Your Detroit Memories! (Flint, Sterling Heights, Dearborn: apartment complex, condo, townhouse)

[TNBTom]

Marshall Elementary School

Baseball in the streets, a rock for home plate and second base and the street sewers opposite each other for 1st and 3rd Base.

Walking to and from school

Flying Kites in the big field at the corner of Oakland and State Fair.

Unorganized football in the vacant lots.

Fire department turning the water onto a vacant lot in the winter to create a skating pond for the kids who could afford skates.

Leaving this area in 1941 and returning in 1945.

7th Grade at St Rita's Catholic School

Organized Football and Baseball

Becoming a delivery boy for the Detroit News - evening edition. A lot to learn.

[FiftyFiftyAboutCO]

Almost all my life there centered on Ford in Dearborn where I worked. I remember:

The cold winters. Hated them until I took up skiing at Mr. Brighton in January of '81 -- should have done it when I first moved there.

The rainy Aprils which were kinda neat and green.

The crazy country DJ on Detroit WDEE in the 70's. Forget his name.

Engineers I worked with taking me for rides on the Dearborn test track. Once was enough, actually. It was just another road after that.

Going to Grosse Isle and the foul air on the way.

The Bob-Lo Boat where I went on dates when I first moved to Michigan.

Football games at UofM when I dated an alumnus from there in the fall of '66.

My first apartment in Melvindale -- the scenic wonder city . It had great sound effects: 18-wheelers coming off I-94 down the street, then shifting gears at the stop light almost right under my bedroom -- just like living in the country, eh?

The slick roads after an ice storm.

The good ground-round burgers at the Oakwood Bar at Oakwood and Southfield during lunchtime.

The Joshua Doore (sp?) commercials -- "......you've got an uncle in the fur-ni-ture business......Joshua Doore, Joshua Doore!"

The '68 World Series, and celebrating when the Tigers won.

Seeing the winning Tigers go by the International Pancake House on Michigan near Telegraph as they headed to Tiger Stadium from Metro Airport.

My garden in Canton, and eating the fresh corn and tomatoes in August, then freezing the excess tomatoes for chili over the winter.

Coming home on the first blustery day in October to a crockpot of wonderful food and aromas.

Hines Drive.

Living at Riverbend Apts. in Westland and walking the trail along the woods every summer night in '72.

All the vehicles I owned when I lived there: 3 Mustangs, 2 Broncos, and the Escort I moved to Denver in.

The giant oak tree behind my house in Canton. They cut it down on 9-21-77 (my Dad's birthday) to build a subdivision. I cried for 3 days.

The salt on the roads which made undercoating necessary. Where I live now, nobody knows what undercoating is!

And last but definitely not least......the Apple Cider Mills in the fall with the leaves red and golden on a sunny day. I REALLY miss that!!!

[Nearborn]

Living at Riverbend Apts. in Westland and walking the trail along the woods every summer night in '72.

I have a friend that lives near there. If you walked through there now, you'd have West Nile virus by fall.....And there are almost as many gunshots coming out of the Riverbend Apts. area than there used to be around Herman Gardens. The Cider Mills I remember as a kid are so busy now you can barely get near them. They used to be "out in the country". Now they're in the middle of the suburbs. Especially the Franklin one. They have "events" there now like "smooth jazz" concerts with a guy on an electric piano and a rock climbing wall and inflatable bouncy things for kids. They had to ruin it! Next thing you know, they'll move the "Mystery Spot" from the Irish Hills to there.

[Blue Grass Fever]

Originally Posted by FiftyFiftyAboutCO

The crazy country DJ on Detroit WDEE in the 70's. Forget his name.



My first apartment in Melvindale -- the scenic wonder city . It had great sound effects: 18-wheelers coming off I-94 down the street, then shifting gears at the stop light almost right under my bedroom -- just like living in the country, eh?

The crazy-country DJ wasn't Howard Stern, was it?! I know he did a stint in Detroit for a country station at one time, but don't know the station nor the time-frame.

Where abouts in Melvindale? I take it was around where Allen Rd and Outer Drive intersect by possibly Thunderbowl?

[FiftyFiftyAboutCO]

Originally Posted by Blue Grass Fever

The crazy-country DJ wasn't Howard Stern, was it?! I know he did a stint in Detroit for a country station at one time, but don't know the station nor the time-frame.

Where abouts in Melvindale? I take it was around where Allen Rd and Outer Drive intersect by possibly Thunderbowl?

No, it wasn't Howard Stern. It really grinds me I can't think of that guy's name -- he was wild but not like Howard Stern. I never heard of Stern in my Detroit days.

Nope, the apt. in Melvindale was on Oakwood south of 94 and the railroad tracks. The place is still standing and doesn't look all that worse for wear after 40 years -- it was pretty new when I moved there. Rent was $130/month (!!) for a two-bedroom apt. I got a roommate and so was living dirt cheap. Course, my paycheck wasn't worth a hill 'a' beans then. I met my husband there -- he rented a one-bedroom in the same building. Even though the rules said "don't tack down any carpet", I went ahead and had carpeting installed in my living area. I figured I did them a favor and fully expected my security deposit back. No way. But my husband hounded them for a year with letters about it just to get on their nerves. Stupid 20-somethings we were...............

I know those apts are still there cause I recently did a Google map search with "streetview" - brought me right up to the front door, close enough to see the old street address number.

[FiftyFiftyAboutCO]

Deano Day, WDEE-AM morning ride show........found it on Google. Wish I'd taped some of his stuff just for the memories. I think he got fired for being too raunchy.

Another name you may recall was Dick Purtan on CKLW. I don't remember listening to him much.

[Nearborn]

I never listened to Purtan until I "turned into my dad" at around 40-something. Now I wonder how I could have been so stupid as to get any laughs out of the potty humor of some of the other stations. Drew and Mike come to mind.

Purtan is the classiest and probably the funniest white guy on Detroit radio. You can hear him on satellite or internet. Most of his cast are really funny too, but there is a little nepotism there. The LEAST funniest one is his daughter....

I think Howard Stern was on WWWW or "W4".

[maja]

Originally Posted by Nearborn

I never listened to Purtan until I "turned into my dad" at around 40-something. Now I wonder how I could have been so stupid as to get any laughs out of the potty humor of some of the other stations. Drew and Mike come to mind.

Purtan is the classiest and probably the funniest white guy on Detroit radio. You can hear him on satellite or internet. Most of his cast are really funny too, but there is a little nepotism there. The LEAST funniest one is his daughter....

I think Howard Stern was on WWWW or "W4".

Hey, I remember Dick Purtan. I went to a Rubber Ducky Derby contest he put on at Hart Plaza once. He was hilarious. Yeah, I remember he had something like 5 or 6 daughters. And there was a gal named Colleen Burcar on with him...don't imagine she's still around. He used to make great Prank phone calls...

[Maxine3]

Joanne Purtan (of 'Don't Waste Your Money' on WXYZTV) is one of his daughter's.

[maja]

Originally Posted by Nearborn

I have a friend that lives near there. If you walked through there now, you'd have West Nile virus by fall.....And there are almost as many gunshots coming out of the Riverbend Apts. area than there used to be around Herman Gardens. The Cider Mills I remember as a kid are so busy now you can barely get near them. They used to be "out in the country". Now they're in the middle of the suburbs. Especially the Franklin one. They have "events" there now like "smooth jazz" concerts with a guy on an electric piano and a rock climbing wall and inflatable bouncy things for kids. They had to ruin it! Next thing you know, they'll move the "Mystery Spot" from the Irish Hills to there.

How sad...