What do you remember?

[billintulsa]

[]I grew up here in Tulsa, and as a child one of my fondest memories was the old downtown area.  I loved the hustle that downtown Tulsa once had.  The lights from the various theaters (family theaters at that) added to the overall excitement of a downtown scene which could have been the setting for a Thomas Kincaid painting.

Places like the old Rialto Theater, the Majestic; Kresses Department store and the like bring fond memories of a Tulsa which now exists only in my memories.

And who else remembers the old Continental Skating rink which used to be just west of Tracy Park on 11th street.  (When we were walking to the old Warehouse Market, my grandmother would wait while I peeked in through the windows to watch the kids roller skating.)

I would very much be interested to see what you guys remember way back "in the day."

[waterboy]

There were a couple of batting ranges. One I think where the Highway Patrol offices are now near I-44 and one at the fairgrounds. I remember it was before these ball return machines. A machine pitched real baseballs and you actually hit the ball into a large field and some poor SOB would have to drive a caged golf cart out to scoop them up and reload them. We always aimed for him. That was around 1969.

[ttown_jeff]

One of my most vivid memories comes from the Summer of 1968.  The Circle Theater at Lewis and First, had a summer matinee special that year. which enabled to go to the movies that summer.  My older brother and I walked from the Peoria and Independence area where we lived, to see the movie "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows."  It wasn't so much the movie as...the experience.

I remember the place was packed with kids and they  were making so much noise, it was impossible to hear (or see) the movie. It was so loud that the manager stopped the movie and made everyone be quiet. I remember he got up in front of the screen, and said something like "If you kids don't be quiet, I'm going to clear the theater and you won't be able to see the movie, and we won't be having these special events." or something like that.  I don't remember seeing one adult in the place.  The movie was really my first exposure to the strange and inconsistent times we were living in at the time - that I could understand, that is.

We actually went to movies all the time at the Circle, but that one hot day is the most memorable.  While I'm driving down memory lane, I also remember seeing "Willy Wonka" and "Concert for Bangladesh" at the Circle.

What a great memory - the Circle Theatre.

[Chicken Little]

Two words:

Der Wienerschnitzel.   []

[waterboy]

Typical day in 1962. Walk the 4 blocks up to Whittier Square to see "The Mysterions" for a quarter at the Circle. Swing by the TG&Y on the way back and buy Lik-m-aid, pixie sticks and penny candies. Go to Otasco and look at stuff for our bikes that we couldn't afford. Stop to have cool water drip on our heads from the office air-conditioners. Flag down the street vendor at 3rd & Lewis for tamales at a dime each. Go home and watch Bonanza, Combat and Cheyenne on the b/w tv. Life was good.

[pmcalk]

Even though I grew up in Tulsa, and have lots of memories around Tulsa, I only have a few of downtown.  I was born in the sixties, and as far back as I can remember, downtown was dying.  I remember my dad taking us to the train station downtown--it was deserted, and falling apart.  But we wandered through it (don't know if we were suppose to). We walked out onto the train tracks, and watched the freight trains moving along.  I was probably 5 or 6.  One of the engineers saw us with my dad, and let my sister and me onto the engine to see how the train worked.  I remember being terrified--the train was bigger than a building in my mind.

I also remember as a child going to the Tulsa Club with my grandfather.  I loved the elevators--they still had elevator operators, and they sometimes let you help run them.  They also had the best little round donuts--pure grease and sugar.

My strongest memories of downtown, though, are from the late 70's & 80's, when the city tore down building after building to establish the Williams Center--which was suppose to bring back downtown.  I spent so many Friday nights there at the skating rink--it was the place to be for a while.  I don't know when kids stopped going there.  Obviously, it did not bring back downtown.  But I am still hopeful that something will.

[billintulsa]

Wow!  You guys are really churning up some great memories.

I had completley forgotton about the Der Weinerschnitzels.  It's a shame they are no longer.

Also, the Circle Theatre was brought up.  Anyone else remember the Delman at 15th and Lewis?  It was a great theatre, too.

Also, does anyone else remember visiting Lakeside Amusement park?  It was located next to Mohawk Zoo.  (At the time Lakeside was open, the Zoo rented Paddle Boats which you could ide up and down the creek around the Zoo's north entrance.)

[tulsa1603]

I'm not old enough to remember a lot of things, most of my memories are from early to mid-80's.  I do remember going to Williams Center Forum and ice skating.  As a 7 year old, I was so impressed.  I felt like I lived in this huge city because I got to ice skate at a skyscraper!  I remember when going to Woodland Hills was a pain, because 169 didn't come close to 71st street.  I also remember Woodland Hills being awash in stained wood trim and dark brown tile - before the remodel.  A lot of my memories are of Owasso, since it's where I grew up:  I remember living in Owasso when there were less than 6000 residents; when the intersection of 169 and 86th St. was a stoplight, and 86th was a two lane road. My parents loved Owasso, because it wasn't crowded, all the houses seemed to be on an acre or more.  For anyone familiar with Owasso at all, I remember when Dover Pond was being developed, back around 1986 or so, and it promised houses "from $160,000".  My dad said "no one will ever build a house that expensive in Owasso!"  I remember when the building Owasso's Reasor's is in was a K-Mart (people never believe me when I tell them that one, but it's true)  I remember when Eastland Mall was the new mall and people actually went to it.

[swake]

As a small kid, my memories of Tulsa were coming to visit here, my grandparents lived in Tulsa and I thought it was really the big city, much bigger than my hometown because of all the tall buildings, I remember walking downtown going to the bank and to Sears going to the toy department and getting to buy something. I don't even have any idea where Sears was downtown now.

My hometown then by the way was DC, where tall buildings are not allowed. The cool thing as a kid growing up there was seeing the big holes that were dug downtown as the subway was built. But to a eight year old boy the bigger city was the one with tall buildings, not the one with a football team and the Smithsonian that my family would take to every weekend.

[billintulsa]

quote:Originally posted by ttown_jeff

One of my most vivid memories comes from the Summer of 1968.  The Circle Theater at Lewis and First, had a summer matinee special that year. which enabled to go to the movies that summer.  My older brother and I walked from the Peoria and Independence area where we lived, to see the movie "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows."  It wasn't so much the movie as...the experience.

As a side note, the last time my mother EVER saw a movie in a theatre was at the Circle.  That is where she saw "The 10 Commandments" by Cecil B. DeMille.  (Opening night, no less.)  Since then, she has never set foot inside a theatre . . . until . . .

Shortly after its release, I took mom on her birthday to see "The Passion of the Christ."  I did prepare her on movie violence, so she was somewhat prepared to see the graphic scenes, but imagine her surprise as to the quality.  She had never watched a movie in stereo----let alone surround sound!!!   I never will forget in the first scene, mom whispered to me a complaint about all the bugs which were in the theatre.  It took a few minutes for me to figure out what she was talking about, and then I had to tell her what surround sound was and that she was hearing the crickets which were in the scene of the movie.

Ain't science wonderful?[]

[waterboy]

quote:Originally posted by billintulsa



Also, the Circle Theatre was brought up.  Anyone else remember the Delman at 15th and Lewis?  It was a great theatre, too.

Also, does anyone else remember visiting Lakeside Amusement park?  It was located next to Mohawk Zoo.  (At the time Lakeside was open, the Zoo rented Paddle Boats which you could ide up and down the creek around the Zoo's north entrance.)

We considered the Delman and the Will Rogers as suburban theatres! There was a cool men's store across the street in a strip center called Exodus. Barely remember Lakeside, but the paddle boats were there till the early seventies. Did you ever go south to Skyline Fun Spot? Great coaster. Downtown had a Crown drugstore that was popular.

[billintulsa]

quote:Originally posted by waterboy

quote:Originally posted by billintulsa



Also, the Circle Theatre was brought up.  Anyone else remember the Delman at 15th and Lewis?  It was a great theatre, too.

Also, does anyone else remember visiting Lakeside Amusement park?  It was located next to Mohawk Zoo.  (At the time Lakeside was open, the Zoo rented Paddle Boats which you could ide up and down the creek around the Zoo's north entrance.)

We considered the Delman and the Will Rogers as suburban theatres! There was a cool men's store across the street in a strip center called Exodus. Barely remember Lakeside, but the paddle boats were there till the early seventies. Did you ever go south to Skyline Fun Spot? Great coaster. Downtown had a Crown drugstore that was popular.

I can't say that I ever went to the Skyline, but I do remember the drugstore you're talking about.

[TulsaTV]

Tulsa Drive-In Theatres:

http://tulsatvmemories.com/drivein.html

[Porky]

quote:Originally posted by Chicken Little

Two words:

Der Wienerschnitzel.   []

Yep, went good after being at The Stables down the street. []

[RecycleMichael]

I loved the Will Rogers Theater. We would stand in line on Saturday mornings with 6 packs of Pepsi bottles that we would redeem for admission to the movies .

No wonder I like recycling.