Comments on: The Right To Not Vote

By: J Ball

J Ball — Mon, 30 May 2011 14:57:57 +0000

Wow Lisa, thanks for the trip down memory lane!

I too grew up in Hilltop, near 15th & Churchill. Your recollection is perfect. I can relate to all of the places you mentioned. Remember Cleveland principle, Howard Swenson, or the gym teacher Mr. Beyer? We would spend hours at Frank Olson pool and when we weren’t cooling off in the water we would walk or ride our bikes over to Eastway Bowl and cool off in the air conditioning. You could buy a chips & coke and spend less than a quarter. Across the street to the east was Shadco or something like that. A motorcycle place we would admire the Honda mini-bikes. East Park Drive Inn was a classic. Every day we would walk in the drive-in and turn up every car speaker full-blast so we could later that evening sit back in the weeds just outside of their fence and watch & hear the movies! Always on the lookout for the “white coats.” When we got up enough courage we would try to sneak in to the drive-in to get a treat at the snack shack. We were busted more than once and escorted out by the manager. When we were older and could driver our first cars, we would venture west to the Starlite Drive-Inn for “Buck Nite!” But that’s another story  Our grandparents would take us to Lollypop Park. Loved the train rides and the boat rides in the small tub of water. From our house we would take the short cut down to Gene’s Gas Station for candy. The short cut was called the “Monarch Trail.” Remember Gene’s dad, George who helped run the place? Also, just west of Gene’s every year there would be an old wooden fireworks stand. Bought many a bottle rocket and Black Cat there! (Smoked a punk too)

I could go on & on!
Jeff

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 30 May 2011 00:55:52 +0000

So many great memories growing up in SF! I grew up in Hilltop and lived near you when you lived on 12th. Patty and Suzie may not remember this (or me/we were 3-6 years old), but I remember being in the basement at your house and looking upstairs to see their dad/you. I don’t know what we were doing down there, but whatever it was, you weren’t happy about it. I just remember you were super tall and that was the moment I decided it was time for me to go home. We also played with Shari and Tammi who were your neighbors. You moved soon afterward and I went to a birthday party at your new house and I remember playing “A tisket, a tasket, a green and yellow basket”.

Other SF/Hilltop memories … East Park Drive In – we would go in our jammies and take along a paper bag of popcorn and kool-aid in tupperware cups. The train and mini ferris wheel at Lollypop Park, Goofy Golf and the “Big Slide” (at least that’s what we called it) with burlap gunny sacks, both on Minnesota Ave. Downtown JCPenney escalator and elevator, Woolworth’s lunch counter, Park Ridge drugstore, Shakey’s Pizza player piano, Saturday morning movies at the State Theater and then waiting for our parents to pick us up at the Children’s Library around the corner, K-Cinema, Walt & Mary’s on 10th, softball games and the treat shack next to St. Lambert’s, M&H, Frosty Treat, Hilltop Drug and Andy’s on Cleveland (not far from “recreation”/the summer rec program on the empty field east of Andy’s), VBS at many neighborhood churches, and of course, Frank Olson Pool. If you were a Hilltop kid that went to Cleveland Elementary in the 60′s or 70′s, one memory most of us share is the beautiful murals made every other year in art class with Miss (Carol) Hansen. She was an absolute genius when it came to gluing old jewelry, bits of tile and whatnot into masterpieces. I haven’t been to Cleveland in a long time, but I hope they are still there.

Ahh, the good old days…

By: Paul

Paul — Sun, 29 May 2011 17:41:40 +0000

I think the giant slide was on the northwest side of 41st & Minn near the Billion Lots. There was minature golf and batting cages near Kmart. That place was called Goofy Golf.

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 29 May 2011 02:57:11 +0000

I grew up on the east side, just a few blocks from Frosty Treat. They had the best foot-long hot dogs and chili dogs I’ve ever eaten. Their BBQ’s were insanely good, too. Does anyone remember the giant slide and miniature golf place on the southwest corner of 41st Street & Minnesota Ave? That would have been there during the late 60s to early 70s.

By: Alona

Alona — Fri, 27 May 2011 22:15:50 +0000

Ahhh Lolypop Park. The first time I met 2 little girls named Suzan and Patty Lund. My 2 girls the same age of Suzan and Patty became friends in the neighborhood on Walker Way. All 4 girls grew up together on the Eastside, playing at Linwood Park where they all made the Argus Leader playing on the slide in the winter. Don’t forget family swim at Frank Olson pool before the newscast each evening, my girls Lori and Kim were always invited along. Don’t forget the little Linwood school on Sycamore where the grades were Kindegarden through 2nd grade. What memories.

By: Christy

Christy — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:09:59 +0000

I remember when you had all of us kids sending you our memories from all the changes we could think of. I can’t find that doucment to save my life but I know I have it hidden somewhere. I also remember M&H (green and white sign) where you could get a bag of burgers pretty cheap. Wonderful memories.

By: joanie

joanie — Fri, 27 May 2011 17:22:44 +0000

O how we remember taking our little girls to lollipop park~~o how we remember the “good old days”!!