Gone but not forgotten in Jacksonville! (University, Mayo: bankruptcy, theatre, high school)

[Sawtooth235]

I have recently returned to the Jax area after living the last 26 years in the mid-west. I also graduated from Sandalwood, but in 1975. Can you remember Sir Goony Golf? They built a shopping mall where the course used to be, but they saved the dinosaur statues and have been maintaining them (still orange and green). How about Mama's Tacos down near where Atlantic Blvd. ended at the ocean? Speaking of the beach, remember Hixon's Surf Shop? In the field behind where the A&P and Pic-N-Save used to be on Atlantic Blvd I used to ride my minibike. Now its an apartment complex of some sort. The woods around Sandalwood Jr/Sr High are now all developed and there are houses all the way around it.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Sawtooth235

The woods around Sandalwood Jr/Sr High are now all developed and there are houses all the way around it.

........and Huffman Road now connects to Alden Road (with a traffic circle!) and there's a new 15 acre city park on Huffman and a new shopping center going in at Huffman and Beach Blvd that looks pretty nice.........

[majormadmax]

Sawtooth

If I remember correctly, 1975 was the first class to graduate from Sandalwood, wasn't it? I believe my oldest sister was in that class.

I do remember the Pic-n-Save and A&P on Atlantic, near Jones College. They used to give out S&H Green Stamps at the latter, and since my Mom didn't collect them I would get one of the little books and lick and place them in myself. Never filled up a book though, ended up losing them long before that!

I wonder when Hixon's went under? Early 80s, I would guess. I believe there is a shop called 'Sun Dog' or something at that location now. And I do remember the Sir Goony Golf over off of Beach. There was an article in the FTU on the dinasour last year you can read here. Heck, I remember when Beach Blvd was practically nothing but pine trees from Southside Blvd to the beach.

And does anyone remember Henderson's just south of Craig Airport? It was a restaurant/bar similar to the 94th Aero Squadron restaurants in other parts of the country (we used to eat at one near the College Park Airport in Maryland). It had an old navy PBY aircraft in the back, and I believe they lost their liquor license due to under-aged drinkers being caught there on several occassions. I think they restaurant changed owners and names a few times before it was shut down;
GoogleMaps shows the building is still there but the aircraft is long gone.

And speaking of Craig Airport, I remember there was an Army National Guard unit there that flew Hueys and Cobra helicopters. They are also long gone, and my Mom tells me they are four-laning St Johns Bluff north of Atlantic.

I left in 1981 to join the USAF, and although I would live in Jax briefly on occassion, I never came back from more than a few months.

Cheers! M2

[Six Foot Three]

Originally Posted by majormadmax

OK, it appears I am the only one having fun with this, but what the heck!

Here's one more from the history books...the United States Football League's Jacksonville Bulls!

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/d/d9/JacksonvilleBulls.png (broken link)

I remember the Jax Bulls well as i loved that team back then . I went to their very first game ever when they played the Washington Federals in the GatorBowl and the score was Jax 55 Washington 14 as the G Bowl rocked.

I was stationed there in 1981-1985 at Mayport and loved some of the clubs back then. We went to Happy Jax Lounge (80's top 40/dance) at Neptune beach and who could forget Lynyrd Skinners bar right on the water with the live rock music and also the Homeport Lounge on Mayport rd (country western). I think also there was Bananas at Regency Square Mall too. I loved Jax back then as i had great memories of the city and the naval base and taking the city bus with my friends/shipmates to Regency Mall to watch Movies and hang out on the weekends... I'm getting homesick....lol...

[mocando]

OK… here are a few…
There was a pancake house on Beach Blvd. called Uncle Johns. It was just past the A&W Rootbeer, an oldstyle stay in your car and order kind of place.

Another restaurant was the Green Turtle on Phillips. And just up the road was Stricklands and one of my parent's favorites was Brewmasters (Good steak, Good cheer. Free wine. Free beer.) It burned down. It was near a bolwing alley that has beedn converted to storage or industrial. And just up the road from them at the corner of Phillips and University was a drive-in theater.

Mandarin had Joe Curry's. It was an old time grocery store at the corner of SR 13 and Mandarin Road. He also had a miniature train that you could take a ride through the organe groves on for 25¢. That was back when San Jose (State Road 13) was only two lanes.

There was a Krystal's across the street from Bishop Kenny (now Pulido's). Frangi's Italian restaurant where the Thrift Store now is on Atlantic just up the street from BK. And a bit later and right next door was JoAnn's Chili Bordello. A few miles up Beach, and past the aforementioned Uncle Johns and A&W, was Patti's Italian Restaurant.

Over in Brooklyn (I didn't even know it was called that until a few years back) was the Green Derby. I think the Blue Cross Blue Shield Building is there now.

Henderson's, sad to say. turned into a strip club.

The beach used to have a great boardwalk complete with a roller coaster and ferris wheel. Then, it became the "Blighted Area". BUT there were a few great bars to see live music like Jane's Addiction, The Meat Puppets, 10,000 Maniacs. Downtown had a few great music spots as well in Metropolis (live music almost every night) that became the Milk Bar (The Pixies. Limp Biscuit.)

As far as sports go. I recall the Jacksonville Sharks pro football before the Bulls. Although I did see a Bulls game with four Heisman trophy winners on the field at the same time. (Doug Flutie, Hereshell Walker, Steve Young & Jim Kelly). The Teamen won the ASL Championsip in 1983. The NASL had already failed.) And JU almost had a national championship in the early 70's when Artis Gilmore, Pembrook Borroughs, Chip Dublin, Rex Morgan and ??? started). I have a souvenir bat from the Jacksonville Tars Baseball team. Does ANYONE remember them?

The OLD Acosta Bridge.

When the Buckman Bridge was THE bridge to nowhere.

9A didn't exist. Nor did Flemming Island. Only farmers and and old Florida families lived off 210 on either side of I-95. It was Nine Mile Road, not International Golf Parkway. It was the GJO (Greater Jacksonville Open) not the TPC and it was played at Deerwood or Hidden Hills.

Gotta run… this has been fun!

[riveree]

Originally Posted by mocando

Only farmers and and old Florida families lived off 210 on either side of I-95. It was Nine Mile Road, not International Golf Parkway.

As far as I know, there still is a Nine Mile Road. It is just a small stretch of conservation now though .

I haven't driven down it in a while......I hope St. John's county still kept it as conservation ? That was the intent when the World Golf Village was being developed, due to the history of the road, a small piece was to be protected.

[majormadmax]

Anyone remember the Tom Bush VW "Super Rabbit" commercials, where he dressed up like a rabbit???

Cheers! M2

[mocando]

They were crazy, but not as bad as the Southern Brick & Stone commercials with Chicken Man, Dolph Agloff, in short pants waving a rubber chicker shouting "Leave me give it to you again!"

[majormadmax]

Holy cow, I had completely forgotten about those! What memories!

Cheers! M2

[noland123]

Does anyone remember Skipper Ed and his T.V. show(The Skipper Ed Show) on channel 12?He was quite a humanitarian.He died quite a few years ago.
Doe anybody remember Professor Backwards from Jacksonville,he could take any word that you gave him and spell it backwards.