Table of contents for July 2018 in Reminisce Extra

FAVORITE TOY Many of us remember the joy of falling asleep clutching a favorite stuffed animal. Others recall the anticipation and thrill of running home after school to ride bikes uphill and down. What was your favorite toy, and what made it so special? Label your story “Favorite Toy.” SKIRT LENGTHS Mini? Midi? Maxi? Women are constantly fiddling with their hemlines to conform to the fashion of the day. Share your favorite style and any changes you made to stretch your wardrobe past the fads. Label your story “Skirt Lengths.” BEST SCHOOL YEAR Sometimes it’s the teacher, sometimes it’s the subject matter, but invariably there’s one year that beats the rest. Tell us about yours. Label your story “Best School Year.” TV COMMERCIALS “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz.” If you finish…

Chubby Checker’s 1960 million-selling song “The Twist” faded away after a four-month run. Two years later, however, Checker’s dusty disc reappeared and, for the second time, hit No. 1 on Billboard’s list. The credit—or blame—for this unusual development goes to one very funky Manhattan dance joint. The Peppermint Lounge, located at 128 W. 45th St. in New York City, was a smoke-filled, Times Square-area club with a long mahogany bar in front and a small dance floor in back. Big Apple jet-setters, fueled by society columnist Igor Cassini, had begun packing the place once word spread that the dimly lit dive was now the social epicenter for trendy adult twisters. Seen gyrating amid the hoi polloi were such A-listers as Marilyn Monroe, Truman Capote, Greta Garbo, Norman Mailer and Judy…

I WAS 13 IN 1947 in Southside, Virginia, when I nursed a fledgling robin after it refused to stay in its nest. I filled a box on our screened porch with cut grass and pine needles. I named him Tweet-tweet, and soon he learned to recognize my high-pitched birdcall. I dug fresh worms from the garden and fed him until his feathers grew out. Before long, I took Tweet-tweet to the garden to scratch for worms on his own. He could now fly well, but my shoulder still served as a perch. I hoped that soon he would join his own kind. That day came in early fall, and Tweet-tweet was gone. The next spring, while I was working outside, a bird landed on my shoulder. It was Tweet-tweet. He…

Life was fairly normal for my family in spite of the fact that I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1962. My parents moved there because my father, Reve White, was a musician who played drums in a duo called Deuces Wild. My birth announcement even appeared in the July 7, 1962, edition of Fabulous Las Vegas Magazine. We lived in an apartment on the grounds of the Landmark Hotel at the time. Eventually, my father left the duo to sell patio furniture before opening a toy store in 1968 called the Toy Corral. It was on the corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard next to The Jackpot casino. He also sold souvenirs to gift shops on the Strip. Because he knew so many people in the…

There was no way that I could take her away from this elderly woman who badly needed Lady’s companionship. When I was growing up on the south side of Chicago in the 1950s, I had a pet collie named Lady. For nine years, Lady and I were inseparable and, at 14, I loved her with all my heart. She had uncanny intelligence and instinct. She’d saved my little brother Ricky’s life when he’d toddled into an alley just as a large truck was turning into the lane. Lady ran to Ricky and pinned him up against a fence until the truck passed. One day I went to do my paper route, leaving Lady in our yard as usual. Unfortunately, I forgot to lock the gate and she got out. When…

Central Florida in the 1950s and ’60s had many roadside attractions, including Marineland, Silver Springs and Cypress Gardens, but my favorite was Weeki Wachee, a theme park built around a freshwater spring in Hernando County. Seated in the auditorium, with its large picture windows that looked into the depths 16 feet below the surface, I was mesmerized by women dressed as mermaids performing underwater ballets. While submerged, the mermaids could eat a banana and drink from a soda bottle. For weeks after our visits, I’d practice the mermaids’ moves in our pool at home. I even learned to eat and drink underwater, too. I didn’t have to go far for help mastering the tricks. My father was Newton A. “Newt” Perry, who founded Weeki Wachee in 1947. Newt was an…

FROM THE TASTE OF HOME COLLECTION Aunt Frances’ Lemonade My sister and I spent a week each summer with our Aunt Frances, who always kept this thirst-quenching lemonade in a stoneware crock in the refrigerator. It makes a refreshing drink after a hot day of running around. DEBBIE REINHART • NEW CUMBERLAND, PA PREP: 15 min.• MAKES: 16 servings (1 gallon) 5 lemons (divided use) 5 limes (divided use) 5 oranges (divided use) 3 qt. water 11/2 to 2 cups sugar 1. Squeeze the juice from four each of the lemons, limes and oranges; pour into a gallon container. 2. Thinly slice the remaining fruit and set aside for garnish. Add water and sugar to juice; mix well. 3. Store in the refrigerator. Serve over ice…

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Water-themed parks and world’s fairs are where you go for excitement and alluring adventure. Campgrounds are places you visit to relax, kibbitz and barbecue with family, friends and folks nearby. We feature all three in this best-of-summer issue. Read about the origins and evolution of Weeki Wachee and Cypress Gardens in “Water Worlds,” beginning on page 36, and find yourself transported to the underwater world of mermaids or the exotic plantings at Florida’s original theme park. Now imagine a trip to a world’s fair. The next full World Expo takes place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2020. But this is Reminisce, so time travel with us instead, starting on page 48, back to when readers attended fairs much closer to home. Another summertime adventure is the family camping trip.…

Well, doggies! The Beverly Hillbillies debuted in 1962 and shot to the top of the Nielsen ratings after only three weeks. We bet you can still sing the theme song. What else do you remember about the clan? 1 Name the show’s theme song and three synonyms used in the song to describe oil. 2 The song ends with what invitation? 3 What did the Clampetts call the swimming pool? 4 What did Elly May affectionately call her pets? 5 What was Jethro’s last name and how was he related to Jed? 6 What was Granny’s relationship to Jed? 7 What was the name of Jed’s cranky banker? 8 What was the name of the banker’s stuffy secretary? 9 Who owned Duke and what kind of dog was he? 10…

During my last year of junior high school, in 1958, we moved to a neighborhood in East Flatbush/Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York. It was rough at first, but I finally made friends with a girl named Sarah and often visited her after school. After I made a few trips to her family’s apartment, Sarah asked me if I’d like to meet her friend Sidney, who lived in the building next door. I agreed, not thinking too much about it. A few days later I was at her home when she looked out her kitchen window and said, “He’s here.” “Who?” I asked. “Sidney,” she said. “Let’s go!” WE LOOKED AT ROMANCE DIFFERENTLY THEN, THAT’S FOR SURE. There he was, standing outside her window. What a macho guy, I thought. His dark,…

In the blink of an eye, the older generation passes on, and we become the grandparents, leaving us with a mountain of ephemera. Some of that memorabilia may include: Love letters Naturalization papers Military medals Photographs Recipes Family members often want copies to browse and cherish. But who should keep originals? The oldest child? A local repository, such as a genealogy society or museum? As items are distributed, even more generations may want copies. I recommend storing everything for free on familysearch.org. From the main FamilySearch page, access Memories to upload scanned documents, photos, stories and more; tag the items; and attach them to your ancestors’ pages. Family members from around the world may view and enjoy the documents. The site shares information publicly only about people with death dates.…

DAD ASKED HIS QUESTION as casually as possible. “Jill, do you want to go to the market?” It was hard for me to contain my excitement because I knew what he really meant. He was speaking to me in our code; a trip to the “market” translated as “ride a pony.” Dad and I had invented the code so my mother wouldn’t worry. As a nurse at one of the largest children’s hospitals in the country, Mom had seen so many young patients hurt in riding accidents that we knew she’d never agree to her daughter getting on a horse, let alone taking riding lessons. But my dad knew that riding a horse was all I lived for, and he encouraged it in tiny ways. On car drives, he’d pull…

STONEWARE CROCKS were a staple in Grandma’s kitchen. Made from clay fired at high temperatures, these utility containers are watertight and keep food hot or cold. The pottery gets its glossy finish from salt added to the kiln while firing. Before refrigeration, egg-shaped jugs, barrel-shaped watercoolers, and cylindrical butter and pickling crocks were among the most popular. To find stoneware pottery: Rowe Pottery, rowepottery.com Red Wing Stoneware, redwingstoneware.com Ohio Stoneware, ohiostoneware.com…

ARCHES, ZION, BRYCE We visited these national parks when we moved from California to Illinois. GRAND CANYON My son, 4, showed no sign of fear as he raced toward the trail’s edge. YOSEMITE Big and wild, this park revealed natural beauty around every turn. SHOSHONE NATIONAL FOREST When we couldn’t find a motel, we pitched the tent and made a campfire. Keep Reminisce coming every month! Subscribe today: REMINISCE.COM…

~ ACADEMY AWARDS ~ BEST MOTION PICTURE West Side Story BEST ACTOR Maximilian Schell, Judgment at Nuremberg BEST ACTRESS Sophia Loren, Two Women BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR George Chakiris, West Side Story BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Rita Moreno, West Side Story ~ TONY AWARDS ~ BEST PLAY Robert Bolt, A Man for All Seasons BEST MUSICAL How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ~ GRAMMY AWARDS ~ RECORD OF THE YEAR Tony Bennett, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” BEST FOLK RECORDING Peter, Paul and Mary, “If I Had a Hammer” BEST RHYTHM & BLUES RECORDING Ray Charles, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” BEST ROCK & ROLL RECORDING Bent Fabric, “Alley Cat” BEST NEW ARTIST Robert Goulet KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER Decidedly MASTERS GOLF TOURNAMENT Arnold Palmer…

For 30 years, from 1946 to 1976, my mom and dad, Louise and Bill Stone, owned and operated Stone’s By-Pass Grill in Springfield, Illinois. They bought a house on Route 66 and built the restaurant next door. The route bypassing downtown Springfield is also called North 31st Street or Dirksen Parkway. Pop modeled his hamburgers after those at Steak ’n Shake. He started with fresh hamburger formed into a ball, then he flattened it on the grill and seared it to perfection. When we were young, my two brothers and I helped out in the restaurant. My parents taught us to do dishes, wait on customers and peel potatoes for french fries. Larger potatoes were much easier to peel, so when it was my turn to tackle that particular chore,…

CLARA McCARTHY’s first job after graduation in 1950 was at Western & Southern Life Insurance Co. in Cincinnati, OH. She played third base for the company-sponsored baseball team, at left squatting in front of sisters Betty and Marian Hamlin, second row, and their sister-in-law Alma Hamlin. In 1953, Betty and Marian’s brother Frank Hamlin, now of Hernando, FL, came to watch. His eye caught Clara at third and soon they were dating. Clara and Frank married on Feb. 13, 1954. Clara died earlier this year after a 64-year marriage.…

MY SISTER EVELYN-JANE DAVIS BURGAY WAS BORN IN 1939 with many eye issues, including retinitis pigmentosa, a rare disorder that causes tunnel vision and for which there is no cure. Evie-Jane’s sight grew weaker until, while still a teenager, she became legally blind. She qualified for a guide dog, and that enabled her to complete college. While working at a school for the blind, Evie-Jane taught herself braille, and then pursued her dream to study law. Throughout her successful career, Evie-Jane worked with five dogs—Julie, Ena, Ava, Duchess and Dana. Each had her own personality and strengths. They were all true gifts, allowing my sister to live life to the fullest. Not only did they help her to get around all over the world, they were loyal companions. When in…

THE ONLY ANIMAL TO HOLD official rank in the Armed Forces, Sgt. Reckless, a chestnut mare of just 13 hands (41/2 feet to her shoulder), was a decorated combat veteran of the Korean War. First Lt. Eric Pedersen of the Fifth Marines bought her for $250 at a Seoul racetrack in October 1952 to carry ammo and other supplies in hilly, rough terrain. She saw combat after a month of intense training, which included learning to “hit the deck” (get down) while under attack and to stay calm amid concussive fire. Her most valiant performance came in March 1953 during the crucial defense of Outpost Vegas. The fight raging, Reckless hauled packs of ammo, each about 200 pounds, up a gruelling 45-degree slope. On the way back, she carried wounded…

Many of the exhibits at the 1964-’65 World’s Fair in Queens, New York, gave attendees a glimpse into the future. However, one exhibit took spectators into the distant past. Dinoland, sponsored by Sinclair Oil Corp., featured life-size replicas of nine dinosaurs, including Dino, a 70-foot-long version of Sinclair’s signature brontosaurus, plus a Tyrannosaurus rex and a triceratops. A year after the fair closed, Dinoland embarked on a multicity tour, stopping at the Northland Mall in Columbus, Ohio, 30 miles from my hometown of Stoutsville. My three brothers and I just had to see it.…

1948 CREATIVE CARICATURE San Francisco-based S&W brand, a pioneer in produce canning, cultivated a hip West Coast identity with Hollywood connections that were the envy of corporate America. This ad is the California company’s star power in action: It’s by Jacques Kapralik, an admired caricaturist who designed intricate miniature paper sculptures and collages for the movie industry, chiefly MGM. The Phil Harris–Alice Faye Show was an NBC radio hit in 1948. 1958 FUN IN THE SUN This Libby’s ad is aimed squarely at busy moms whose kids spend their summer days working up a thirst running from one naughty prank to another. The “frozen” beneath the bright red Libby’s logo is almost an afterthought—and why not? Who has time to wait for fresh-squeezed juice when there’s a baby…

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Years ago, when we were all boys, we spent hours along the two waterways that bordered our town. Lime Creek (now Winnebago) and the Shell Rock River came together south of town at a spot we called the cutoff. Many stories took place in the land between the rivers. This one was in 1948, when I was 10. Rodney, Lyle and I decided to go fishing on Lime Creek. We crossed the steel-span bridge and went east to an old wagon crossing overgrown with ragweed. We had corn knives, which were like machetes, to cut a path. We were almost at the river when my dog Pal ran down the path and into someone’s knife. She was cut above the eyes, bleeding badly and running in dazed circles. Rodney and…