Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..
Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Like lots of kids, I grew up in the rural area surrounding Jacksonville, but we “country kids” felt as much attachment to the city proper as the “townies.” Jacksonville was not only our education destination, but it was the hub of our shopping and a considerable part of our social interactions and job opportunities.
One of my favorite memories of growing up here was the weekly trip to downtown. Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, a good portion of the retail shops were still located downtown on the few blocks along Commerce, Main, Bolton, and Ragsdale Streets. On a Saturday, the atmosphere was downright festive with shoppers crowding the sidewalks, going in and out of stores or clustered underneath the awnings catching up on the latest news. To find a “park” (our term for parking space) was a challenge, and then you had to feed the parking meters. Usually a nickel would buy you enough time to do your business, but sometimes Mama would send me out to put in an extra penny. Few locked their cars back then…you didn’t need to. If it was hot and you were fortunate to have air-conditioning in your car (it was optional, not standard like it is now), you could leave your car running while you dashed into a store to run an errand.
People dressed up to go to town. Ladies wore dresses or nice pantsuits, kids wore their good clothes (rips and tears were not fashionable then), and it was not uncommon to see men in suits and dress hats or pressed slacks and a tie. You went to shop and be seen – it was a social event as well as a practical one. The sights, sounds and smells I remember as vividly today as a half century ago: the sparkling display of silver and china at Lang’s Jewelry, the tantalizing smell of freshly popped popcorn wafting across downtown from Duke & Ayers, the sharply dressed mannequins adorning the windows of Beall’s, J.C. Penney’s and J. B. White’s department stores, the musty oily smell of Cherokee Hardware where there was a plethora of tools and odds and ends of all sorts, and over all of these floated the echo of the First Methodist Church bells that tolled the hour. At Christmas, piped carols rang out over downtown and brightly decorated windows added to the holiday shopping experience.
Sometimes, after spending several hours browsing and visiting, we would walk to Abell’s Pharmacy for lunch or a mid-afternoon treat. On the way, I loved passing the Barber Shop and seeing the twirling red, white, and blue barber pole. It reminded me of a living candy cane. Abell’s had a real old-fashioned soda fountain and lunch counter – complete with red vinyl topped metal stools and some booths off to the side. We would order a hamburger or grilled cheese or sometimes just a shake or scoops of ice cream. They made the sandwiches and burgers right behind the counter on an open grill. The shakes were made with a big metal machine with a large stainless steel tumbler that would hold the extra bit of shake after they filled a tall clear glass. Sometimes I shared the extra in the tumbler with Mama or my brother, Josh. It was served with a paper straw and a long-handled spoon. They were so thick and delicious…I’d give a C-note to taste an Abell’s vanilla shake again!
Before leaving town, we would usually stop by and see my sisters, Sherry and Melanie, who worked the candy counter at Duke & Ayers. Mama would give us a dime or a quarter to spend, and my brother and I would fill a small paper bag with bubblegum and anything else that struck our fancy. What we got for our dime or quarter would take several dollars to purchase now. When I think back and realize that world we enjoyed is long gone, it makes me a little sad that my children and grandchildren won’t experience the joys I remember, but I also know those memories can be an important part of the legacy I share with them…and hopefully, in the sharing, those wonderful places, sights, and sounds will live on to delight new generations.
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