How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Glendale: commission, graduation)

[Dave Bob]

Unless my brain has started totally inventing memories, as a kid I watched an episode of the old Candid Camera TV show in the 1960s with a couple gags set at (then new) Thomas Mall.

Outside the north entrance by Diamonds, where there were some cacti, they put a guy in a fake saguaro who would startle unsuspecting shoppers by moving and talking. Yeah, a real side-splitter.

The other prank was set in the camera shop (was it a Wilson's??). I've totally forgotten what they were doing; the memorable thing was that one of the customers who walked in was none other than Barry Goldwater.

[Commander Max]

Originally Posted by Arcadia Camelback

Does anyone remember the "Bluebird of Happy News" and Elroy "Buzz" Towers in the early days of Channel 15? They had a contest for kids to draw their renditions of the imaginary helicopter way back when, and I won third place with my entry. I won a miniature "Channel 15 helicopter" model with solar-powered rotor blades, and I also got a free lunch at the awards banquet up at the Compass revolving restaurant atop the Hyatt in downtown Phoenix!

KNXV-TV - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I drove by Channel 15 not to long ago, there was a blue helicopter on the pad. I have no idea if it's any reference to the original Bluebird.

My earliest memories of 15 was ON tv. Reports of people spending hours trying to adjust their tv's to get a clear signal. ON tv would show adult programming late at night, you could hear everything. Plus you had a clear picture every now and then.

Speaking of helicopters, Jerry Foster made an appearance at my Junior High(Kyrene Junior High @ Warner and Kyrene). He landed on the athletic field. That had to be somewhere about 1980-81.

[David Wendell]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

A lot of really old neighborhood grocery stores always had a screen door to keep the flies out. A real collectible is the Rainbo Bakery metal push/pull signs on the screen door. Various push/pull signs like this were all over Phoenix in the 40's.
Attachment 94551

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Great door pushes! I remember the old neighborhood store had one. It was called The Model Cash Grocery Store and it was at 10th St and Mohave. We collected the porcelain ones years ago but we no longer have them. I do have one in the shape of a Coca-Cola bottle but it was a door pull. I do have an old embossed Rainbow push somewhere but it was painted and every bit of paint is gone.

[desertratz]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

A lot of really old neighborhood grocery stores always had a screen door to keep the flies out. A real collectible is the Rainbo Bakery metal push/pull signs on the screen door. Various push/pull signs like this were all over Phoenix in the 40's.
Attachment 94551

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I remember the old door pushes from a small market in Mesa ran by a Chinese family. They were Dr Pepper and Nehi.

[desertskies]

Originally Posted by AZNative1952

"
That's a neat old card. Very distinctive design on the house in the foreground. Must be from the early 1900s I guess.

Wonder what "No. Central Avenue" meant in those days? Van Buren, or way, way out at the edge of civilization, like McDowell!
Yes, what was "suburban" back then? Thomas?

My Dad told me that back in the 1930's he saw that there wasn't any farm road or blacktop past 44th Street and Thomas Rd heading east. He also told me about the "For Sale" signs in and around Camelback Mountain. Gee, we coulda been gazillion-aires......

There were farm roads with plenty of fields to drive by but it appears that Thomas wasn't blacktopped.
I'm wondering if anyone with any agriculture background could figure what fields may have growing from the looks of the pic (January 1930)...

[kirk nervig]

Originally Posted by desertskies

There were farm roads with plenty of fields to drive by but it appears that Thomas wasn't blacktopped.
I'm wondering if anyone with any agriculture background could figure what fields may have growing from the looks of the pic (January 1930)...

That's a great picture Desertskys. I live @ 21st st at Harvard. Do you have a photo of this area? My house was built in '48.

[1937Gal]

Originally Posted by trillcatz

I would go the Newberry's and Woolworth's on Saturday movie days in town...this was back in the early '60's.

My very first weekend job was working at the notions (sewing, etc) counter at Woolworth's. I was a junior in high school (1953/54) My Uncle attended PUHS and worked after school and weekends at Woolworths dressing the windows for street views...After graduating from ASU, he eventually became the assistant manager. They had those chutes that took the money upstairs, the cashier would seal the deal and send the tube with the change back to your station. I loved the lunch counter..oh those wonderful malts and shakes.. My Uncle stayed in touch with those lunch counter girls when they were well into their nineties and then one by one they passed away... Recently he passed away (in December) but he always remembered the years and years he worked at Woolworths. He quit Woolworths in 1965 but he was forever marked by his experiences as a Manager in many different states. As for me, I can STILL remember the name of the floor manager and how that poor woman had to corral all of those employees, especially giggly high school girls who thought she was so mean.

[1937Gal]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

I went to the Broadway pool only once. It was at 20th Ave. and Broadway. There was also a dance pavilion there. One reason the water was cold could be because there were salt cedar trees around it providing shade. The tiny pollen or flower spikes from the tree would fall into the pool and it was a real mess. There was also a life guard there named Phyllis with an hour glass figure that guys liked to stare at.

My main pools were Coronado and Encanto. Encanto was very cold because it was so big. I learned to swim at University Park.

My grandmother's house was just west of University Park and that is where I learned to swim as well. I can still visualize going into the pool through the building where you had to step under a shower...(coming in, going out)...and remember the old train that sat nearest to Van Buren?... I attended Murphy School and our 8th grade graduation party was held at Broadway Pool... As a teen I hung out at Encanto Park.

[trillcatz]

Originally Posted by AZNative1952

"
That's a neat old card. Very distinctive design on the house in the foreground. Must be from the early 1900s I guess.

Wonder what "No. Central Avenue" meant in those days? Van Buren, or way, way out at the edge of civilization, like McDowell!
Yes, what was "suburban" back then? Thomas?

My Dad told me that back in the 1930's he saw that there wasn't any farm road or blacktop past 44th Street and Thomas Rd heading east. He also told me about the "For Sale" signs in and around Camelback Mountain. Gee, we coulda been gazillion-aires......

I seem to remember nothing but fields and horse pastures on the north side of Thomas (80th-86th St.) in '60.

[trillcatz]

Originally Posted by 1937Gal

My very first weekend job was working at the notions (sewing, etc) counter at Woolworth's. I was a junior in high school (1953/54) My Uncle attended PUHS and worked after school and weekends at Woolworths dressing the windows for street views...After graduating from ASU, he eventually became the assistant manager. They had those chutes that took the money upstairs, the cashier would seal the deal and send the tube with the change back to your station. I loved the lunch counter..oh those wonderful malts and shakes.. My Uncle stayed in touch with those lunch counter girls when they were well into their nineties and then one by one they passed away... Recently he passed away (in December) but he always remembered the years and years he worked at Woolworths. He quit Woolworths in 1965 but he was forever marked by his experiences as a Manager in many different states. As for me, I can STILL remember the name of the floor manager and how that poor woman had to corral all of those employees, especially giggly high school girls who thought she was so mean.

Last weekend I had dinner at an 'old fashioned' diner...my companion and I were commenting on the age of the stools at the lunch counter. This place is truly a dinosaur but the food is fabulous. This little place opened in '59 and is still going strong...they are packed on Fri/Sat nights. It was great to enjoy a truly nice (not fancy) meal and an evening of nostalgia.