A Trip down Memory Lane

We go to my old hometown of Hutchinson quite a bit to visit my mom. I always like the different ways that we come in to town as we did this past Saturday.

L came in S. Hutch and down by the old Sears store near the Courthouse. Then we took a turn on 4th street. I would point out stuff that was no longer there, or was housed by a different business.

For instance, I'd say, "That was a Pizza Hut." Now it's an insurance building, or "This builing was O'Mara Motors." We would drive a little ways and I would point out to the north "There was Sambos," now it's a Catholic outreach center. Then we would go to 4th and Plum. I would exclaim, "WHAT, they closed the church's fried chicken!!" Then I looked back and remembered when Katz (http://www.kclibrary.org/localhistory/exhibits/business/katz.htm) drug store was new to Hutch, as it was already in KC. Later it became Skaggs Discount, then it became Osco and has since closed. I pointed in the distance "There's where my mom used to do our laundry," it was called "The Giant Wash,"and now it's a Maytag store. I tell the kids that I could remember when there was a Sinclair station with the big green dinosaur in that area. Also off to the north there is a little white building and I used to get 10 cent vanilla ice cream cones. Then we drive on down and I continue to point out things such as the old Mammal Store (a family owned grocery store which tried to compete with Dillons); the old area where Dillons and Duckwalls used to be. Dillons moved across the street. The old Rexall drug store, where I can remember walking into picking up our pharmacy items. Taco Johns, which used to house Drummer Boy Hamburgers. Then pointed out over on the other side was the old Safeway Store (where we got some pretty interesting sticker books if we bought groceries for at least $25! That was hard to do back in my childhood!).

On down I point out that the Peel's supply house used to be Gibson's and that not far from there was Rex's Diner; Fairmont's restaurant and a Tastee Freeze.

Then I hear this groan from the back of the car, "You ALWAYS tell us this!! We KNOW already! And you know what WE DON'T CARE!"

I snicker as we turn on Pleasant Street and add, "This is where we went to get penny candy when I was a kid." There is no longer a building there however, only a driveway. Then we go down a few blocks and I add, "Oh yeah, this is where Randy got his head caught in a fence."

By this time S and J have had it with me. "WHO CARES?"

I just love telling them stuff just to see what kind of reaction I get!

Just wait until they are my age and they tell their kids the history of their hometown!! :)