Southside OKC Memories....anyone?

[TeriOKC]

I LOVE the OKC Memories thread, and have so enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts and memories of our wonderful city!

My husband and I both grew up as "southsiders" but have since defected and moved north to satisfy our desire for an historic home. It doesn't hurt, either, that we are now each 5 and 7 minutes respectively from our jobs.

My husband's late father was a family practice physician on the southside and one of the founding doctors of what was once called South Community Hospital (since rechristened Integris Southwest).

I graduated high school in 1978 and my husband graduated in 1973 (Christian Heritage Academy and U.S. Grant)

Here are some "southside" memories that some of you may share:

- Al & Dub's drive in on SW 44th (the "Grant hangout"). This was really more in my older siblings' eras - the early 60's. I believe Wilkerson's was the "Capitol Hill hangout". In those days, it was kind of a "greasers vs. the socs"

- When the 14 Flags drive in was at the end of the world, or so it seemed?

- Crystal's Pizza after games.

- Cruising McDonald's and Sonic on SW 59th Street until all hours

- The Park Terrace Theatre (and El Rancho Sanchez, right next door)

- Parking lot carnivals at Reding Shopping Center (now the Integris SW parking lot)

- Christmas shopping at Sears at 44th and Western

- When Crossroads Mall was brand new and THE place to be!

- The tragic Sirloin Stockade murders. I remember a big Help Wanted sign going up in front of the restaurant a couple of weeks after the murders. it was a portable sign on the side of a large plastic steer

- The opening of the "Big TG&Y" as we called it at I-240 & Penn. I was there as a small child with my older sisters, when "Dandy" Don Meredith of the Dallas Cowboys was there signing autographs.

- The opening of Arlan's Department Store at 44th & S. Western. It later became Target. Debbie Reynolds was there with Agnes Moorehead of Bewitched fame. Debbie was married to Harry Karl, who was the owner of Arlan's. If I remember correctly, he went bankrupt.

- Shakey's Pizza at SW 56th & Western.

- "Northside" seemed like a different world. Anyone remembering venturing to drive down the "Twilight Zone" street? (Actually Carey Place in Gatewood).

- A certain "mansion" that the brave drove by somewhere out my Draper Lake and scared each other silly with urban legends.

I'm sure I'll think of more, and hope to hear more from some of you.

TeriOKC

[Dave Cook]

I thought the Southeast crowd hung out at 'The Spot' on Western?

[TeriOKC]

Yes, I think you're right. Back when my sisters were at U.S. Grant, I think that SE was really new---or maybe not even there yet?

As I remember it, both The Spot and Wilkerson's were considered "rough and tumble" at the time and Dub's was a little more sedate.

[sgt. pepper]

Are you guys talking about Southeast Highschool on Shields?

[Architect2010]

That was my mom's era! She went to Southeast when it first opened or when it was new, as did my aunts and uncles. Now I attend Southeast.

I know she used to work at that now defunt drive-in movie theatre at 59th and Santa Fe. She talks about shopping at Sears all the time when she was a kid. My mom has also told me of those murders that happened. Something about killing people and putting them in a freezer or so she says.

And yeah, the one on Shields.

[sgt. pepper]

Southeast was built in 1950. My mother also went to that school in 57, 58 as well as I late 70's early 80's. There was a pool ther on shields, but i can't recall the name of it, where we went a lot. Went to the pool and played at McCraken (sp?) and played in the creek there. We went to a very small TG&Y there at 44 & Shields, it was in the back of the building on the northwest corner. The Riviera is the name of that drive in. I remember watching The Green Slim there and getting scared to death. When we were able to ride our bikes a night, me and my cousin would ride our bikes to the Riviera, park across the street in that store parking lot and watch the R rated movies. Yep, those were the days. But i have to admitt, i don't know what "The Spot" is.

[FRISKY]

There was a pool on shields, but I can't recall the name of it, where we went a lot. I don't know what "The Spot" is.

The pool was Elmwood and The Spot was a hamburger joint.

[sgt. pepper]

Elmwood...that was a fun place. Where was The Spot? i don'r recall this place. There was a cafe right next door to the school that a lot of us ate lunch, is that it?
We always walked to DQ at 59th and Shields for lunch.

[David Pollard]

And the view of downtown all lit up from Capitol Hill. Remember the picture of downtown in Beverly's Chicken restuarant on, what, SW. 29th. It was a long time ago. I think I am going to cry! : )

[SoonerDave]

Grew up just north of 89th and east of Penn in the late 60's/early 70's, then moved over to Ranchwood Manor in the mid 70's. Went to Moore schools my entire "kid life."

14 Flags was cool if for no other reason than the incredibly loooooooong driveway you had to go down to get to the ticket booth. I actually have more vivid memories of Winchester Drive-In farther up on Western, which just started another spring/summer season a few months back. Wish there were some movies good/decent enough to take the kids to a drive-in.

TG&Y was up and running by the time I was old enough to remember running errands there, and that was pretty much a two or three times a week occurrence. Got prescriptions filled, bought 45RPM records there, got TV's, toys, and View Master reels there. It was an awesome place.

We shopped at Buchanan's at SW 89th and Penn, and that was back when that intersection was all-but the south end of town. And Crossroads, when it opened, was the most incredible place I'd ever seen. Orange Julius and "Le Mans" were beyond imagination. I still remember their opening jingle.

I remember the old "Dead Man's Curve," where eastbound I-240 turned into the HE Bailey southbound toward Tuttle, before they rebuilt that interchange to support what was originally called the "West Bypass," but later just became known as I-44.

Never went to Crystals until it was well past its heyday, and it was sad because what it had once been was so evident from the dilapidated fixtures and features that were still remaining when I did visit once, and that was on a double-date about 15 years ago. It closed not even a year later, I think.

I used to enjoy Service Merchandise, and I also remember Arlan's as the predecessor to Target at 44th. There was also a Humpty Dumpty grocery store in the space now occupied by Ace Hardware.

..man, get me started, and I could fill volumes...

-sd

[FRISKY]

That brings back some memories! I road my bicycle on S. Pennsylvania (back then it was a dirt road south of 89th) to go fishing at a couple ponds around 119th street. Later, we used to race cars in the TG&Y parking lot before they built the Sirloin Stockade (forever known as the site of the 1978 mass murders by Roger Stafford.) Sirloin Stockade murders

My friends and I used I-240 “74th expressway” to test our hotrods at speed. Back then, there was virtually no traffic after midnight, except the one night a lone car followed me up the onramp and accelerated at a comparable speed to mine until I pushed it well passed the legal speed limit. Turned out that solitary vehicle following me was a police car. They caught up to me when I slowed down to normal highway speed about Santa Fe.

Times were much different back then. The officer didn’t arrest me; he just took me home where I had to wake my folks and explain what I had been doing at 2am in-the-morning.

[bornhere]

I just vaguely remember the Spot.

[Prunepicker]

We used to go rabbit hunting at night down S.W. 104th, 119th & 134th between May and Meridian. My brother and I would take turns sitting on the hood of the car while dad drove.

Prunepicker

[Prunepicker]

The Spot was Capitol Hill's hang out. It was owned by Thurman Black.

Prunepicker

[fire121]

Family Fun Center @ SW 74 & Penn. I used to ride in the back of my brothers jacked up 68 Camaro cruising 59th and going there. I also grew up around 89th and Penn. Sacked groceries at Buchanans, car-hopped and cooked at A&W, but my first job was at Golf Acres SW 119. I spent many summer days riding bikes to the Southern Hills library at the shopping center with "The Big TG&Y". There was a "mean" lady there that did not like us hanging out in the toy section. I saw 101 Dalmations at the Park Terrace theater whatever year it came out.
Some of my favorites..............Zorros Tacos, Billies Tastee Freeze, Winchester Drive-In, Taco Bell next door to the "Y" on Penn, Der Dutchman on 240,..................

[soonerfever]

- The tragic Sirloin Stockade murders. I remember a big Help Wanted sign going up in front of the restaurant a couple of weeks after the murders. it was a portable sign on the side of a large plastic steer

Not trying to get off subject but where exactly was the resturant? I remember hearing the story but I never knew where it was.

[sgt. pepper]

was'nt it were Starbucks is now? Maybe a little to the east of there?

[SoonerGirl26]

was'nt it were Starbucks is now? Maybe a little to the east of there?

Yes, it was pretty much exactly where Starbucks is now. I used to live in the neighborhood right behind that area back then. I remember the night that happened, you could hear sirens for what seemed like hours and hundreds of them. At the time I thought something really BIG must be burning down. Finding out the next morning the horror of what really happened that night was much worse.

[SOONER8693]

That is correct. Four or five of those kids murdered were Moore high students. In those days, there was no Westmoore yet, and everybody that lived south of I-240 went to Moore high.

[CCOKC]

That is interesting to me. I have lived on the North side all my life so forgive my ignorance but what is the southernmost OKC public school?

[Prunepicker]

That is interesting to me. I have lived on the North side all my life so forgive my ignorance but what is the southernmost OKC public school?

I'm thinking it's Southern Hills elementary way out on South Kentucky. Webster is farther east but I don't think it's farther south.

Prunepicker

[soonerfever]

I was just glancing at OKCPS and Prunepicker is right. It looks like Southern Hills is the most southern OKC school.

[Prunepicker]

I was just glancing at OKCPS and Prunepicker is right. It looks like Southern Hills is the most southern OKC school.

Fairview is on SW 89th. How does that compare to Southern Hills.

Prunepicker

[soonerfever]

Fairview is on SW 89th. How does that compare to Southern Hills.

Prunepicker

According to both OKCPS and MoorePS fairview is part of the Moore School System.

[SOONER8693]

Correct, Fairview is a Moore Public School System school.