Rye Gewalt writes: “This was forwarded to me by an old friend and I thought you might enjoy it. I grew up in Racine during that period so it resonates. I don\u2019t know who wrote it.”<\/p>\n
Author found! Thanks to Vyto Kapocius<\/a> and his Park High School classmates for this great collection of Racine memories.<\/p>\n Memories of Post-War Racine 1. Fourth of July Fireworks at Washington Park Golf Course and the swaying bridge crossing Root River<\/p>\n 2. Parades with Racine’s musical units — the Elks Band, Boy Scouts, Kilties and Boys of 76, Johnsons Wax Band, Park Board Band<\/p>\n 3. Sun bathing at North Beach during the day and bonfire beach parties at night<\/p>\n 4. Reggies Roller Rink at North Beach<\/p>\n 5. Swimming au natural at the quarry on Northwestern Avenue<\/p>\n 6. Rialto and Venetian, Uptown, Capitol, Crown, Badger, Main Street and Douglas Ave Theaters<\/p>\n 7. Radio station WRAC and Saturday Morning Teen Time Program<\/p>\n 8. Ethnic programs such as Peder Bachs Danish hour and the Kurier Polski Programma on WRJN<\/p>\n 9. Fibber McGee and Molly radio program (sponsored by S C Johnsons Wax) broadcast from Memorial Hall<\/p>\n 10. Downtown stores -Zahns, Fantles, Racine Dry Goods,(had elevators) and Penneys, Sears, Fish Furniture, Eitels, Thrifty Mac, Gosieskis Music, Lulevich Jewelry, Mezinis Photography, Ace Pool Hall, Thrifty Sandys (Very nice Lionel Train Store )<\/p>\n 11. Reflecting ponds on Monument Square<\/p>\n 12. A&W Root Beer stand and carhops on 12th Street<\/p>\n 13. Kewpies hamburgers for 25 cents and root beer for a nickel<\/p>\n 14. Dutch Maid ice cream shops on Wisconsin Ave and Washington Ave<\/p>\n 15. The Spot ice cream store at 11th and Herrick, Cho-Chos ice cream push-ups, Sammy ice cream bars<\/p>\n 16. Public Fruit Markets on Main, 6th Street and Washington Avenue<\/p>\n 17. Telephone numbers that began with Jackson and Prospect<\/p>\n 18. Operators who connected calls before dial phones<\/p>\n 19. Racine Zoo concerts by the Park Board Band on Sundays in the summer<\/p>\n 20. The UW-Racine Extension Center Student Union in Memorial Hall<\/p>\n 21. Post Prom Dances with big bands such as Stan Kenton and Count Basie<\/p>\n 22. Friday night dances with Jim Frosethas band at the Y at 4th and Wisconsin after high school football and basketball games<\/p>\n 23. Formal dances at South Hills Country Club<\/p>\n 24. North Shore Metroliners and the Chicago NorthWestern<\/p>\n (North Shore Electroliners plus North Western passenger trains, per Dennis Mayer)<\/p>\n 25. Interurban from Kenosha to Milwaukee operating along Wisconsin Ave., Main Street, State and Douglas<\/p>\n 26. Railway Express Agency delivery trucks<\/p>\n 27. Wind Point submarine races<\/p>\n 28. Perch fishing off the north or south piers<\/p>\n 29. Horlick Field football games on Saturdays between the four junior high schools-McKinley, Washington, Mitchell and Franklin<\/p>\n 30. Ice skating in the Park bowl and warming shed at end of Valley Drive<\/p>\n 31. Tobogganing at Washington Park, sledding down Chicago Street hill.<\/p>\n 32. Tennis courts behind Park High<\/p>\n 33. Park Center Swimming Pool<\/p>\n 34. Washington Park ski jump<\/p>\n 35. Pizza restaurants Charlies, Brushas (pencil sketches courtesy of Flint Morrison) and Natales<\/p>\n 36. All you can eat chicken at Kilbourn Gardens<\/p>\n 37. Scooping the loop down Main Street and turning around after the bridge at W. H. Pugh station<\/p>\n 38. The Three-mile Reef Lighthouse and harbor fog horns<\/p>\n 39. Blue suede shoes or bucks, charcoal trousers (pegged at 14 inches), pink shirt and blue sport coat<\/p>\n 40. Old Horlicks Dam\/ Horlicks Malted Milk plant<\/p>\n 41. Water tower along Chicago NorthWestern tracks at 9th Street<\/a><\/p>\n 42. Howell and Franklin Schools<\/p>\n 43. Friday night dances for junior high students at the Washington Park recreation center, admission 10 cents<\/p>\n 44. Two way traffic on Sixth and Seventh Streets<\/p>\n 45. Nash, Crosleys, Packards, Studebakers, Kaiser, Frazer, Hudsons, Plymouths, Metros, Edsels and fins on practically every car in the late 50s<\/p>\n 46. Old Abe Eagle atop a post at the J I Case Clausen Works<\/p>\n 47. Herrick Mansion, Herrick Avenue and Herrick Hill to Uptown<\/p>\n 48. Danish Beer Gardens and Chris, the bartender, on Four Mile Road<\/p>\n 49. Tony Rondonis bar with musical wine bottles<\/p>\n 50. Bricks on Washington Avenue, College Avenue<\/p>\n 51. Smelt fishing by lantern light off Herrick Ave. bridge<\/p>\n 52. Shadow of a nude from a tree near Villa<\/p>\n 53. Elks Lodge on 6th Street overlooking Lake Michigan<\/p>\n 54. Don Hutson’s Chevrolet dealership at the foot of 5th Street<\/p>\n 55. Coal boats unloading at Pughs dock<\/p>\n 56. Coal trucks and dusty coal bins in basements<\/p>\n 57. Horse drawn milk wagons from Progressive Dairy, also Mari Gold and Harmony dairies<\/p>\n 58. Student nurses dorm at the Bendstead Mansion across from East Park<\/p>\n 59. Pokornys Drug Store at 4th and Main<\/p>\n 60. Durango’s Pizza on Main Street and on High Street<\/p>\n 61. Journal Times paperboys<\/p>\n 62. Gen. Douglas MacArthurs speedy visit through Racine in 1952<\/p>\n 63. Wisconsin Highway 42 re-named to Highway 32, three lanes wide (passing lane was also called suicide lane.)<\/p>\n 64. Gasoline at 16 cents a gallon<\/p>\n 65. The cannon at Washington and 12th to keep the Danes in West Racine and the band shell for weekly concerts in the summer<\/p>\n 66. Horse drawn rag collectors going up and down alleys<\/p>\n 67. Garbage incinerator behind City Hall<\/p>\n 68. City dump on Lake Michigan at foot of 6th Street<\/p>\n 69. Police Headquarters on 3rd Street<\/p>\n 70. Natural gas storage tanks and coke factory on lake front<\/p>\n 71. The Egyptian mummy in the museum located in the court house<\/p>\n 72. Manufacturing jobs at Hamilton Beach Osters, Andis Clippers, Rainfair, Massey Harris (later Massey Fergusen), Young Radiator, Western Printing, Jacobsen, Belle City Malleable, Hamilton Beach, Haban Mfg., Gordon Machines, Hartman Mfg. Co., Dremel, Lakeside Malleable Castings Co., Racine Boiler and Tank, Jacobson-Lawn Mowers, Green Mfg, Modine Mfg, Walker Mfg plus many other smaller Companies that were taxed out.<\/p>\n 73. Saturday night Stock Car racing at Horlick Field (per Dennis Mayer)<\/p>\n You have to be older than 60 to remember many of these events and milestones!<\/p>\n
\nLate 1940s to Mid 1950s<\/strong><\/p>\n
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