Old Waco — what do you remember?

You're “OLD WACO” if:

You can remember either the Raleigh or the Roosevelt Hotel.
You ever went to Williams Drug, Pipkin Drug, Otis Stahl Pharmacy, or Heights Pharmacy for a fountain drink or a "burger" at lunch.
You remember watching Harley Berg, Marvel Russell, Dale Milford, Doug Brown, Dub King or Johnny Watkins on TV.
You ever got a "Possum Grin" on the Uncle Elihu Show or a "Zebo Gram" from Zebo the Clown.
You can remember the balconies at the Waco and the Orpheum Theaters, Saturday Kiddy Matinees at the 25th St. or Texas Theater, and how cold the AC was at the Imperial.
You remember Mrs. Keaton's Bakery or Robertson's Ice Cream.
You went to a drive-in movie at The Circle, The Waco or even The Lake Air. Extra points if you remember "no one" ever went to The Joy.
You ever played pool at The Businessman's Club. Extra points if "Rabbit" racked 'em for you.
You ever "bowled" on Austin Ave. , Franklin Ave. or even at Southgate .
You can remember what was in the basement at Montgomery Wards.
You made "The Drag" and then went to "flip flop" or to the Griddle, or maybe even out to Kim's. Which school, which hangout?
You ever bought a gun or jewelry at one of the "hock shops" on Austin Ave. , a block off the square.
You ever had breakfast at Bertrand's or Piccadilly Downtown or dinner at George's Chef.
You know and can describe where you were when "The Tornado" hit. For extra points know and describe where your parents were, too.
You've ever been to " Walker 's" Auditorium. Or maybe the "Nite Life Club".
You can remember where "The Brass Rail" used to be.
You can remember the frozen "chopped steak" dinners from "7-11". Curb service too.
You've ever bought gas @ 13.9 cents a gallon.
You've drank artesian water from Progress Laundry.
You rode the Smoky Hollow Railroad in Cameron Park.
You remember driving over the "Suspension Bridge".
You've read both the Waco Times Herald AND the Waco News Tribune.
You remember Spudnuts.
You watched the Waco Pirates in Katy Park.
You listened to 1580 "KBGO, the Big GO in WACO ".
You remember "FlyTAF" and Connally A.F.B.
You've been in a car on the streets of town and had water up to the bottom of the door.
You can remember and describe the holes on the "old" Lake Waco Golf Course.
You can remember Buddy Bostick's "Mustang."
You've eaten bar-b-que from Crip's at Pott's Interchange.
You know what "the other chicken place" besides Leslie's was.
You've been to the "Line" at Perry or Joe Rinn's.
You have a picture taken by the street photographer's on Austin .
You've swam at the Sun or Kiwanis Pool, watched football at Muny Stadium, and baseball at Dutton Street Park .
You've had your boots shined by "Red" at "Johnnie's" on Austin Ave.
You've eaten a Juicy Pig from Triple XXX Drive Inn (either location), name where. Extra points, which location had the "Circus" Room?
You've driven a car you bought at Waco Chevrolet or Ray Thomas Dodge.
You went to Church at First Methodist Church on Fifth Street .
You've picnic'd at Proctor Springs.
You've caught a train at the Katy Station downtown.
You can remember "Shadowland", "Casa Blanca", "Harry B's" or "Arnold's".
You've had coffee at the "Elite" on Austin or Mexican Food from the "House of Lyons" or bar-b-que cooked by M.C. Meredith.
You knew where to go for a Gold Brick Sundae, a Purple Cow or a Silver Saddle. Extra points if you know what you got with the Silver Saddle or the Purple Cow.
You bought groceries from Losavio's, Highland Gro. & Mkt., or Scamardo's.
You've been to free movies in the park.
You know where " Death Valley " was.
You've shopped Padgitt's for a gun. Extra points if you ever bought a saddle there.
You can remember riding the Interurban.
You know what Mohawk, Plaza and Prescott mean.
You remember your favorite order from the I. V. or Ira's.
You've ever walked across Lake Waco .
You know where Mr. Fred had his pool hall and can tell his claim to fame.
You know where to find the "Field and Stream" Room.
You can name the establishment that preceded the Italian Village .
You can remember what all was on the menu of the " Palace of Sweets ".
You've bought a hamburger at Diamond's or Cupp's for 25 cents or less.
You remember seeing Roy Rogers and Trigger at the H.O.T. Fair & Rodeo. Extra points if you still have the autographed picture they gave away.
You remember Santa's Workshop Christmas Decorations at the entrance to Cameron Park every year.
You know where the Professional Building was/is. Again, extra points if you can remember what was in its southeast corner.
You've had a hamburger from McDonald's in Waco before McDonalds came to Waco .
You've ever taken a date to Pepe's Pizza. Can you name two locations?
You can name at least three independent cafeterias that served Waco back then and remember what their specialty was.
You ever got the table by the fireplace at Sambo's.
You shopped at the five and dime on Austin . Name one of them, Department Stores don't count.
You wear a watch or ring purchased from Morris, L. Fred, or Armstrong's on Austin Ave.
Your home library includes books bought from Von Blon's Used Book Stoar.
You had your birthday party at Pittman's.
You ever got a "Golden Egg." Where from and why?
You had a house financed by Pioneer or First Federal and banked at First National, Citizens, or National City .
Your new Easter outfit always came from Tarvers.
You've had to go to the E.R. on the top floor of Hillcrest.
You attended Waco High School on Columbus, Moore High on So. 3 rd. St. or Richfield High School on 42nd St. Now, name each Schools colors, mascot and name of their Annual.
You can remember what was in front of Wood Bros.
You know where to find "Jacob's Ladder" and the "Lions Mouth".
You can name the mascots of North, South, East and West Jr. Highs.
You ate Chili at Charlie Lugo's and Black Bottom Pie at Sam Coates.
You can still hear the steam whistle from Cameron Mills.
You remember riding the escalator upstairs at Sears on the corner of 18th and Waco Drive to see Santa in the Toy Dept.
You've been to Charity Ball at the H.O.T. Coliseum.
You are a Trojan who graduated from Waco Tech.
You remember going to The "Milky Way" for a Milky Way or any thing else for that matter.
You saw Dwight Eisenhower when he visited Waco .
You remember Mrs. Patterson that owned/ran Jack & Jill School .
You took dance lessons from Miss Nanette at Birkhead Gravelle Dance Studio or maybe you were a Hoffmanette.
You can identify the "aroma" you smelled every time you watched the Pirates play ball.
You remember Bill Foster's R.H.S. "tirades".
You can remember seeing Elvis at the Heart of Texas Coliseum.
You rode the amphibious "Duck" on Lake Waco .
You competed in the Soap Box Derby races on Waco Drive .
You know who Nina "B" is.
You've eaten one of Mrs. Fickle's fried pies.
You remember the Crystal , Melrose , Rivoli or Strand Theaters.
You've been to the wrasslin' matches on Clay or even on Waco Dr .
You've read and can identify the real life people alluded to in "Sironia".
You remember the smell of the cookie factory on Franklin Ave. Can you name it?
You remember Dr. Hoehn's collies.
You've been beaten in a pool game by "James" Bond.
You fished old Lake Waco after buying bait at Sunbeam Bait House.
You've eaten Aubrey Stringer's Bar-B-Oue.
You remember Julia and Nall Koch.
You remember the smell of the DDT trucks driving down the alley behind your house spraying for mosquitoes.
You shopped the Farmer's Market in East Waco .
You remember the Square.
You've watched 4th of July Fireworks at Lake Air Mall.
You've ever been to the witch's house in Cameron Park.
You got woke up in the early 60's when the "Air Raid Sirens" went off in the middle of the night and everyone thought we were being bombed.
You went to school in WISD and didn't have air conditioning.
Your mink coat has a tag from "Sach's Austin Avenue " inside it.
You bemoan the loss of Cox's, Monnig's, Harlik's, Simon's Mens Shop and Goldstein's Downtown.
You remember and can name the:
- three Colias Brothers
- three Piazza Brothers
- four Castillo Brothers
- two Trautschold Brothers
- four Khoury Brothers and
- two Hoffman (Hoffmanettes) Sisters
- You've been to the submarine races at Windmill Hill or Lake Waco .
- You've shopped at the S & H Green Stamp Store. Where was it?
- You remember "The Green Perch".
- You've been across the old rickety bridge at Eichelberger's Crossing.
You remember The Santa at the old Fairgate Shopping center where Sew n' Sew was located along with the Grant's 5 and 10 cent store.
You remember the orange juice shop downtown with all the fresh oranges in the window. They would serve you orange juice in a cone-shaped cup.
You remember riding the bus downtown and getting a dime-sized "token" for the ride back home.
You went to Dean Highland Elementary School when all you could see behind it was a water tower, farm land and two dilapidated, wooden airplane hangars at what was left of Rich Field.
You remember climbing into the fountains at Cameron Park -- some big, some small, some multi-tiered. Then you could stick your feet into the lower wading pools further into the park — the ground damp beneath the thick, green grass, where you could run and slide on on it like a surfer.
You remember exploring the "Cane Forest" at Cameron Park.
You could get a "deep end" water thrill at the Kiwanis Pool where diving AND swimming were allowed at the same time. That diving fun was topped only by the high-board at the Sun Pool downtown!
You remember shopping at Cinderella Shoes, Monnig's or Yarborough's, the old grocery story on South 11th Street.
You remember Kress, Woolworth, and McCrory's five and dime on Austin .
You remember that Sanger Brothers clothing store occupied the building before Montgomery Ward moved in. (Montgomery Wards basement contained all sporting goods. We walked downstairs to buy a 22 rifle.)
You remember riding a bus and asking for a transfer.
You remember films at the Waco Theater, which was originally the Hippodrome. And the 25th St Theater.
You remember when S&H Green stamps first opened on North Valley Mills Drive in Westview Mall next to Cogdells.
You remember the duck at Lewis Shoe Store. If you bought shoes, you could pull the duck's neck down and a golden egg would roll down.
You went to the Circle Pharmacy, the only one open on Sunday?
You remember the Brazos River flooding and water lapping up onto Washington Avenue Bridge .
You remember where you were when the tornado hit. ( I was home baking pies. My mother was home and the wind kept blowing open her doors, causing the rain to come in.)
You remember that during WWII Blackland Air Base was located where the Waco Regional Airport is now.
You remember being caught by a slow-moving train and sitting forever.
You remember that downtown you had to parallel park and put a nickel in a parking meter.
You remember that besides Leslie's Chicken Shack there was Youngblood Restaurant on Franklin Ave.
You remember Triple XXX with the Circus Room was located at 15th and Colcord.
The other Triple XXX was located at the circle.
You remember Pete's Hamburgers on the Square sold hamburgers for 5 cents each.
You remember ration stamps during the war.
You remember the large sculpture of a sitting lion on the sidewalk facing the street a Wood Bros.
You remember Crestwood at
Lake Air and Hillcrest, a small food store that sold dang good barbecue, not to mention minnows, worms and tackle. It was Petty's Food Store prior to that, the \last place to buy bait before descending Hillcrest to the old Lake Waco .
You remember the all-you-can-eat meals for $.99 at Lavender's Cafeteria located at Westview Village
You remember sitting in a hot classroom at Lake Air Junior High and smelling the school's incinerator burning trash, while watching the small bits of burned paper float through the window.
You remember when Lake Air Mall was the cool hangout for teens.
You remember going to the Chuckwagon for hamburgers.
You remember the dark and magical blue lighted toy lined tunnel display leading to the toy department and SANTA at the 18th & Waco Drive Sears.
You remember the large nativity scene displayed on the top corner of the 18th & Waco Drive Sear's building at Christmas.
You have eaten a basket of fried oysters from Chatham's Drive Inn with a 10 cent giant glass of iced tea.
You have had an ice cream cone from the drive-thru window at Robertson's Ice Cream Shop and can show someone where it was today.
You remember getting into the children's Saturday matinee at the 25 th Street Theater with a milk carton from school.
You know what Senior Rec Day was at Waco High on Columbus Ave.
You own a Daisy Chain.
You went to Tony Tusa's Grocery Store by Baylor or had your groceries delivered from there and put on your tab.
You know what to do to get a carhop to come to your car at Chatham's or Cupp's Drive-In.
You knew that Cherry Coke was the best at Cupp's.
You rode the train at the Waco Lion's Park.
You remember the big old homes that lined 5th Street.
You bought groceries at HEB across the street from Progress Laundry.
You remember the "Hotel/Motel" flashing sign at the "Townhouse."
You watched the wrecking ball tear down the old library.
You know which house is the Cameron Home and who the Camerons were.
You remember "wet" and "dry" being on the ballots and the yard signs associated with the vote.
You rode the elevator at Goldstein Migel's or Monig's with a white-gloved attendant operating a cage like door.
Your remember the "chime" in the upscale department stores, but to this day do not know what it was for.
You shopped at Perry's Five and Dime on Speight.
You can spell "Speight."
You remember what was on the sign at the Circle Drive Inn Theatre (Grrrrrrr).
You played on the swings at the Circle Drive-In Theatre.
You cruised Austin Avenueall the way through Downtown Waco on a Friday night.
You sat on the hood of your car and watched planes land and take off from the Waco air terminal.
You went to the Heart of Texas Fair and came home with a monkey bouncing off the end of a cane pole.
You remember the nuns at the old Providence Hospital.
Dr. Swartze, Dr. Oliver, or Dr. Shipp was your doctor and Dr. Nail was your dentist.
You had your hair cut at Beeman's Barber Shop.
You know where Diamond's Diner was and remember the blue oval-shaped window.
You bought live fish and mattresses from the Sinclair's.
You know where the Study Hall was at the old WHS and even served detention time there.
You listened to KBGO on a transistor radio.
You shopped at Clark's Discount Center.
You know that it was NOT just "Dairy Queen", it was "Dan's Dairy Queen."
You had a "Golden Egg" from the Goose at Red Goose Shoes...pull harder!
You remember Watkins Furniture Store.
You know who the Lacys and Kultgens are and went to school with them.
You bought your shoes from Cinderella's Shoe Store and Stanley Strum waited on your personally and knew you by name.
Most of your relatives now reside at Waco Memorial Park
You knew someone who worked at General Tire.
You bought your home from Paul Stafford or one of his agents.
Malcom Hart from State Farm was you insurance agent and your parent's agent and their parent's agent and oh yes...your children's agent as well.
You remember Reid's and Blanton's Florists from the 50's.
You remember the old shanty town down around 9th Street.
You remember stories of The Cotton Palace.
You remember when Lake Air Mall opened.
You fished at The Willows and put a dime in the "Calumet Can" nailed to a gate post to get in.
You are a West Jr. Yellow Jacket and you "cheered those good old black and gold boys on to victory, rah!, rah!, rah!" Mr. Carpenter was your principal.
You remember what a Slam Book was and how you got detention for signing or passing one around.
You remember tent revivals at the Circle.
You shopped at the Southgate T.G. & Y.
You knew S & H Green Stamps were more valuable than Gold Bond Stamps.
You remember when Gale Storm was a guest on the "Marvel Russell Show."
You played on the slide built into the hills of Proctor Springs in Cameron Park.
You had family reunions at the big pavilion just above Proctor Springs in Cameron Park.
You rode on the army green city buses.
Remember the fault line that broke the Lake Waco dam construction project when it was just gravel. ("The story is that the Corps of Engineers did not research the site. The Aggies told the the Corps of the fault, but it went ahead with construction." — Ralph Kirkland)
Remember the lit smudge pots during Baylor Homecoming, when freshmen were "guarding the campus."
You remember the colored chicks (pink, purple, yellow) at Sears at Easter?
You learned to drive a car at Baylor Stadium
You ate at Lavenders Cafeteria - all you can eat for .99 .
You remember Nora Askren at Sanger Ave Elementary, first grade, Mrs. Carrie Cason at Sanger Ave Elementary second grade and Bernie Key, third grade.
You remember the May Fete celebration at Sanger Avenue Elementary.
You remember shopping at Safeway in the Lake Air Mall.
You remember Blue Bird Ice Cream Parlor and the Dixie cup ice creams with the movie star pictures in the lid.
"You remember watching Harley Berg, Marvel Russell, Dale Milford, Doug Brown, Dub King or Johnny Watkins on TV.
You can remember the smell of fresh baked bread, along Franklin Ave, coming from the Rainbow Bread Co.
You can remember the Raborn Potato Chip Company and where it was located (N.19th & McFerren).
You know the name and location of the oldest brick home in Waco (Walker house; Dever Drive). Extra points: Where is the original owner’s family cemetery located (Hillcrest Drive)?
You remember eating at A&W Rootbeer on Valley Mills Drive or the original Der Wienerschnitzel @ N. 26th & Waco Drive.
You can remember when the Brazos River Festival was held at East Terrace.
You sang along with the bouncing ball or picked a song on the player piano at Shakey's Pizza Parlor.
You looked for "good stuff" at the Circle Flea Market.
You went to the go-kart races.
You put a quarter in a tabletop jukebox at Ira's.
You ate at White's Cafeteria.
You ate at the Waterworks.
You watched the Freedom Fountain being built.
You remember Wheelis Pony Circle at the Circle.
You bought Buster Brown Shoes in Waco, where the Brown's lived.
You bought groceries from Mr. Lauderback on Memorial Drive, and was able to buy with credit if you worked at the glass plant until pay day.
You watched movies at the drive-in-theater at the Circle.
You Ate hamburgers at the Health Camp as far back as 1949.
You remember all the wonderful Baylor parades including those with a live bear on the float.
You remember prizes given away at the Saturday matinees at the 25th Street theater.
You remember the grand entrance to the rodeo, where everyone could ride.
You remember stables where many of the Baylor students would ride, owned by Ben Robert Ponder.