ingredient is Coconut Oil. By 1949 I was taking the bus to So Good Potato chip factory to get a shopping bag full of broken potato chips for 25 cents.
I remember my brothers and neighbor boys playing marbles and "Mumble Peg" (I think) with a pocket knife in the easement dirt between the street and sidewalk. How well I remember the year of thousands of caterpillars everywhere .... dropped on me the minute I walked out the door. To this day, I can't stand the sight of them.
I car hopped at Frozen Custard on Grand Ave when I was 15 & 16. We worked on tips only, nor did we get a discount. We would "pick up the lot" afterward (using a pole with a nail in it to stab the paper cups) But he did drive us home at night and we were not allowed to converse with the customers (boys) except to take their order. He also checked to see if any boy was following us home. Our parents could feel secure. If any car "scratched gravel" when pulling out of the lot onto Grand Ave (and how could you avoid it), he wrote down their license number and if they showed up again, they were ordered off the lot. He would sit between us girls on the bench and call it "A rose between two thorns." Get this! He would drink the egg whites that were not used in the custard. Raw eggs?....not today you don't!
My uncle Matt was Santa Claus on the Radio. He may have also been the Veiled Prophet one year. Oh, those parades were something to behold at night time....on my Dad's shoulders. VJ day was exciting downtown with all the confetti.
My brother sold Saturday Night Post and Globe and I helped on occasions. And yes, you could not understand the words we called out, but you knew by the sing/song melody and the sound of those steel wheels on the cobblestones. Please, does anyone have a picture of those carts. I tried surfing and Googling but to no avail.
Does anyone remember the Penny Valentines that were a full size sheet of paper with an insulting poem? I think our school banned them after the first year.
What I got for Christmas wasn't nearly as special as the routine leading up to it. But the most special of all was Midnight Mass with the procession of students processing thru the aisles singing Christmas Hymns before climbing the steps to the Choir Loft. ..... and then having Mr Nelly pound out "Holy god We Praise Thy Name" on his immense Pipe Organ ..... and we sang it all the way home too. Now THAT was Christmas! My dolls were always swiped during the year and re-dressed and returned on Christmas Eve and one of my favorite toys was making Lead Soldiers (my brother's gift) and watching my brother operate the double trains and tracks on an 8 x 10 platform complete with mountains. and the "50 million" cookies my mother would bake each year.....especially those Anise cookies that were so hard you had to dunk them in hot cocoa ..... wouldn't have them any other way now.
Can you imagine School Play Yards without any equipment .... not even a basket ball hoop? and getting to play Red Rover who tried to bust the opponent's line? And Dodge Ball and Double Dutch Jump Rope? And going out for recess even on snow days.
Oh how grateful I am for this site ..... have alerted all my siblings. They're ecstatic!
Post from Erv Bobo - Dasher1945@aol.com (12/8/2011)
I feel so fortunate to have found this site - especially since I've just published a memoir about growing up in St. Louis in the fifties.
(If anyone is interested, the title is THANK YOU, MICKEY SPILLANE and it's available at www.lulu.com.)
My name is Erv Bobo. My first several years in St. Louis - beginning in 1952 - I lived downtown (Skid Row, actually) at the MacArthur Hotel on Broadway and Chestnut.
With so many movie theaters in walking distance (and no TV) I spent most of the first few years sitting in the dark.
Attended Madison Elementary School and, for a while, McKinley High School on Russell. When I started hanging out on the near South Side our center of activity was Kingdom House at 11th and Hickory and most of the girls we dated lived in the Clinton-Peabody projects.
When it got to be too cold to hang out on our corner, we took ourselves to the M&M Cafe on 12th St - right around the corner from Kingdom House.And we took our dates to the Merry Widow theater on Chouteau.
I've only started reading the posts here and they certainly bring back a lot of memories. I'll be reading more and commenting as time goes by.
Some of the people mentioned in my book (though with names slightly changed to protect both the innocent and the guilty): Barbara Mustain, Becky Mustain, Dave Jones, Connie Sturgeon, Violet Skelton, Barbara Bradford, Gene Sloan, Wilma Lemmon. Also a girl named Ellen, whom everyone called "Toots".
If you are any of these people (or have knowledge of them) I'd like to hear from you. Also, if you hung out at Kingdom House or the M&M Cafe in 55-56-57 we might have friends in common.
Post from Stephanie Buell - Steph@buellfamily.com (12/29/2011)
It's so cool what you have done with the St Louis Memories! I grew up in Castlereagh Estates - far edge of north county next to the present Sioux Passage Park. I was in the first graduating class of Brown Elementary School, then went to Kirby Jr. High and finished up at Hazelwood Central High School.
During my freshman year (1975-76) East High wasn't built yet, but there were way too many students at Central so we ended up having split sessions. The East group went to school from 6 - noon and the Central group (of which I was in) went from Noon - 6 pm. I loved it!
I am hoping to find some people who also lived in this far north county (unincorporated) location because I am researching long-term health effects (potential results of mosquito fog trucks and arial 'bombing' and/or underground natural gas storage) in St Louis County (MO) during the 1960's-1980's. If anyone has any historical data or information regarding this matter I would very much appreciate knowing about it. The reason for my interest is that there seems to be a very high rate of auto-immune and cancer related illnesses myself and many others are experiencing - all people who grew up in this vicinity. If I could piece together any common threads it would be a relief.
Post from KP (1/3/2012)
In response to 'Millie' 2/26/11
The riding stables I think you were thinking of was Green Valley Ranch. It was on a large tract of land that Cyrus Crane Wilmore donated to the city as he developed the last sections of 'St. Louis Hills'.
I arrived in St. Louis in 1950 at age 10 and lived across from what became Wilmore Park around 1959 . The land was edged by Jamieson, Hampton and the River DesPeres. The riding stable was centered and the land was left natural -Green Valley closed around 1954. We played all over the wild 'park' - Cowboys ,Civil War ,whatever. One area had a 'cliff' which was about a 17 ft. drop off and an initiation jump for any new neighborhood kid. By1960 it took on a new dimension--parking after a dates.
Post from Liz Laughlin (Pfeffer) (1/13/2012)
Wow.....thanks for this website. I was doing a Google search on my old dancing studio, Emma Ogle Dance School, and came across this website. I was hoping to find pictures.
I grew up in Ferguson, on Frost Avenue. I went to Lee Hamilton Elementary and then across the street to dancing classes. I remember the movie theater in downtown Ferguson on Saturday mornings, the bakery by the library, hanging out at Pizza Inn on Florissant Rd and then Dairy Queen on Chambers after Ferguson Jr High football games. I loved going to Holiday Hill and the park in St Charles for school picnics. I worked on the Admiral in early 70's.....remember the red painted quarters ??? I still try and get to McCluer High School reunions when possible and still drive thru Ferguson on occasion....not the same. I miss those days. Oh yeah, Santa used to come down Frost Ave. in a sleigh before Christmas. Have videos of that.
Post from O.J.McNamee (1/22/2012)
My wife just gave me your book St. Louis Nostalgia. Love it as I loved growing up in St. Louis, from Caronelet, to Affton, to Sunset Hills. Go t the surprise of my life when I came across the article about Cleveland HS in the 50s mentioning the B B players Baylor Kohut, Stu Cloud et al. including Charlie Wicker. Belonged to a fraternity with them all. Even though I went to DB. Dennis Z and Tom F.,Vern D. and I all belonged. Seems as though back in the day all of the high school frats and sororities were set up for partying. Remember going to proms at the Coronado Hotel, and various country clubs from Fenton to Kirkwood. Our sponsor if you will was a great guy by the name of Monty Walpole who worked at KSD. Also remember hanging out at Cusinellis in Lemay and getting good solid advice about women from Joe while he made the pizzas and Dan did the dinners. Had a great shrimp pizza for Fridays during lent. No better pizzas anywhere. Remember Ma and Johnny Radisons at rt 3 in Dupo? What a great place to grow up.
Post from Yolanda (1/22/2012)
I have been looking everywhere for "THE EDGEWATER CLUB" BACK IN i KNOW THE 50"S and 60"s. It was on south broadway(I think 5500 south broadway). There is a retirement home in iits place now.I used to go there with my brothers to see mmy dad(Armando Toti).Dad worked as bartender. And mmy grandma Nina lived upstairs in the penthouse.And uncle worked there too. It was right off the river. I wish someone could find out the history on it. I have looked every where. Got any ideas or places I could check out? Lot of memories there. The owner was harrigan i think.
Post from Tom Kuehling(1/22/2012)
I grew up in south city in the 50’s and 60’s. Remember street cleaning day? Temporary cardboard no parking signs were put up (tied to trees) the day before. A battleship gray city tank truck drove down the middle of the street with water jets coming from both sides of the tank pushing leaves and trash towards the curbs. Then, a crew of men came along with push brooms and swept the trash and leaves into piles. Later, another crew came and picked up the piles and put them into a dump truck. Finally, the temporary signs were taken down.
During Fall, people would rake their leaves into piles in the street and burn them. Sometimes wind would blow burning leaves around. Good idea to have the hose out.
Remember tree trimming day? Once every 5 years or so, temporary cardboard no parking signs were put up (again tied to trees). Sometime during the day, a big crew of tree trimmers would come walking along and climb into the trees and do pruning. Some men were pretty high up in big Sycamore trees. The cut branches just fell to the ground. Another crew would then come along, cut the branches into smaller pieces, and throw them into dump trucks. Great entertainment for young boys!
Post from Lyn Pickel lynbpickel@gmail.com(1/23/2012)
I am a writer who is researching and writing about Donald L. Fanetti, a neighborhood leader and editor of The Bugle, a local newspaper that I believe was read by almost every household in the Carondelet Neighborhood during the 1960's and 1970's. I am wondering if you could ask your readers if they could share any memories of Don, The Bugle and its humorous content, and the Carondelet--and more precisely, the Patch Neighborhood, during the 1960's and 1970''s? I would so appreciate their reminisces!
Post from Donald Babchick (2/20/2012)
I grew up in U.City in the 50’s & 60’s and it was the most wonderful place to grow up. Alan Spector, class of 64 wrote a great book “Hail, Hail, to U. City High” which depicts our great days of that time….. The hangouts, Hamburger Heaven on Pennsylvania and Olive across from Mercy High & Heman Park, Rinaldi’s in the Delmar loop, best pizza and salad around, Nino’s Pizza on Olive St. Rd., the Velvet Freeze on North& South…. Ed’s Pool in the loop & Fat Man’s shoe shine parlor….Great memories…..U. City class of 62
Post from ? (3/12/2012)
What fun!!! I was looking up Bretscher's Bakery after having some ordinary donuts for breakfast! Is it still in business? Also, does anyone remember going for ice cream to a place that also had a fountain which had colored lights that would change colors. I think it was in Webster Groves. Wow this brought back so many memories...I live in Seattle now but have such fond memories. Playing til dark, calling out can so-and-so come out and play, looking through the ashpits along alleys in south St. Louis (Keokuk St.), Charondolette Park, chasing fireflies, crayfish in the creek near Berry Rd. in Glendale, pick up baseball games, watching our Dads play cork ball and drinking beer, retarring and regraveling streets and watching the tar bubble up...Looking forward to reading more. Thanks.
Post from ? (3/12/2012)
I just came across your site, and it made me smile. I live in Paradise Valley, AZ, but grew up in Florissant. Went to Our Lady of Fatima, and Aquinas HS (Class of 71). I was actually doing some research on old golf courses in St Louis. In high school, I worked at the old Nor Lakes course in Dellwood. The course was sold to a developer (Bill Bruce of Bruce Properties) in 1969, and he was building an apartment complex called “The Village”, but he kept the back 9 holes of the course open. I became the “greens superintendent” in the early spring of 1970, and worked every day after school and on weekends. I actually saw a reference to the course in one of the postings on your site, and was wondering if any visitors to your site had any additional info on the course. I haven’t lived in St Louis since 1986, but have many fond memories. I grew up in Northwoods, attended Ascension until third grade, when we moved to Florissant. I remember when the Passionist Seminary was sold to developers, who then built the Normandy Shopping Center. I went to the opening day for the Walgreens, Britts Department Store, and the National grocery, which, as I recall, was some time in the early 1960’s (maybe 1961?). There was also a bowling alley in the shopping center, and we would spend many hot St Louis summer days there, because it was air conditioned. My grandmother lived in Pasadena Hills and actually ran the cafeteria at St. Ann’s for many years. St Louis was a wonderful, family-oriented city, and I have many warm memories from my childhood. Thanks for developing this site.
Post from ? (3/21/2012)
Let's dig a little deeper into the memory bag. I graduated from Cleveland High School in June, 1949. I remember the great musical tradition that marked "Down by the Bevo". Cleveland put on an operetta and a spring variety show every year with complete stage settings, full orchestral and vocal music. My first year at CHS they put on De Kovan's "Robin Hood" with Shirley Gatzert and Jack Haupt singing the leads. Shirley later went on to the Curtis Institute of Music. Jack could hit a high C as easy as you can imagine. A hard act to follow, but many did.
At a more basic, but none the less satisfying, level was singing the "Snitzelboch" song at the Swartzvald, known as the Black Forest in later years. Let's not forget the lady who came out to signify closing time at Bill Eislie's Bavarian Garden by singing Brahma's Lullaby. Finally, I remember sitting out in the back yard on a summer's evening and singing old songs with the neighbors and sending down to the corner tavern for buckets of beer. My cousin and I did the fetching. Sure you remember the corner tavern. Almost every block, "down by the Bevo" had a tavern on one end and a bakery on the other.
They were hard times for working families, but they had a talent for making things easier with a song.
Post from ? (3/28/2012)
My Grandfather was Fred P. Rapp and what a guy he was!!! Nice to see there are still some around who worked for him. Would love to hear some stories as I know he probably was at times hard to work for as he had a work ethic as hard as nails.
Post from Wayne Rosenthal (3/29/2012)
Just noticed the post from earlier this month about Nor Lakes Golf Course. I remember that course very well. It was on Canfield Drive , just off of West Florissant Road . I played my very first round of golf there on June 14, 1963, and continued to play golf there right up until the time they closed around 1970 or so.
It was an 18 hole course, and all of the holes were Par 3. So it was a good course for a new golfer, or even an experienced golfer that wanted to work on their short game.
I also remember Britts and some of the other stores in the Normandy Shopping Center . The bowling alley was called Normandy Lanes. Sometime in the 1980’s the name was changed to North Oaks Lanes. As far as I know they are still in business today.
Post from ? (4/23/2012)
I grew up at 1430 South Broadway and attended Pestalozi school.
I remember Chicken Joes, where they killed chickens and my mom bought chicken feet and wings
I remember taking cans and stomping them in the middle to fir you feet and go clacking
I remember what a livley shopping area South Broadway was
Fruit of the Loom men’s store, Velvet Freeze, open market selling nuts and fruit
Farmers market, open all night.
Remember Roxy’s flooring to buy your cheap linolium. We used it on everything.
Breeze washing powder had the wash clothes.
Yellow diner in the middle of the road
Huge indian in front of something
Moved to North St. Louis
Playing on the docks of closed factories
Tobin’s or Tobey’s hardware on 9th street
City hospital, free medical care.
Sitting out on the concrete steps with friends holding the transister radio up to our ears
When a 1 lighted car came by and you called perdiddle first you could kiss a boy
Everybody walking up and down the street.
You know there were still some wooden outhouses in St. Louis in the 1950’s
Who could forget 14th street shopping at Worths and Sobels. and eating at the soda fountain at Kreske’s?
I went to the old Ames school and remember the building the New Ames school in 1957
Swimming in the pool at Bremen park
The hot tammeli man, The paperboy on Saturday night
My brothers buying large packs of combs and selling them in taverns til midnight and they were little boys
Daddy building them all shoe shine boxes and putting black, brown and neutral waxes in the box with some rags, shined shoes in the taverns on South broadway.
Post from ? (4/23/2012)
I would like to share some of my memories of growing up in St. Louis (1966-1985). Thank you for the opportunity:
- Playing freeze tag until dark on spring and summer nights on Bluefield Drive in Florissant (I met my first “love” during one of these games at the Gibson’s).
- Having my mom buy Big Shot chocolate additive from Pet Milk.
- Living on a street where they were still building homes; we would play in the basements when the construction workers left for the day.
- Wearing Bat-Man masks and safety-pinning towels around our necks.
- Swimming at the Banquert Park pool, playing on the old Sherman tank and going to the air-conditioned library (a perfect respite during muggy St. Louis summer days).
- Camp Comet in the summer.
- Wearing our "good" clothes to school, the changing into our "play" clothes and tennis shoes when we got home.
- The wonderful smell of Meyers Confectionary (in Florissant).
- Walking to Banquert Park and passing all of the “saint” streets: St. Michael, St. Catherine, St. Joseph, etc.
- Walking around my neighborhood as a 7 and 8-year old and discovering cool new streets like Paddock, Meadowgrass and Aubachon.
- Those old soda machine that sold bottles behind a narrow refrigerated door; even if we could not afford a drink (which was only a dime), we would open those doors and feel the cool blast of air during the hot summer afternoons.
- Playing in my basement and lying on the cold tile during the summer, and lying next to the warm forced-air vents during chilly winter evenings.
-Watching “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” on Monday nights, never really getting most of the jokes, but repeating them the next day at DeSmet Elementary School.
-Going from one of the nicest first-grade teachers (Miss Meyers) to one of the meanest in second-grade (Mrs. Swank). Then, changing in mid-term in third-grade from Mrs. McCall to Miss Whaley (later Miss Wolf).
-Riding the skyway at Chain of Rocks Park with Todd Reed and Cheryl Eichorn at our fourth-grade picnic (they were “dating” and I was the third-wheel, as usual).
- What a treat it was to visit the Holiday Hill amusement park.
- Going barefoot on our lawn and stepping on my first bee.
- Going to Burger Chef, White Castle and Steak & Shake.
- Walking to Banquert Park and stopping by the A&W Root Beer Stand. If I had 50 cents, I would get a Baby Burger, Fries and a 10 cent root beer in a frosted mug. Another dime would net me a large soft-serve ice cream cone.
- Going with my parents to the Flaming Pit, Ruiz’s Mexican restaurant or the smorgesboard (now a buffet) at Famous-Barr.
- During the Christmas season, we would go to Stix, Bear and Fuller downtown to toy shop, visit Santa and ride the cool monorail.
- Watching the St. Louis Cardinals play in the late 1960s. My brother was at the game in 1967 when Bob Gibson broke his leg (off a ball hit by Roberto Clemente) and my dad was at Game 7 of the ‘68 World Series (ugh!).
- Taking my lunch to grade school in my cool “Rat Patrol” lunchbox.
- Knocking on Dick Weber’s door one time and asking if he had any MAD Magazines.
- Playing fuzzball (using a tennis ball and a whiffle ball bat) on Bluefield Drive with my best friend Mark Smith; playing football with a Nerf ball until dark and using the street lights to see after that.
-Getting a Cardinals football and helmet on Christmas, 1975, and then playing football by myself in the snow that night for hours.
-My dad gave me a Radio Shack tape recorder in 1972 and I played with it for five years.
- I remember my sister going crazy because the Beatles actually performed in St. Louis in 1966 and she could not go.
- Playing in the creek between Arlington and Burning Tree (off of Parker Road). Usually little water ran through there, but it went all the way to Lindbergh. My friends and I would climb out of there by the old Magic Market and A&P grocery store.
- The ice cream trucks (sometimes it was a van, sometimes a Jeep) and sno-cone carts in our neighborhood during the summer.
- The sounds the locusts made in the trees on warm spring and summer evenings.
- Sitting outside with my father and grandfather on these night while they sat with lit cigars to keep the misquitos away.
- Going to the Cross Keys Mall, River Roads and Northland centers.
- Watching the Valley of Flowers Parade as it went along Parker Road; then going to the fair.
- My mom worked at Southwestern Bell (the 1010 Pine building) and sometimes she would take me there and then we would have lunch at Mrs. Hollings restaurant.
- When the misquito truck would spray insecticide, my friends and I would ride our bikes behind it through the fog. How stupid were we?
- Remembering what a novelty a drive-thru restaurant was when the first Jack-In-The-Box opened on Lindbergh in Florissant. You spoke into the “clown” and the offered a Bonus Jack (which was like a Big Mac). I also recall when going to the McDonald’s on Hall Ferry and Lindbergh was a real treat. You only could eat outside at the red and white-tiled venue and the fries were made fresh.
- Going to the first Taco Bell on Lindbergh in 1976 and ordering a “Bell Beefer” burger.
- An ice storm that hit on New Year’s Eve, 1976 while I was at my friend Steve Boxdorfer’s house. We played cards and drank root beer all night.
- Listening to KXOX radio in the late 1960s/early 1970s (they brought back an oldies format briefly in the early ‘80s). Listening to Jim White, Bob Hardy, Rex Davis, Jack Carney and John McCormack (the “Man Who Walks and Talks At Midnight”) on KMOX (my dad’s station). Also, remember hearing “Thought For the Day” by Richard L. Evans and the "Morning March” every day before school on KMOX. Listening to Wolman Jack, Dr. Demento and the KADI Original Oldie Show on KADI. Every Saturday morning, my father would tune into KMOX for the Party Line (you could buy or sell things) show and Jack Carney’s vintage comedy show. In 1975, KMOX would have a two-hour show on Sunday evenings called “The Great Talking Machine,” where rare recordings were broadcast.
- Jack Buck and Harry Carey. Later, Jack Buck and Mike Shannon.
- Following the football Cardinals intently during the 1975 season (they went 11-3 during the regular season, won the NFC East, but lost to the Los Angeles Rams, 35-23 in the playoffs).
- Collecting stamps, match books, bottle caps, soda and beer cans.
- Saw “Jaws” at Grandview Cinema (the first movie where people were waiting in huge lines), and then played shark attack all summer at the swimming pool.
- Bluefield Drive block parties and garage sales.
- Mowing lawns on hot summer mornings and getting $5 per (big money at the time); shoveling driveways during the winter.
- Playing horseshoes and H-O-R-S-E with Mr. Gibson up the street and Jarts with my dad (he had a grinder and would sharpen each to a razor edge).
- The rivers that would run through our backyard during heavy spring rains; getting caught in a small tornado while driving to a friend’s house in 1980.
- Going downtown late at night in the early 1980s and hanging around Forest Park or playing on the old, closed Chain of Rocks bridge (we were nuts).
- Watching local personalities on TV like Dick Ford, Max Roby, Julius Hunter, Herb Humphries, Ollie Raymond, John Auble, Charlotte Peters, Captain 11 (where I first saw the Three Stooges shorts), Jim Bowlin (aka Corky the Clown), Mr. Patches and many, many others. What a life, what a town, what great memories.
Post from Mike Carosone, former north county kid! (5/1/2012)
just a small update from the 4/23/12 posting. Jim Bolin played Cookie from Cookie and the Captain, Corky the Clown was Cliff St. James.
