Denver in the 1960s and 1970s (Memory Lane) (Aurora, Lakewood: appliances, big house)

[Kevin Preston]

Originally Posted by Fastway57

Ok, Where was your favorite 4th of July fireworks show?

I remember as a kid growing up in Bear Valley and watching the show from Pinehurst Country Club. And usally the Terrace Swim Club on Hampden and Lowell would have them but it was not as big as Pinehurst.

We lived in Pinecrest Village, to the north of Pinehurst beyond the golf course. We joined the "Club" in 1969 and went to every fireworks show. Their's was one of the best I have ever seen! I once got a tour of the "mortar" embankment on the side of the one hill. It was amazing, and this was before computers helped out...all fired mechanically with switches and such.

Do you remember they would set off a climax of fireworks that went on forever, then they would set ablaze this huge fireworks flag in red, white and blue? Man it was good.

I was taught how to swim at that club, would swim every day in the summer than hike across the golf course (with golfers yelling, that was 1/2 the fun) to my house. Build rockets in the basement in the afternoon, then hike back up beyond Pinehurst to those then-empty fields and shoot them off. Sometimes the golfers would stop their game to watch my rockets.

Now THAT was summer.

You must also remember the old Bear Valley "mall", or whatever you want to call it. My sister got her first job there, at Duckwalls, and the May D and F had a great toy floor and a little restaurant in it. Do you remember the "string sculpture" outside the indoor entrance of May D and F?

I went back a few years ago...the "mall" actually moved south, replaced by Home Depot and other stores, and its not really a mall anymore. We ate at Wyatt's cafeteria in there almost every week as a kid!

[Fastway57]

Bear Valley Lock and Key and Deco-Rate interiors are still going strong. My folks got all of their perscriptons at Hodels Pharmacy and Duckwalls has EVERYTHING. And do you remember the May D&F Auto repair?

[Kevin Preston]

Originally Posted by Fastway57

Bear Valley Lock and Key and Deco-Rate interiors are still going strong. My folks got all of their perscriptons at Hodels Pharmacy and Duckwalls has EVERYTHING. And do you remember the May D&F Auto repair?

Hmmm, the auto repair...was that perhaps across the way in the row of stores that formed the top part of a "T" if you will, east of the "mall"? Or perhaps a stand alone building? That sounds familiar. Was Hodels in that strip of stores too? I remember a drug store there that had a magazine rack that sold "Saga" magazines, we would sneak a look and thing they were so racy.

Here's something I can't remember. There was a supermarket right there. Cannot remember the name. My mom preferred the King Soopers, especially when they super sized it. But she would occasionally go to this other one. The name escapes me.

[Fastway57]

The May D&F repair was on the north side right off Dartmouth and it backed up to the Phillips 66 station that is now the Bradley station. The super market was Miller Superfoods. Yes and even had a Photomat booth in the parking lot at one time.

[Kevin Preston]

hmmmm, I dont remember Miller Superfoods...what was it before that??

[Kevin Preston]

Originally Posted by Fastway57

The May D&F repair was on the north side right off Dartmouth and it backed up to the Phillips 66 station that is now the Bradley station. The super market was Miller Superfoods. Yes and even had a Photomat booth in the parking lot at one time.

I remember the Fotomat, I believe it was on the Duckwalls side. I used to ride my bike there and drop off all my 8mm "experimental" films and pics from my Kodak Brownie and X-15 cameras, remember those?

[Fastway57]

The folks moved in to the neighborhood in spring of '65 and thats where they used to shop. It became a Cub foods for a short time after that. Then the Ace Hardware store moved in.

Do you remember the string sculpture had like an oil running down the strings.

[Kevin Preston]

Originally Posted by Fastway57

The folks moved in to the neighborhood in spring of '65 and thats where they used to shop. It became a Cub foods for a short time after that. Then the Ace Hardware store moved in.

Do you remember the string sculpture had like an oil running down the strings.

Yes I DO remember that. It was amazing, we were always trying to figure out how it worked. I have seen small oil string lamps with the same idea, but have never seen anything huge like that thing. Funny, it seemed so "normal" to me. I tell people about it now and they look at me like I am crazy.

After a number of years, they stopped running it. Then they took the strings out.

Do you remember that the candy store right near it would roll out the mechanical Mr. Taffy guy (I don't know if that was his name) and he was inside that glass booth on that crank with that big rope of white taffy on it?! Do you also remember the "candy department" in the May D and F, with the ladies in white dishing out chocolate covered peanuts, raisins, bridge mix and orange slices? During the period when space was everything, about 1967/8 I would say, the kids shoe department built this little enclosed platform off the wall made up to look like a spaceship. You went into it and there were pushbuttons on a console that lit up pictures of planets. There was like a throttle handle on the console, and when you pushed it, it made a whoooshing noise. That platform was there for a good year, then they got rid of it.

There was also Orange Julius, and 31 Flavors was at the end.

One time we rode our bikes THROUGH the place! Darn that little mall was fun.

[Kevin Preston]

Originally Posted by Fastway57

The folks moved in to the neighborhood in spring of '65 and thats where they used to shop. It became a Cub foods for a short time after that. Then the Ace Hardware store moved in.

Do you remember the string sculpture had like an oil running down the strings.

I finally found another Bear Valley thread! The grocery store when I knew it was Del Farms! I knew it was something like that...must have changed after your parents moved in. Also, this person talks about the string sculpture--go about 1/2 way down the page or search for Bear Valley.

Malls of America - Vintage photos of lost Shopping Malls of the '50s, '60s & '70s

[DOUBLE H]

I lived in Littleonfor many years andonly got to Bear Valley mall a handful of times. One time was a big purchase. Remember Team electronics? Bought my first stereo system there- a Pioneer QX-4000 4 channel Quad receiver. The store was right across the state from the mall. After buying the receiver I went to a cool little record store inside the mall called Spin-A-Disc. They had a good size selection. This was back in '72,