Tuesday, September 10, 2013

You Might Be From the Wichita Area If................


Today I heard......someone talking about Kellogg Street/Highway 54. They asked if there was always construction on it? I did a double take as I figured this person was either very young or a transplant from another city. I believe the latter was correct. Then I got to thinking......even though the majority of my life has been spent in a small town south of Wichita, I lived in Wichita long enough and worked and traveled to Wichita enough times....to know that there are certain things people from Wichita and the surrounding area just know. I thought I would share some of them. If you are from the area, check my work and tell me if I am right (cuz I will be!) and if you are new here or haven't visited the area....you just might learn something about our fair city.

You might be from the Wichita area if:

you know that Wichita's world wide claim to fame used to be.....that we were the breadbasket of the world (we grew lots of wheat) and the air capital of the world (we used to make lots of planes).

you know what the old Dockum's Drug Store lunch counter has to do with national history.

you remember when the Stockyards were open and had an amazing restaurant.

you remember when there was almost nothing north and east of Rock Road and 13th streets.

you know what the Nifty Nut House is.

you remember Louie the Clown at Joyland.

you ever skated at Joyland, Carousel, Skate East or Skate South.

you know what Steffan's was.

you ever dragged Douglas on a Friday or Saturday night.

you remember hanging out at Pogo's, Backstage, Bubba Rocks or the Flicker.

you ever went to a movie at the Meadowlark Drive-in.

you know what BTK stands for and it used to scare the bejeezers out of you.

you ever ate at Angelo's Italian Restaurant.

you remember shopping at Cricket Alley in the Harry Street Mall.

you remember the KAKE TV noon time show Kaleidoscope being shot at Towne East Mall.

you remember  Henry Harvey.

you watched Santa's Workshop daily from the day after Thanksgiving until his Christmas Eve take off .

you remember Major Astro.

you know who Blackbear Bosin is.

you have actually been to Cowtown.

you remember when the city zoo was at Riverside park.

you know what Vickeridge, Eastborough and College Hill are.

you remember David's.

you ever shopped at Hinkles, Henry's or Lewins.

you ever went to the Crest theater.

you remember Jim O'Donnell.

And finally......you might be from the Wichita area if................


you know that never ever in your lifetime will there NOT be construction on Kellogg.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

How about if you remember ever having to have a club card to enter or drink at anyplace serving anything more than 3.2 beer?

Anonymous said...

I got them all. I guess that I might be from the Wichita area! lol

Anonymous said...

What is a cowtown?

Pattie with a P said...

Cricket Alley? I haven't thought of that place in years. I used to love to go shopping there. It was kind of hippie chic store that always played the best music. I also loved Parrot fa Nalia. Oh what a great blast from the past.

Anonymous said...

Great memories. Thank you for posting this.

bardellisgirl said...

My Mom was born and raised in Witchita but moved when she was 13 to California with her Mom. I wish she was still on earth to ask her about these places. I really enjoy your blog and info about Witchita it gives me a glimpse what my mom grew up seeing. Her side of the family is all from that area.

Kathy Bauman said...

You forgot to mention - It's a BeaUtiful KAKELAND DAY Today....My friends and I still say that on pretty days even though we have lived for years in other states!!
(States that don't have Kake TV stations)
Otherwise, Yes, everything you said was RIGHT ON !!

Anonymous said...

Yes, I remember "Bill" saying "It's a beautiful day in KAKEland today" when he hosted the Little Racals at around noon.

Jay said...

God, I feel old. But, here are some more memories....
You might be from Wichita if you remember Joyland, that it had at one time a skating rink, mini golf course, and one fantastic pool....that I never got to use. (too little)
Yeah you are from Wichita if you remember when we had maybe over a dozen drive in theaters. I don't remember names. They all went away while I was growing up. Pawnee and Broadway (now a Walmart) Harry and Oliver (now a golf course) West Street (now Towne West) and the K42, a little one and one of the last to go...
I grew up on the west side, and when I was little, where I lived was pretty much the edge of town.
Westway and the cinema there, where Bill Warren got his start.He probably took my ticket or sold me popcorn, now he OWNS the movies in Wichita. The Safeway, David's Skaggs drug and Bleirs IGA there.
Pawnee Plaza Mall, before Walmart and after the drive in.
Seneca Square and the mall there. They had OTASCO there. And the anchor was Dillons, when it was a small and friendly store. There was also a TG&Y and McDonalds (clothes, not burgers)
Pierce's Thriftway on Meridian. I sold pop bottles I found for pocket change then.
The Gym store (not sure I got the spelling right) it is the Village Flea market now. The Gym store was gone by the early 70's but the building is still in use!
The Copper Cue at Seneca and 31st. A pool hall and arcade and my refuge from school assemblies, and yeah ok classes, sometimes at South High. It was demolished for a Dillons in the late 80's, I have always wondered what that building was originally....
The Harry Street Mall and the Mall cinema. I saw all the original Star Wars movies there. At the time the largest theater in Wichita. The original Star wars played there for over a year.
Giant, another department store near Oliver. Boeing or Spirit, whatever has it now.
McLeods and Ardans, speacialty stores that went away in the 80's.

The West Bank Stage and Save scenic McClean blvd.
The Omnisphere.


That bank building downtown. They used to show the time on a lightboard. I don't know when that stopped...

Jumping around in time here as more comes back...
The Wichita Aeros, The Wichita Wranglers...
The Wichita Wings!

Beech Aircraft and when that was pretty much the edge of the city.

Bob Getz and Jon Roe and the Wichita Beacon (paper delivered early evening)



The Poet (a woman molested as a child faked being stalked) second only to BTK in terror in Wichita. She later confessed. I hope she is better now.

Well, this has been a trip down memory lane. I'll come back again sometime.