Your Detroit Memories! (Livonia, Dearborn, Pontiac: to live in, shop, bus)

[rfetner66]

I've been in that house on Bayside and Ormond...alot of teenagers there and a boy I liked..LOL. That was in the early 80's. I babysat for the people next door a few times. My maiden name is Rigato, my dad is Jim. He was born in 43'. My moms maiden name is Phillips. My grandmother is Dorothy, she is very well known around Oakwood. She is still trying to fight the salt mine. My nona and nono lived at 400 S. Bayside. I spent most weekends there.

It's funny how you forget things until a name is mentioned like Major's. I really miss Oakwood.

[belbell777]

Originally Posted by rfetner66

I've been in that house on Bayside and Ormond...alot of teenagers there and a boy I liked..LOL. That was in the early 80's. I babysat for the people next door a few times. My maiden name is Rigato, my dad is Jim. He was born in 43'. My moms maiden name is Phillips. My grandmother is Dorothy, she is very well known around Oakwood. She is still trying to fight the salt mine. My nona and nono lived at 400 S. Bayside. I spent most weekends there.

It's funny how you forget things until a name is mentioned like Major's. I really miss Oakwood.

i knew Donald Rigato from hunter school. I know your gramother very well for years. I am chuck & rosie Schraders Nephew. Larry. tell your gram i said hi. she knew my mom also for years. my dad worked at the mine for 37 years. that yellow brick house at bayside & ormond used to be a candy store. nardinis owned it. Mario & eda. next to that was Alfeo & Wanda Nardini.

[ImissDetroit]

I grew up in Detroit and it was a great city to come of age in. If you could not find a job in Detroit during this time then you were probably unemployable. I loved roller skating at Northland on 8 Mile. White Castle hamburgers. I also remember all the drag racers that would meet at the White Castle on Livernois and Warren. Concerts at Olympia Stadium on Grand River and The Masonic Temple. The Pistons playing at Cobo Hall and getting Dave Bing and Bob Lanier's autographs after the games. Greater Mt. Tabor Church on W. Chicago. Going with my Dad to the Ethnic Festivals when they were held at a patch of land off of Michigan Ave near downtown before they moved to Hart Plaza. Edgewater Park and Cunningham's Drugstores. Hazel Park and DRC horse racing tracks (technically not Detroit but still a memory.) The Christmas carnival's that were held at Cobo Hall. Coleman Young. Going to the Eastern Market. Highland Applicance. Sonny Elliot. WCHB and WDRQ. The Electrifying Mojo on WGPR. Kronk Gym. A dance show called The Scene with Nat Morris as the host. Don Barden and Barden cable. Shopping at Hudson's and lunch at Kresge's. A bar called Flood's. The Lady on Van Dyke. 1300 Beaubien (I worked there.) My memories go on forever.

[minibrings]

Tiger Stadium to watch a Tigers game.
Pontiac Silverdome for a Lions game.
In Fall going to Franklin Cider Mill for cider and donuts.
Late nights at Lafayette Coney Dogs.
Spinach pie at greek diners.
Trappers Alley, before the casino.
Forcing friends on cold winter days to go to the DIA with me.
Finding obscure restaurants.. I once found a place called Chic Afrique for African food (long gone).
Spending weekends at the Lake Michigan shore.
Wandering around Belle Island
Hanging out with preppies on occassion, at preppy bars in GP and B'ham.
Taking courses at Cranbrook and realizing I was not a very good artist.
Summer concerts at the park in downtown Birmingham.
Shopping at Hudsons in Detroit when it was still open.
What was the name of that bar in Hamtramck -- Lillies?
Vernors.
Mackinac Pasties.
Cherries.

[tonyn1]

One of the most vivid memories of my childhood was going to the Fireman's Field Day at Tiger Stadium. One I remember in particular involved a stunt where a performer was dangling from the top of a pole with a strap that was clenched in his teeth when the strap broke and the poor man fell to his death. Does anybody else remember this? It was in the late 50s or in the 60s. Does anyone have a link to a news story on this?

[DMBrown11]

Great stroll down memory lane! Most of these were already mentioned, but here are some of my favorite memories:

Hudson's downtown - visiting Santa there as a kid and the place looked so magical

Towne Club pop and all the different flavors

Sanders ice cream counter - you could spin the wheel to see how much you would have to pay for an ice cream sundae; I remember only having to pay 2 cents one time!

6th grade class trip to Boblo

Belle Isle - feeding the deer from the car window, the aquarium, renting a canoe

Sir Graves Ghastly - I used to watch him every weekend... I remember he would show artwork sent in by area kids.. I used to draw pictures and send them in, but never got one on the show

Bozo the Clown - another one of my favorite shows, I used to have Bozo bed sheets

Detroit Zoo - remember this commercial
YouTube - Detroit Zoo Ad from the 80s

Also, not in Detroit, but Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor in Troy near Oakland Mall... They're still around in CA but I heard recently they're making a comeback and will open more locations around the country. Maybe they'll come back to Detroit

[praiZe]

The Olympia, Hockey, Ice Capades, Carnivals, Sanders Ice Cream w/a splash of Vernors, THE BEATLES MAYHEM on McGRAW in '64
Downtown Hudsons, shoot Downtown Detroit period.
Sitting on Santa's Lap (well I guess I still could ...... neva mind)
The State Fair
Ruckers Ice Cream (NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT THAT)
McGraw Elementary (Old & New)
Being able to laydown on Belle Isle w/o armor
Dot & Etta's on Friday Nights (Shrimp House)
20 Grand (I was too young to go but I remember it)
Motown & the Motown Revue
Crossing Grand Blvd and believing I was in another City (young & dumb)
The Rotunda & Christmas Parties thrown for FOMOCO employees
Hearing my Dad talk about the "OLD DAYS of DETROIT"
Robin Seymour & Swinging Time (Windsor)
Soupy Sales, Milky the Clown & Captain Kangaroo, Rita Bell & Bill Kennedy
Kick Ball & Baseball in the alleys
Saving my allowance to buy them '45's at Edwin Starr's Record Shoppe on 8
Sneaking by Edwin Starr's house on Ardmore
Skippin' school, gettin' busted and Doing it again (hard-headed)
Wearing Boy's gymshoes and w/4 pair of socks
Making up dance routines to J5,
not REALLY understanding what HOT FUN in the Summertime & SEX MACHINE were really about
Being BLACK & PROUD & on the GOOD FOOT at the SAME TIME
ANYTHING JAMES BROWN
'68 Tigers Win (and my daddy took me out of school)
Only having Channels 2, 4, 7 & 9 & sometimes 11 when it rained
Finally getting a UHF antenna and getting 4 more channels ( WHOO HOO)
When your next door neighbor gave a damn about you and saw everything you did while your parents were at work AND TOLD on you!
RED BARN STRAWBERRY SHAKES
TOP HAT HamBURGERS
Shopping at Northland before they enclosed the mall
Shoplifting at Northland before they enclosed the mall (I believe the statute of limitation has run out, besides hot pants are sooooo passe)
TOPPS at Green-8 Shopping Center
Hell....Green - 8 Shopping Center (what happened???)
Northland Drive IN Theatre - YESSS SIRRRRR
LUPE'S on Schaefer
Learning & MASTERING BID WHIST!
Faithful Harold at Stanley's Party store on 8

[ILWoods]

Belle Isle Zoo
Detroit Gran Prix when they drove in the City
The Jazz Festival
Woodward Ave before it became scary
That Irish bar near Greektown

forgot to add Sir Graves Ghastly. Bill Kennedy and the 1 o'clock movie

[ILWoods]

Originally Posted by Maxine3

You must be one tough cookie to surive Minneapolis winters
One didn't have to be very tough to survive the 1950's Detroit. I was a 1954Mackenzie grad.
We did have our moments, though.
I remember going to a Denby/Mackenzie basketball game where our star "Moose" was stabbed, in the Denby parking lot, after the game.
They used penknives in those day so he wasn't seriously hurt.
It was the one and only away game I ever went to.
Mackenzie is history now, as is Redford, which I attended for one semester.
My old grade school, Parker, is closed as well.
R.I.P Detroit.

My mom is a '56 grad. Her sister was a '53 or '54 grad.

[Maxine3]

Originally Posted by ILWoods

My mom is a '56 grad. Her sister was a '53 or '54 grad.

There were 3,000 lids at Mack in those days. There were 667 in my graduation class. On graduation day we finally heard all of their REAL names and who all of the seniors were.