Speak Out: Cape Girardeau: Each memory of happy days gone by.

Posted by Glumdalclitch on Wed, Jun 24, 2009, at 9:00 AM:

I guess it depends on what you consider the Golden Days. For me, it was after my parents moved here in 1969, so late elementary (Jefferson), junior high (Schultz, Central Jr Hi) era. We moved again to the Jackson area in 74, but I still hung out in Cape when I was in high school.

So here goes:

Hanging out with my friends at the Rose City Rides downtown. They would also set up in the Town Plaza parking lot sometimes.

Sitting in the balcony at the old Rialto (Rathole) theater.

Christmas shopping at Osterlo's, Montgomery Wards, W. T. Grants on Main Street.

Skating at Kingsway Skateland. Didn't it turn into a country bar... Big Al's, or something like that?

Dan Taylor Cadillac-Olds dealer on Independence (now Pockets). Their jingle on the radio was a Johnny Cash sound-alike singing "He's got the sharpest pencil in town"

Watching The Sting at the old drive-in with my boyfriend in his pickup. Must have worked some magic - we're working on 30 years of marriage! And he still drives that truck...

Cruising Broadway.

Rich's Drive-in (10 cent hamburger specials!) and later, Burger Rich. Wimpy's. Baker's Big Burger (currently Bel-Air). The OLD A&W, with call boxes at the booths. Coleman's BBQ on Broadway. Blue Hole BBQ. Pasquale's Pizza. The Woolworth's lunch counter.

More Value, Carp's. They occupied the same building (consecutively), which later became Cape's first Walmart... currently Hobby Lobby.

When we first moved to the area, there was no KMart, no Schnucks, barely any businesses along the west side of Kingshighway. That was pretty much the edge of town. I remember a little bar on the corner of Kingshighway and Independence where Walgreens is now, with nothing else on that block. The church we attended was on Mt. Auburn Road, which at the time was two lane gravel, no street lights, very few businesses/houses.

The public library was a bi-weekly visit during the summer with Mom and sisters when it was downtown in the old courthouse area. Riverside Regional Library also had a book-mobile that came around in the country where we lived.

Thanks for stirring the memories!

Replies (57)

  • oops, sorry... that was Dean Taylor Cadillac! Dan Taylor was in Sikeston, where my husbeast bought his first truck.

    -- Posted by Glumdalclitch on Wed, Jun 24, 2009, at 9:02 AM
  • Add to your lists....

    Hanover Church Skating with "shoe skates"

    A&W "Green Dragons"

    All very good indeed.....

    Then there were all the "Characters" around town who were universally nice to me. I can't list them all but here are a few.

    Mr Warfield (who had dumptrucks with a picture of a watermelon on the side of them). He always gave me friendly smile, a good handshake, and reminded me that saying what you do and doing what you say was the most important thing in business.

    Jack Lewis (who owned Bunny Bread) told me once that he knew people would pay well for you to do the worst work there was. He figured that baking bread was right in there with Garbage Collection (early hours, tormenting heat, etc.) and it didn't smell as bad so that's what he did.

    Clarence "Cutter" Schade used to tell his WWII stories of being in London, but was never specific. Only in the last couple years did he reveal he was part of the "Code Breakers" at Bletchley Park.

    Oscar Hirsch sitting on the floor of the control room at KFVS personally repairing a tape cart machine.

    Oh I know there are hundreds more...

    -- Posted by scottm52 on Wed, Jun 24, 2009, at 12:10 PM
  • Oh Yeah....

    Here's a few more...

    Charlie Huckstep

    (Honey) George, Elvin (Dib), and Orville (Peg) Eaker

    Joe Lorberg

    Phil Lieble

    Leon Brinkhopf

    -- Posted by scottm52 on Wed, Jun 24, 2009, at 12:28 PM
  • My memories are of the days of cruising broadway in my 1986 dark blue Mustang. Wish I still had that car. Hanging out at Werners market (now the waterfall for semo). Running down to Fast Lane Fast Gas to get some New York Seltzers or Pizza Hut for some late night pizza.

    Having to use the pay phone at Hardess at the corner of Broadway and West end to call home at 5:30am prompt since that was the time my dad would get up to let him know I was okay and watching the sun come up many times on that road.

    -- Posted by gman on Wed, Jun 24, 2009, at 6:23 PM
  • You've got my mind spinning! That was a Derby station owned by Jim Rowland who now owns the muffler place next to Chan's on Kingshighway. My dad rented a room from a little old lady just east of the station after he got laid off from National Vendors in St. Louis. Came here to look for work. Got to be good friends with Jim.

    No one's mentioned Buckner-Ragsdales. The clothing store not the micro brewery. Got all my Tuf-Nut jeans there. Liked to watch them send the payment up in those air tube thingys. Was it a Toyota or a Datsun dealer there on Broadway at Perry Ave.? And the Ben Franklin 5 & dimes on Main St. and in Town Plaza. Both had counters to eat at.

    Coach Allen at CJHS and Coach Estes. The memories of those easier times are endless!

    -- Posted by ol'homeboy on Wed, Jun 24, 2009, at 11:50 PM
  • Sunny Hill Dairy Restaurant, George's Antiques, the huge animated Christmas displays at Hudsons, the elephant slide at capaha park, the pool in the basement of Academic Hall, the pumpkin pie around Thanksgiving at Woolworth's counter, Baskin-Robbins in Town Plaza, or even the fountain in the mall. I miss some things alot.

    -- Posted by Granmammy on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 5:58 AM
  • And yes, Joe Lorberg is still fixing anything and everything put in front of him I do believe. He's just amazing.

    The Marquette Natatorium for swimming in the winter (now converted for sales stuff I think).

    Coach Frog Indeed! One time he did a full inversion on the parallel bars giving us guff for not being able to do it the entire time.

    Coach Milligan unlocking the bottom bleacher seats so when he kicked it as he would stand up to "call out" a player or ref it would reverberate through the whole gym.

    The "Goose" at Brown Shoe downtown that would "lay" a golden egg with a prize when we bought shoes.

    Oh yes, buying TufNut Jeans at Buckner Ragsdales. How many pairs of those did I wear out hauling hay in the summers.

    And do you remember when Sunny Hill delivered milk to your door?

    Mr C's IGA? Walker Childs would come out and say hi to my mother whenever we went shopping and most of the time a piece of candy would end up in my hands whether Mom approved or not.

    -- Posted by scottm52 on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 6:36 AM
  • Getting a free tufnut pocket knife when you got you jeans for school.

    -- Posted by Airborne 95B on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 7:50 AM
  • Mega,

    That is putting it mildly. When I meet my wife she could not understand how I could spend so much time on Broadway and not get into trouble.

    Tell you a quick story about The derby at the corner of Caruthers and Broadway. Myself along with serveral of my closest friends swore we would not end up on Broadway on New Years eve 1989. Well we did and after midnight one of us wondered where we would all be in a year. Well one of my friends became married and had a son. Myself had meet my wife of almost 19 years and married that same year. Another close friend Paul "leadfoot" Tackett was killed in a tragic car accident over by Howard Johnson. He was in the back seat and took the force of the car when it flipped. By the grace of God I had just so happen to be over there and stopped to see if anyone needed help not knowing he was in the car. I had told my girlfriend who became my wife if we ever have a boy I would like to name him Paul. Well I have a 9 year old son who loves for me to tell him stories about those days as well as pay respects to his grave.

    -- Posted by gman on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 8:12 AM
  • what about Dairy Castle next to Liberty groc. DC had the best curly fries ever...

    -- Posted by garfrank on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 9:21 AM
  • Well, being the junior member of this menagerie, i don't have any Cape memories unfortunately, but Sikeston was always the timepoint that my parents would look to on our annual car trips to my late grandmother's house in New Orleans.

    I can distinctly remember as a kid seeing us turn off I-57 onto I-55, wondering what was beyond the interchange. I got the chance one year when we went over to Hot Springs, AR for a week... but that was when no one had ever heard of Branson outside of the locals.

    Then as I started making my own Greyhound runs, Sikeston became our breakfast stop. The old stop was next to the McDonald's just off 55 and 60/62. It was always refreshing to smell the fresh air after almost seven hours of riding from Chicago on the midnight express.

    Coming back here to now work in the area and [finally] call a game in the town that had been my time point for so long is literally coming full circle.

    Amzaing how life does you sometimes.....

    -- Posted by vincebrown on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 9:47 AM
  • Mr. Brinkhopf ... Kojak! Always with a Tootsie Pop.

    I worked graveyard at Howard Johnson's, serving breakfast and ice cream to the drunks and truckers. Loved those fried clam po'boys.

    And I remember that Derby station. It was one of the few places with a condom machine in the men's restroom. *ahem*

    Buckner-Ragsdales was where we went for Girl Scout uniforms, white cotton gloves and spats for Jr Hi marching band.

    Before it was Duschell's (and J.C. Penney's), there was another furniture store in that building. Biederman's, I think. My parents purchased a sofa there when we first moved to town.

    There was a tag song on the radio... 'there's the Rose Display Garden, SEMO U, Capaha Park and Cape Rock too. We DIG it, Cape Girardeau - KGMO's hometown' Very corny, but whoever made that up knew their marketing. It's stuck in my head forever!

    Senior prom dinner with my date at the Purple Crackle when it was a NICE dance club. No jeans allowed. Seafood/steaks. Jack Salka(Stalka? can't remember) and his orchestra playing Moon River.

    As I read through this thread, kept thinking "oh yeah!! that too!!" Good topic Megalomania!

    -- Posted by Glumdalclitch on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 10:39 AM
  • Mega,

    Yes that was the guy. He was in the Capaha park and they asked him if he wanted to ride with them. His truck had many flowers placed on it. He passed away along with another passenger on May 23rd, 1990. The driver and her kid survived.

    -- Posted by gman on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 12:06 PM
  • So who remembers this: Driving up Caruthers street, past St. Vincent church, and around the corner to see "Green Eyes" on a particular tombstone?

    -- Posted by travellin man on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 1:09 PM
  • Martha and Brian were long time county employees and they were also active with the SEMO fair.

    come to think of it alot of good people went through the county system...

    -- Posted by Airborne 95B on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 2:11 PM
  • Come to think of it how about these folks: Lt.col. Jack Grisham missouri histroy teacher, Mrs. Edwards earth scince teacher and her mom Mrs. Langdon who taught at Schults. Some of the teachers at Jefferson: Mrs. fox, Mrs. Palsgrove and my all time favorite Mrs. Sellener. There are more but, I have to stop somewhere.

    -- Posted by Airborne 95B on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 2:29 PM
  • Buying two new pair of Toughskin jeans at the old Sears before school started. We also used to get our family pictures taken there for several years.

    Godfather's Pizza on a Saturday night. Waiting an hour or more for that wonderful pie! Devouring it like a hog, and eating the leftovers cold on Sunday morning.

    Cruising Broadway in Jr's '67 CJ-5.

    The old mall theater. On holiday weekends we would pay for the early show on Friday afternoon, and by 10:00 pm we had seen every movie for the price of one. No wonder they aren't there anymore.

    Throwing crap off of the balcony at Burger King in the mall.

    Those Beatles tribute shows at Riverfest!

    Sitting on the wagon at McDonalds for my best friend's 6th birthday party.

    Showbiz Pizza.

    The Goldmine.

    Keys' Music. As a musician, I always bought my equipment there. Alan Palermo was a whiz at fixing all the gear I messed up. Ms. Keys was the nicest once she warmed up to you. I even sat in on a couple of impromptu jams with her and Alan - she played a mean gut-bucket boogie woogie! We always joked that the guitars at Keys' had necks that were 6" longer than any others because they had hung on the wall for so long.

    Star Gas - first place in Cape with .50 32oz sodas, and you could squirt as much cherry and / or vanilla in them as you wanted to!

    -- Posted by Lumpy on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 2:37 PM
  • Yes, I remember the green eyes as well.

    TCBY, the best yogurt, boysenberry was my favorite.

    Lumpy, wasn't that Burger Chef???

    -- Posted by Turnip on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 2:55 PM
  • Oh, what about the Peanut Shack, I use to love to go there and get a couple dollars worth of those yummy almonds while cruisin' the mall. ☻

    -- Posted by Turnip on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 3:26 PM
  • Pfisters drive in on Broadway

    Choo-Choo Grill on Goodhope

    Moyers Cafe, and The Corner Tavern on Goodhope owned by Charlie Moyers

    Henny-Penny Drive-In on Independence

    Bill's Lounge owned by Bill Klaproth

    Polly's Pink Pony on the corner of Independence, and Kingshighway where Walgreens is now.

    Colonial Restaurant at the end of Broadway where the bank is.

    Wimpy's Drive In at the corner of Kingshighway, and Cape Rock Drive

    Griff's Burger Bar corner of Independence, and Sheridan

    Donut Drive-In on Independence

    Stubbs Pack-A-Snack on Independence

    Finney's Drug Store on Broadway

    Suedekum Hardware on Goodhope

    Bill Hampton's Bakery on Broadway

    Ueleke Hardware on Main Street

    Cape Hotel on the corner of Main, and Themis

    Ahh...the memories!!!!!!!

    -- Posted by Hookie98 on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 3:32 PM
  • Cape Central early 80's:raunchy rooters. Meg I think we know each other because a friend of mine's mom also owned the pink pony on independance.

    -- Posted by Airborne 95B on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 4:05 PM
  • Jim Pearl in Carbondale was the car dealer dressed like an Indian on horseback.

    -- Posted by slim_pickens on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 4:21 PM
  • Golden Dragon.

    -- Posted by slim_pickens on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 4:21 PM
  • The Pink Pony was on Independence, and is now The Recovery Room. Polly's Pink Pony was where Walgreens is now.

    -- Posted by Hookie98 on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 5:25 PM
  • Birdie had the Pink Pony on Independence. Before her Vernon, and Doris had it(I think).

    -- Posted by Hookie98 on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 5:27 PM
  • Turnip,

    Yeah, I meant Burger Chef. I been up since 1:00 am and feel like a fiend.

    Megalo,

    I don't remember that music store in the plaza. You still playing banjo? I do remember the Army Surplus on the other side of Keys' Music.

    I used to like to frequent the Record Store on Broadway. I bought an excellent copy of a step-by-step guide to the Rocky Horror Picture show, complete with an instruction book there once. I also scored a soundtrack to The Wall - not the original record, but the soundtrack to the movie.

    Rumors was a nice hangout for the teens for the five minutes that it was open.

    I guess Old Green Eyes doesn't get many visitors since Notre Dame moved west.

    How about Fun Flicks? They had a prime selection of cult classic videos.

    Was I the only one to ever witness the event that is Donkey Basketball?

    -- Posted by Lumpy on Thu, Jun 25, 2009, at 7:09 PM
  • Mega - I knew both Martha and Brian quite well. Worked all night with them when the tornado hit Sikeston manning the "Ham" radios relaying messages from the Cape County EOC.

    Glum - The KGMO Cape Girardeau Song?? Here you go...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viTgCADus2c

    Speaking of Radio Promotions...

    The Hiney Winery in Fruitland?

    Chicken Man

    Rush in the morning (Rusty Sharpe was the name he used) doing 500 different voices and constantly ribbing Mayor Tooke

    Pfisters!!!!!!!!!!

    Lums House of Ptomaine???

    Dr. Albers and the Trimester Modular System

    -- Posted by scottm52 on Sat, Jun 27, 2009, at 8:13 AM
  • the dairy castle was on north kingshighway where fireplace shop is now and super d was the drug store...there was a bridge from gas light trailer court to big star so old people could walk over....

    -- Posted by garfrank on Sat, Jun 27, 2009, at 10:00 AM
  • I think Big Star was the grocery store and Sherwin Williams paint was there too....

    And what about the "Princess" in the afternoons on KFVS.

    -- Posted by scottm52 on Sat, Jun 27, 2009, at 11:15 AM
  • Anybody remember Taco Lady restaurant on Independence back in the late 70's? GREAT mexican food! I can still remember how good the smothered burritos, and tacos were. Can't get that anywhere today :-(

    -- Posted by Hookie98 on Sat, Jun 27, 2009, at 12:06 PM
  • Some memories of mine

    A fountain in the middle of the mall. Why the hell did they take that out I'll never understand.

    Green Eyes also - I last remember seeing that two years ago, I've also heard it can no longer be seen.

    Jumping Frog on Broadway - This can still be seen, and I'm curious if anyone else remembers this.

    Something that I kinda remembered today actually. Where the SE Hospital's new parking garage sits did their used to be a Pizza Hut and eventually Chinese Resturant?

    -- Posted by Pappydh on Sat, Jun 27, 2009, at 11:47 PM
  • The old Pizza Hut you are referring to at Broadway and Perry used to be a Toyota dealership at one time. I do not remember Jumping Frog either.

    Here is another one of those unforgettable people: Gabby at the Purple Crackle

    -- Posted by travellin man on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, at 10:19 AM
  • Sometimes I do a general search for "Cape Girardeau" on EBay - some pretty neat items and photos/postcards from our past on there.

    IIRC, the SuperD drug store location was formerly the Ward's Big Star before they moved to the larger location adjacent?

    -- Posted by fxpwt on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, at 11:31 AM
  • It's actually called the Flying Frog. Its been awhile since I've done it. But if you go to the building directly across from the H&H building there should be a store with a black stone wall sticking out next to the door. Someone stands at the end of the wall with their back to the street. They have to stand with half their body behind the wall. Then another person stands at the end of the wall, facing the person and the street. The person then moves their right arm and leg like a frog and the reflection from the wall causes them to look like a flying frog. My mom should me this years ago, and said it was something showed to them when they were kids. Its a fun thing to show your kids and see yourself.

    -- Posted by Pappydh on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, at 11:58 AM
  • I forgot to say the person by the steet is the one moving their arms and legs.

    -- Posted by Pappydh on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, at 12:00 PM
  • Megal do you remember the big yellow quarter moon on top of the roof at Moon Liquor distributors on Kings Highway? When I was a kid,it looked so cool and majestic lit up at night. Later on when I went to SEMO, it inspired me to go to the Last Chance and the Pladium to get lit up at night too! And sometimes I turned yellow as well!

    KFVS hill before they changed the highway. When it snowed, it was a real challenge.

    The Dance Party show every Friday afternoon on that station in Kentucky. Kids from all of the local high schools would go there. It was like a local American Bandstand. The camera man would always focus on the hot chicks doing the Twist and the Monkey.

    For several years in a row when I was a youngster, Santa Claus would make his appearance at the Town Plaza by way of a helicopter. ( Or did I just imagine that years later after a long night at the Chance and the Pladium?)

    The aroma of the pop corn machine wafting down main street and the aroma of the fresh ground coffee at the Kroger store.

    The candy counter at Woolworth's and of course the toys at Otasco.

    I loved the Western Auto store to buy tube patches and glue for my bike tubes. Oh the smell of that special glue. (Maybe that's when I saw Santa and the helicopter. I just can't be sure.)

    And last but not least going to Rhodes Truck Stop for breakfast (after a night at the Chance and Pladium) Rhodes was the only 24 hour business of any kind in Cape Girardeau open 24 hours. Those waitresses deserved combat pay for what they had to endure with a bunch of lit up college kids.

    -- Posted by Thought Criminal on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, at 1:24 PM
  • Oh yeah, Cape Cut-Rate store on Broadway. They would sell beer to us with our fake I.D.'s. If we struck out there, we would go over the river to the Flying Saucer. Long as you were old enough to breath and had money, they would sell anything at the drive through window. Most of their help didn't have all of their front teeth and looked pretty freakish though so it was sorta like being in a Flying Saucer.

    -- Posted by Thought Criminal on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, at 1:33 PM
  • York Steak House was on the right as you come in the main entrance of the mall. I remember when my ex-husband took me there for my birthday, and they sang 'Happy Birthday' to me. I tried to slide under the table. Oh yeah, and they brought me a piece of 'Whoppie Cake'. Thats what they called it. It was chocolate cake covered with whip cream. Yum!

    Sbarro's Pizza was on the left as you came in the main entrance. I loved their pizzas, and calzones. Now you have to go to St. Louis to enjoy sbarro's. There are five in the St. Louis area unless you want to go to Lexington or Louiville, Ky.

    -- Posted by Hookie98 on Sun, Jun 28, 2009, at 8:39 PM
  • Now heres some trivia for you...

    Hookie and Megla -- This may shock you.

    "The Taco Lady" and Donna (of Donnas Music in the Town Plaza) are one and the same.

    She told me that while her husband was attempting to sell me a piano once.

    Thoni's Gas on S Kingshighway. Full Service and always a line as they were cheaper than anyone else around.

    The original Burger Chef was across from the Town Plaza. All steel and glass with a big awning to park your car under. I remember going there the day it opened. Wimpy's was better.

    -- Posted by scottm52 on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, at 5:55 AM
  • I worked at the mall's Burger Chef when it originally opened in 1981. That was about the time that hardees bought the company, however we stayed Burger Chef for several years after that.

    The Sabarro's place was first a little restaurant called the Corner Deli (I think) They had great sandwiches and $2 pitchers of beer. Spent my paycheck from Burger Chef there a few times

    -- Posted by travellin man on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, at 8:07 AM
  • My mom worked for Moon Dist. down on nash road. She use to bring home some of the greatest T-shirts. How about 905 beer?

    -- Posted by Airborne 95B on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, at 8:07 AM
  • OK- did any of you go to Kage's one room school house?

    -- Posted by Skeptic1 on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, at 9:48 AM
  • yes the old white school house on Kage rd before Kage becomes Old Hopper.

    -- Posted by Skeptic1 on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, at 12:11 PM
  • Kage school, a 1 room school house, was still used until 1966.

    -- Posted by Skeptic1 on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, at 12:14 PM
  • When my family moved to Cape in 1961, we stayed at the Marquette Hotel until we could move into our new home. We lived just north of Fischer's Market on North West End Blvd. As the moving van was unloading, Art Fischer appeared at our back door with a carton of ice cream to welcome us to town. We thought he was wonderful. We lived next door to his mother-in-law who was Ronnie Fishcer's grandmother. She was a doll. In those days, the edge of town was the corner of Kingshighway and Independence Street. My father's office (he worked for the Boy Scout's) was on Broadway just east of the Presbyterian Church. The Ten Mile Garden connected Cape to Jackson and the roses were just beautiful. I live in Florida now but there is not a town on earth like Cape Girardeau. The people are truly warm and friendly. You have a lot to be thankful for.

    -- Posted by FloridaMom on Mon, Jun 29, 2009, at 9:11 PM
  • Scottm52,

    Sorry, but you are wrong about Taco Lady that was in the 1600 block of Independence. June May was the owner. I started working there about three weeks after they opened, and worked there until they closed.

    -- Posted by Hookie98 on Tue, Jun 30, 2009, at 9:49 AM
  • Oh yeah, Thoni's ... went to fill up my car one Friday night(01-05-1973), and had my first bad car accident. I was waiting for the cars to go past so I could turn, and had my blinker on to turn when a car hit me from behind. Knocked my car from one side of the drive to the other. Good thing my wheels were straight or I would have hit oncoming traffic, and it could have been a lot worse. Turned out the guy that hit me was supposed to have been wearing glasses, but he wasn't, and didn't see me. Not to mention that he was speeding. I was ok that night, but the next morning I could not move. Mom had to help me get out of bed.

    -- Posted by Hookie98 on Tue, Jun 30, 2009, at 10:03 AM
  • Here is one that I almost forgot about........

    Mount Tabor Park. When I was a teenager a group of us went out there one night, and waited for the headless horseman. Then someone snuck up outside of the car, and banged on the side nearly scaring us to death.

    -- Posted by Hookie98 on Tue, Jun 30, 2009, at 8:40 PM
  • York Steakhouse was actually not just inside the main entrance but on the first corner on the left. A jewelry store was there the last I remember. Or did it take up the entire area? It was big I know that. I have a funny memory there. I was about to go in for a major surgery in Dec of 85 and mom took me there for my "last meal" for awhile. I got sauteed mushrooms and took the stem off one and wore the cap on my nose for most of the meal. Darn good steakhouse for mall fare.

    -- Posted by Granmammy on Wed, Jul 1, 2009, at 2:10 AM
  • You're right Me'Lange. The second entrance was across from Waldenbooks.

    -- Posted by Hookie98 on Wed, Jul 1, 2009, at 9:09 AM
  • Cape sucks now, hearing about these old shops and stories makes me wish we could go back to the old days.

    -- Posted by Cape's Advocate on Wed, Jul 1, 2009, at 9:48 AM
  • Cape was a diffrent place (for me anyway) back in the 70's. Being able to walk, ride your bike or skateboard anywhere in town. All the kids from the block getting together and walking to the park just to go to the pool. Having a paper route and mowing yards to make your own money. There are just to many memories both good and bad to talk about.

    -- Posted by Airborne 95B on Wed, Jul 1, 2009, at 10:09 AM
  • Meg, think back and how many of your crew had job's after school or mowed yards, hauled hay, etc. Now look at the kids you see at the mall. How many of them would even try to actually do some hard work.

    -- Posted by Airborne 95B on Wed, Jul 1, 2009, at 1:13 PM
  • Loved Yorks, also Lums-great hot dogs.

    Speaking of jobs, Mom and Dad made all of us get some type of job-starting at age 8-babysitting and cleaning house, boy, babysitting almost put me off ever having kids. I complained once about having to clean the bathroom and Dad said "No job is beneath a person, if you clean toilets-then be the best #@S% toilet cleaner there is." Dad had a business and he never asked his employees to do something that he wouldn't do himself. He had the cleanest restrooms in town. Most of my friends had some type of job and we all knew the value of hard work.No one expected a handout, we had too much pride. We worked for what we wanted. Wow, I sound just like my Mom and Dad.

    -- Posted by Smartblonde on Wed, Jul 1, 2009, at 5:34 PM
  • I use to make a killing during the holidays. I would have to make several trips back to my house just to drop off all of the goodies my customers would give me. With Cape being the way it is now "would a paperboy actually be able to walk his or her's route?"

    -- Posted by Airborne 95B on Thu, Jul 2, 2009, at 10:25 AM
  • Don McNeely in black and white with a crew cut standing in front of a black board with sun and cloud stickers on it for the weather report. The giant chicken that would come out during the "gristo" feed commercials.LOL

    -- Posted by Airborne 95B on Thu, Jul 2, 2009, at 10:28 AM
  • How about shopping downtown when downtown was flooded. They would sandbag all the stores so that the sidewalks were walkable. They would take you by row boat from Independence St. to Main St where there were steps to get over the sandbags. When you were finished shopping they would take you back to Independence St.

    -- Posted by retired1 on Thu, Jul 2, 2009, at 4:48 PM

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