Memory lane, how many remember?

[samdiego]

Capt. Kangaroo told me i could run faster and jump higher with PFs and i was a believer. and you got prizes with them. who didn't need a whistle with a secret compartment in it? that might have been keds, I was always a sucker for the free prize thing

Edited August 29, 2009 by samdiego

[Harry P.]

Ever notice how everyone thinks that the time that they grew up in was "the best" time?

If you grew up in the 50s then that was the best of times... if you grew up in the 60s or 70s or 80s then that was the best of times.

I think it's just human nature to look back on our childhoods, no matter what the era, and remember that time as the "best." Everyone looks back fondly on their childhood, because it's a time we can never go back to... yet we want to remember it as the best time of our life. I grew up in the late 60s-early 70s ( born in Nov. 1956) and to me those times were the best, even though in reality they were very unsettling times for all... Vietnam, massive protests, assassination of JFK, RFK, MLK, rioting in the streets (parts of Chicago that burned to the ground in the late 60s are STILL not rebuilt!), Watergate, Kent State, etc. Very much a time of social unrest and turmoil...

[old low&slo]

Ever notice how everyone thinks that the time that they grew up in was "the best" time?

If you grew up in the 50s then that was the best of times... if you grew up in the 60s or 70s or 80s then that was the best of times.

I think it's just human nature to look back on our childhoods, no matter what the era, and remember that time as the "best." Everyone looks back fondly on their childhood, because it's a time we can never go back to... yet we want to remember it as the best time of our life. I grew up in the late 60s-early 70s ( born in Nov. 1956) and to me those times were the best, even though in reality they were very unsettling times for all... Vietnam, massive protests, assassination of JFK, RFK, MLK, rioting in the streets (parts of Chicago that burned to the ground in the late 60s are STILL not rebuilt!), Watergate, Kent State, etc. Very much a time of social unrest and turmoil...

hey you and I were born the same month and year. mines the 14th when yours ???

and yes I remember all that stuff too. they were some truly turbulent times.my mom taught art classes at kent state then. after the shooting they closed the campus and some of the students came to our house to finish the class. back then you could drink 3.2 beer at 18 in ohio.

so when we were like 15 we used to go to kent to the bars there with fake id's and they would let us in and to be honest I dont think they really cared either.

[Harry P.]

hey you and I were born the same month and year. mines the 14th when yours ???

Nov. 6

[Demon9115]

I remember the drug stores that had kits that's where i got my first one same as below.

Only thing i have left from it are the wheels and tires

Edited August 30, 2009 by Demon9115

[MrObsessive]

Capt. Kangaroo told me i could run faster and jump higher with PFs and i was a believer. and you got prizes with them. who didn't need a whistle with a secret compartment in it? that might have been keds, I was always a sucker for the free prize thing

I can still remember watching Johnny Quest in 1964-65 and he (as a cartoon) advertised PF Flyers!

That sure is a long lost name in sneakers! I can remember in the late '60's Tastykake's costing a dime, and our corner store sold bottles of coke for 12¢

I didn't start building models until '78, but I can remember them costing around $2.50 then------maybe two bucks on sale.

John F. Kennedy? I wouldn't remember him being shot (two years old as of November 1963) but I DO remember a lot of hubbub around our television sometime back then------people running in and out of our house and it would have been Thanksgiving time, so that must have been what was going on.

Back in '78 when I was a senior in high school, I worked at a McDonalds part time-----you could walk in with $3.00 where you and two of your friends could literally have a FEAST!

[Sixties Sam]

Well, I still feel like an old man, but apparently I have plenty of company on this forum! I remember the AMT annual kits costing $1.49, and some of the Trophy Series kits were $2.00 ("But Dad, you get two whole cars for $2.00!). I built hundreds of them over about a 12 year span. At one time I had 250 built models in my bedroom, and that didn't count the many I had burned or blown up! We all had burn barrels behind our houses, along the alley, and it was my job to burn the trash. I often burned a model car, doused with gas from the mower gas can. Yeah, stupid and dangerous, but fun!

Instead of a Sting Ray bike, I had a Ross Barracuda, which was the same style with 20"wheels, high bars, and banana seat. I put on a larger front sprocket and a longer chain so it would go faster. I repainted it with Dupli-Color paint in that light metallic green color that the 1967 Mustangs used, and painted red lines on the tire sidewalls. I thought it was soooo cool! It was mail ordered from the Spiegel catalog, and arrived by train at the railroad station just down the street from my house. They tore the tracks out in 1971, and I rode my Yamaha 125 Enduro motorcycle on the abandoned trackbeds. Those were indeed fun times for a kid like me!

Sam

Edited August 30, 2009 by Sixties Sam

[Harry P.]

Oh man! I remember the Sting-ray bikes! They were SO cool! But my friends and I never had one... they were too expensive for our parents. We could only drool over the "rich kids" and their Lemon Peelers and their Apple Krates with the front drum brakes and suspension! All we could do was take the handlebars and seats off our bikes and replace them with aftermarket "monkey bars," banana seats and sissy bars. Oh yeah... now we were cool!

I remember when my cousin got one of those stingray bikes with the loooong frame, the "drag slick" fat rear tire and the 5-speed "stick shift" shifter lever on the top tube. It was purple... Way cool!

[Crazy Ed]

Wow, What a Subject!

I "grew up" (ok some will dispute I ever grew up) in the North end of the San Fernando Valley from the early 50's 'till '67. My favorite Hobby Shop was on Polk Street just East of Glenoaks. Not only did they carry EVERY kind of Hobby related Kit you could imagine - 5 cent Balsawood Gliders to RC Airplane & Boat Kits. But they also had a Wood Multibin Case with Glass front Candy Counter where we learned about Sales Tax. If you had 25 cents and wanted to get a few gliders you get then 2 at a time or if you wanted Candy you asked for 14 cents worth, because when you hit 15 cents there was a penny sales tax and when you were washing cars or mowing lawns for 25 - 50 cents, a penny was a large percentage of your income!

Not only had 4 Hobby Shops within Bicycling distance, but also the San Fernando Drag Strip, where Free seats could be had on either Foothill Blvd. or if the Police didn't run you off on the North side of the Wash off of Glenoaks Blvd ("Grandstand Seats" because you were on the Starting Line - Ahh the smell of Burning Rubber).

Was it "All Good"?, No it never was and will never be. As an Elementary School kid we watched U-2's fly into Van Nays Airport along with Constellations. The U-2's were a reminder just why we were doing "Drop Drills" and why some of the Neighbors had Bomb Shelters. Polio was still effecting kids in school. I was in Art Class in Jr. High when J.F.K. was shot and one of the Few Times I ever had a "Winning Number" in a Drawing was the Lottery for the Draft (but I showed'em! I "dodged" the Draft and Joined - got my Draft Notice my 4th week of Basic Training).

Would I change a Day of My Life - No. I wouldn't be who I am without everyday that got me here.

Ed Erbeck Jr.

[my66s55]

This is my first posting to this forum. I'm like the 4 year old boy who never spoke. His family thought he was mute. One day at the dinner table he spoke up-please pass the potatoes. His father, in utter estonisment remarked - he speaks, why haven't you spoken before. The boy simply replied-I didn't have anything to say.

I remember all these things about this time period and more. Art is possibly 6 months older than I. At 7 years old in 1952, I had already built wood ships and bulsa/paper airplanes. I grew up in the northwest burbs of Detroit. Woodward ave area to be specific. In 1952, my Dad took me to the hobby shop in Royol Oak and I saw the Gowland & Gowland models. I had to have them. My allowence purchased about 10 of them over time. They sat on a curio shelf I my bedroom until I left home at 21. I had an uncle who would buy me models or promos for my birthday or Christmas. Mostly Revelle models. When AMT came out with their models in 1958, I built some. The last one I remember doing was a 1960 Edsel. Wish I still had it.

Being in the Detroit area, the automobile was a great part of our life. Someone's father was always taking us to a car showroom for the new models.

My parents bought our first tv in 1952. Before that, we went across the street to a neighbors to watch the test patern until Howdy Doody came on at 5 PM.

It was a great time to be alive. I am lucky to have lived in that time period and be in the heart of the area that was the Woodward cruise, Motown, Royal Pontiac and the auto industry.

By the way, root beer was .05 cents at the A&W stand.

[camaroman]

yes, I do. The Gibson's in Athens GA started out as Millers Dept Store, across from Beechwood Shopping Center, where Woolworths was. They opened a second Gibsons over on Hawthorne Ave. They carried LOTS of JoHan kits. They later changed the name to Big G.

I know of three Gibson's still in operation....no wait four, 2 in Macon, one in Griffin and one in Blue Ridge...all in Georgia.,

[LoneWolf15]

Holy Flashback !

Ya'll are killin' me ! Is'nt amazing how many of us had the same type of upbringing and childhoods. Bell's Drugstore , every Friday without fail , my allowance in one hand , my kid brother's in the other. I'd walk down there with my chore money to buy two Matchbox cars for a dollar, one for him , one for me ! Then came the Hot Wheels cars and of coarse , GI Joe , and all of his accessories .

It goes without saying that there were model kits involved too . Every birthday and every Christmas , without fail , there were always the latest AMT offerings all wrapped up . Bell's carried the latest issues for $1.49 , spray paint was 49 cents a can , bottled paint was 15 cents a piece. Huge train displays at the relatives home's during Christmas , both Lionel And HO. We had the world by the backside !

Hit 13 and the original Old Man's work ethic took over . I cut grass , taught swimming and diving classes at the local swimming pool ,washed cars and worked at a local pizza shop all the way through high school . Cruised the local Eat n Parks in my buddies 396 Chevelle , drove all weekend on $10 worth of gas . 3 of us bought a ' 55 Nomad wagon , 283 bored out to 301 , my buddie's brother still has the car , he bought it off us our senior year in high school . Drag races all over the country with my cousin and his friends. Pushing the local speed shop's rail out onto the strip , huffin' nitro the whole time.

Rolled my first car at 18 , 150 yards from the house dodging a drunk driver , it was Father's Day to boot ! There was'nt a part of that car that was'nt dinged , dented , torn or ripped open . How I survived it , only the Good Lord knows . First new car ' 76 Buick Regal Turqouise Edition , '60's in the back , ' 70's in the front , mounted on ET Diamond spokes . Next was the '77 Dodge Tradesman van. It was a bare box , when I got done with it , it was something to behold ! Bed , wall to wall carpeting , mood lights , crushed velvet cushions , leather captains chairs , etc. It had a 318 with 340 heads out of a 'Cuda , mild strip street cam , Tarantula high rise manifold with a 650 Holley. 50's in the back , 70's in the front , again, ET Diamond spokes . Star Fire Black metallic paint , you could shave in the reflection. Pop called it the whorehouse on wheels . I used to have to pick the girlfriends up in my beater , the parents would'nt let their daughters go out with me if I showed up in the van .

Marriage , daughters , divorce , now granddaughters . Back into the model cars for 8 years now. Even now , still willing to try anything new that tickles my fancy. Still crazed , albeit closet crazy now , have to set a good example right ? . Do I remember ? Hell Ya! I'd do it all again in half a heartbeat . You only go through this life once , it is not a dress rehearsel . Live it and love it , every single moment of it !

Harry , I still think Moses got a bum deal , I could swear that it was you that dropped the first set of tablets , not him !

The Old Man

[plasticbutcher]

I remember being able to buy a "moving-on" Kenworth and a can of paint at K-Mart and getting change back for a $5.00 bill. and paying $75.00 bucks for my first car and it was a daily driver, today that won't fill the gas tank on a pick-up truck.

Oh well back to old folks home for my Geritol HA-HA

[samdiego]

Here's to the Ohio contingency. Hot Summer days, the smell of the lakes, red-winged blackbirds buzzing, milkweed floating on the breeze. riding stingrays (I had an Iverson drag styled model) and minibikes to the swimming area, lawn mower engined go-karts, creeks, woods, corn fields, livestock, the smell of the freshly opened model. G.C. Murphy's, J.C. Penneys, Woolworth each had thousands of models stocked at a time.

I had the most idyllic upbringing you could ask for.

An interesting aside; you can still get Boy's Life magazine issues from the 60's on paybay, about $2-$4 ea. great model, bicycle and other ads for all the 60's icons

Edited August 30, 2009 by samdiego

[Harry P.]

Harry , I still think Moses got a bum deal , I could swear that it was you that dropped the first set of tablets , not him !

The Old Man

You're luck I DID drop one of 'em, otherwise you would of had 15 commandments, not just 10!

[george 53]

"THE LORD GOD JEHOVA HAS GIVIN ME THESE 15 COMMA...OOOPS.... THESE 10 COMMANDMENTS..."

Mel Brooks,History of the World,Pt.1

[RatRod]

Thanks to everyone who joined in with some excellent stories from days gone by, it's always fun, to go back in time, and remember where we've been, and what it was like when we were kids. It's funny, I can't remember where I just set my watch or wallet, but I never forget the past....lol.