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Hammond Indiana

Subject	Message	Replies
Any one from Hammond? Date: 09-20-2005 By: Hessvillian ( Topic#: 45 )	Is anyone on this board actually from hammond? I grew up there all my life and attended harding k-5. I actually have 2 friends that live on Cleveland St. one on either side of his house, and one is almost directly across the street. HMD IND - My Roots.	1318
New Kid on the Block Date: 11-27-2006 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 157 )	Hello, Everyone. My name is Tom, and I just found this place today. I have thoroughly enjoyed the posts I have read so far, and all the reminiscing going on here is ointment for my soul. I was born and raised in Hammond, and most of my childhood was spent on Woodward Avenue, two blocks east of Calumet Ave. and running for only one block between 165th Street and Cleveland Street. I'm a 1967 graduate of Hammond High School, and I look forward to our 40th class reunion, which is going to be held August 3rd thru August 5th, 2007. I have lived in Kentucky since 1973, and I sure do miss the Hammond that I remember from my childhood. I have been back to Hammond a few times in the last two years, but before then, it had been many, many years since I had been there. I was so sad to see what had become of the glorious downtown of the 1960's that I loved so dearly. I hope to do some big time reminiscing in here with others who share my love for the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Tom Hammond High Class of 1967	2
Downtown Hammond of the 1960's Date: 11-27-2006 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 158 )	I hope others will contribute to this thread with their own memories of Downtown, but I will start things off with this little essay that I wrote about it. My memories of Downtown are from the decade of the 60's, especially from my high school years, 1963-1967. Please, if you have fond memories of Downtown, share them here. Tom Downtown Hammond of the 1960's Downtown Hammond was a vibrant, happy place with an excellent variety of stores. Customers and store clerks engaged in friendly conversations as items were purchased. People were not in a hurry, because they were enjoying the shopping experience. There was a spirit of optimism among the people who worked and shopped downtown; going downtown was an uplifting experience. Downtown was big enough, and downtown was small enough. It was big enough to have a fine array of stores and many things to do, but it was small enough that one could feel comfortable there. Downtown was clean, and downtown was safe. It was a place that all were proud of. Without question, the very heart of downtown Hammond was the intersection of Hohman Avenue and Sibley Street. On the northwest corner of this intersection was Walgreen's, with Nagdeman's women's clothing store and the Parthenon Theatre on the north side of it. On the southwest corner and running the entire length of the west side of the 5200 block of Hohman was the Goldblatt's store. Across the street from Goldblatt's were FW Woolworth, Schiff Shoes, Rothschild's, and Jack Fox and Sons. The northeast corner of Hohman and Sibley was home to the Penny's store. The 400 block of State Street, the home of Minas's, was probably equally as prestigious as the 5200 block of Hohman. Minas's was the flagship establishment of that block, but there were other large stores as well. There were two theatres downtown, the Paramount and the Parthenon. Walgreen's and Woolworth's had lunch counters that served burgers, fries and fountain drinks. Downtown was much more than just a place to shop: it was a place where friends met to have lunch, or to take in a movie, or to just "hang out." It was a pleasant place to just walk around and "window shop," especially during the Christmas season, when all the city streets were adorned with decorations, and the store windows were alive with displays depicting scenes of the season. Some displays at Goldblatt's were even animated. It was so easy to feel the Christmas spirit when one walked around downtown Hammond, taking in all the decorations and displays with one's breath steaming and with one's cheeks turned a rosy red from the crisp winter air. The sounds of Christmas music and the ringing of the Salvation Army Santa Claus's bell filled the air, and one was surrounded by happy, smiling people doing their Christmas shopping. Downtown was a place where the teenagers cruised slowly in their cars with their windows rolled down on summer nights. The girls walking along the sidewalks would pretend to be offended when the boys in the passing cars whistled and whooped at them. During business hours, scores of people walked the busy sidewalks. There was something downtown for everyone, and one could see people of all ages stepping smartly along the sidewalks in front of the stores. The people walking through the downtown area were happy people. The stores stayed open until 9:00 PM on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. They closed at 5:00 PM the other nights, and, of course, the stores were closed on Sundays. The Parthenon Theatre kept different hours than did the stores, as one would expect, and showed a late movie beginning at 9:00 PM each night. The downtown stores were wonderlands, with aisle after aisle of merchandise attractively displayed. Friendly and knowledgeable clerks helped the customers with their selections. The toy departments were fantasylands and were almost too much for a little boy to handle. Shopping was a personal thing back in the fifties and the sixties, the glory days of Downtown that I recall. As a person walked through the revolving door at Minas's, he or she would be greeted with a friendly, genuine smile from the nearest Minas employee. In the summertime, passing through that revolving door would be like going through the Pearly Gates. One experienced immediate relief from the sweltering heat of the street, and in the soothing, cool air of the store was a heavenly scent that defied description. What was the source of those wonderful scents that wafted through the ancient department stores in those days? The Minas store had an elevator with an operator to get customers to the floor of their choice. The operator wore white gloves and always had a warm smile for her passengers. She would always be polite and professional in her demeanor. One always felt appreciated as a customer at the Edward C. Minas Store. Minas's carried quality merchandise and offered it at a fair price. One could find items cheaper at other stores, but he would be compromising on quality by buying them instead of the Minas merchandise. Whereas today we seem to shun personal contact when we buy things, even to the point of shopping on the Internet, back in the days when downtown Hammond flourished, people enjoyed the experience of interacting with the store clerks, the elevator operators, and even the parking lot attendants. Yes, even parking one's car would often involve human contact, depending on where one parked. Most places charged a reasonable fee for parking and had parking lot attendants to take in the money. Many people knew my dad because of his work as the superintendent of the parking garage and of the outdoor parking lot for the Edward C. Minas Company. Dad took his turns in the booths at the garage, and he met thousands of people as he collected their parking fees. Like the other Minas employees, Dad had a smile for the customer and always had time to chat a little. Customers were made to feel very special at Minas's: they were truly appreciated by all of the store's employees. Today we are only interested in buying things quickly, easily, and at the lowest possible price. We live in a Wal-Mart world. No wonder downtown Hammond died. My trip downtown on July 20, 2005, was one of the saddest experiences in my fifty-six years of life. The mighty and noble Goldblatt's building is gone. The Walgreen's building, Nagdeman's, and the Parthenon Theatre next to it are gone. The cherished Minas store is gone. The buildings that remain are only partially occupied, with many of the windows covered over. It seemed that at any moment I would begin to hear the whistling of the wind and the banging of shutters, while tumbleweeds scurried down the empty streets, as in the movie scenes of old western ghost towns. There is no more retailing in downtown Hammond. There are no more customers, no more clerks, and only an occasional pedestrian walking the once bustling streets. None of us ever dreamed that downtown Hammond would become the desolate, forlorn place that it is now. We loved our downtown, and we thought there would be no end to its glory. Some say that the traffic congestion due to the many railroad crossings and heavy train traffic is what killed downtown Hammond. People were tired of being caught by slow moving trains, they reason. Others say that the decline in the steel industry and the subsequent layoffs spelled the death of downtown Hammond. The opening of shopping malls in the outlying areas drew the customers away from downtown. Whatever their reasons, the shoppers preferred to shop in those malls rather than to go downtown, and so, downtown Hammond died. I hope that this brief story about my beloved downtown Hammond will make people realize what a wonderful place it was. Maybe in some way it will help us to hold dearly to things that we cherish and not be so quick to leave them behind. Our society is becoming more and more impersonal. The human interaction that was so much a part of life in downtown Hammond is all too rare these days. Hammond High Class of 1967	114
Any Ex-Edward C. Minas Company Employees? Date: 11-28-2006 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 160 )	I would love to hear from anyone who has a connection to the Edward C. Minas Company, whether they actually worked there themselves or had relatives who did. My Dad worked there for many years. He managed the parking lot and parking garage until he retired in 1978. Dad lost his left arm in a hunting accident when he was a teenager, and many people remembered Dad as "the one-armed man at Minas's Parking Garage." His name was Paul. Tom Hammond High Class of 1967	53
My neighborhood Date: 11-30-2006 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 161 )	My parents moved to 6432 Woodward Avenue with their six and a half year old son, yours truly, very late in 1955, and that is where I would spend the remainder of my childhood. Since I was so young when we moved there, virtually all of my childhood memories go back to Woodward Avenue. It was a wonderful place to grow up. The picture below was taken in June of 1956, during our first summer on Woodward Avenue after moving-in the previous November. That's yours truly sitting there holding my beagle puppy, Chappy. The lady on the porch with me is my mom. The house that is partially visible on the left was the Tonkovich's house, and the house to the right belonged to Mr. Henry Eades, the owner of Hammond Electric at the time, and his wife, Edna. The following picture is the way the house looked for most of the years that I lived there. Dad had the front porch enclosed with aluminum storm windows probably about 1959 or 1960. My neighborhood was in the shape of a right triangle. The vertical leg was Calumet Avenue on the west, and the horizontal leg was 165th Street on the south. The hypotenuse of this right triangle, which formed the northeastern boundary, was the set of Monon RR tracks running from northwest to southeast between Calumet Avenue and 165th Street. One of the streets included in my neighborhood was Crescent Place, which runs parallel to the Monon right-of-way (The tracks are gone now.). This is the site of the new Maywood School. The houses that were on the east side of Crescent Place when I was living in the neighborhood were torn down to make room for the school. Woodward Avenue was my street. It is only one block long, the 6400 block, and runs from 165th Street to Cleveland Street, with Crescent Place intersecting it at an angle at the northern end, near Cleveland St. Woodward runs parallel to Calumet Avenue and two blocks east of it. The next street to the west of Woodward was Euclid Avenue, which was only two blocks long, the 6300 and 6400 blocks. The next street west after Euclid was Calumet Avenue, whose 6300 and 6400 blocks were the western edge of the neighborhood. I was a frequent customer of Sweitzer's Bakery, located on the west side of the 6400 block of Calumet Avenue. The bakery was attached to Burgers Super Market on the corner of Calumet and Cleveland. I went there often to get my "fix" of chocolate brownies, which were covered with a thick layer of chocolate icing. The ladies who worked there called me the "Brownie Boy." Burger's moved to 165th and Columbia, and Sweitzer's either moved or just closed up entirely. Also on the west side of Calumet Avenue's 6400 block was Van's Barber Shop, where I usually went for my haircuts. Our next-door neighbors to the south were the Tonkovich's. You could not ask for better neighbors. Fritz and Stella were the parents, and they had six kids. Now the two oldest girls, Julia and Patsy, were out on their own and not living with their folks any more, but they were often over there for visits. Mickey, Sharon, David, and Kathy were there when I lived on Woodward. The Tonkovich's were fine people, and it was a joy to live next to them. I saw Fritz, Patsy, Sharon, and Kathy on my recent visit to Hammond. Stella had passed away, and I believe they said that she died in 1997. How sad that I let so many years go by with no contact with any of the Tonkovich's. It HAD to have been at least since 1977 or 1978 that I had seen or talked to any of them. Why do we let people whom we care about slip into our past with no attempt to maintain communication with them? Between the houses at the northern and eastern end of our neighborhood and the Monon tracks was a vacant field. Immediately behind the houses on Cleveland Street was an area where the neighborhood kids played sandlot football and baseball. There was an alley behind those houses, but there was also a little dirt road that ran parallel to the alley and a little further out into the field, and which tied-in with the alley at the eastern and western ends of the block. It was between the alley and that road that we played touch football, and this was also the "infield" for our baseball games. There was a big cottonwood tree in that field just to the east of our ball playing area, and some of the older kids in the neighborhood built a tree house in it. Jimmy and Pepper Rodda were the chief architects. Those boys lived at the end of Crescent Place, where it ties in with Woodward. Their old house was one of the ones torn down when Maywood School was built. Pepper was two years older than I, and Jimmy was a couple years older than Pepper. Another great attraction in that big field was the remnants of some kind of building. Only sections of the concrete floor and foundation remained from the building, and the soil had been dug out from under some of these sections. This was the perfect place to play army! The dug out areas served as cover from the withering fire brought to bear on us by the enemy and was a good place to care for the wounded. I miss those days of my youth in the fifties and sixties. Life was sweet, and I cherish my memories of Woodward Avenue. My dad worked hard and provided for our family, and my mom stayed home and kept house. I am so glad that my mom was home every day when I got home after school. I was blessed with a great set of parents, a wonderful home, and a terrific neighborhood to grow up in. God gave me an ideal childhood. Hammond High Class of 1967	20
Old Establishments that Are Still Operating Date: 12-01-2006 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 162 )	My first visit to the Region after Mom and Dad retired and moved down here to KY in 1978 was just a "drive thru" on my way to Chicago in 1993. I guess I didn't notice during that trip that the Blue Top Drive In was still operating. The next time I was in Hammond was in July of 2005, and that was when I went downtown and saw the sad state that it is in. I literally came close to tears. I don't remember noticing during that trip that Blue Top was still around, either. It was during my next visit, in November 2005, that I got the picture below of the Blue Top in all of its glory. Oh, how good it feels to know that The Blue Top is still around! I didn't have a car in high school, but my best friend had a 1966 GTO, and we spent many hours cruising around in that car. One of our stops was the Blue Top. It was "The Place" for hot cars to be shown off. That place was a hang out of mine 40 years ago, and it is STILL operating! Other places that are still around from my high school days are Mueller's Hardware downtown, the only retai establishment left there, House of Pizza on Indianapolis Blvd, and the Big Wheel Restaurant. I'm so glad they are still in business. Tom Hammond High Class of 1967	33
Maid-Rite's Date: 12-03-2006 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 164 )	As a Hammond High student, I spent many a lunch period at the Maid-Rite restaurant across the street and a block north of the school. I'm going to guess that many of the readers of this post also have fond memories of Maid-Rite's. I dearly loved those loose meat cheeseburgers they served. Those burgers, which consisted of that delicious loose meat concoction served on freshly steamed buns, the comraderie of fellow students, and that good old rock and roll music emanating from the juke box all contributed to the wonderful experience that lunch at Maid-Rite's truly was. I left Hammond in 1973, and I don't know when Maid-Rite's shut down, but it is very sad that they are no longer in business. I thought our Hammond Maid-Rite was the only Maid-Rite restaurant, but I learned only about a year and a half ago that there is a Maid-Rite franchise. I was overjoyed to learn this, and I called the franchise headquarters to find the location of the nearest Maid-Rite to my home in Kentucky. When I told the lady at the franchise office how much I enjoyed my lunches at the Hammond Maid-Rite during my high school days, she told me that there had never been an officially sanctioned Maid-Rite in Hammond. She said that our Maid-Rite must have been one of the many copy-cat establishments. Oh well, those were the best burgers I have ever had, whether our Maid-Rite was part of the franchise or not. The franchise changed hands several years ago, so maybe our Maid-Rite really was an official one under the prior franchise ownership? I learned that the nearest Maid-Rite to my home would be the one in Springfield, IL. This was very good news, because I go to a location within 30 miles of Springfield on business occasionally. I could hardly wait until my next trip up there! I got my chance this past summer. After waiting 39 years, I finally had some Maid-Rite cheeseburgers! They were delicious. Too much time had passed for me to remember exactly how they tasted during my high school days, but the burgers I had in Springfield certainly tasted like I thought they should. If you are passing anywhere near Springfield, IL, you owe it to yourself to go to the corner of N. Pasfield and Jefferson, right in the middle of town, and visit the Maid-Rite restaurant. Be advised, they close at 5:00 PM. The Springfield Maid-Rite is registered as a National Historic Place. It is purported to be the home of America's first fast food drive-thru, and it is located on historic Route 66. Give Sam Quaisi, the owner and operator, a call a couple days in advance, and he will freeze some of those burgers for you to take home with you. 217-523-0723. You can also call and place an order for frozen burgers to be shipped to you, but the shipping cost for overnight delivery makes the burgers very expensive. Below are some pictures I took during my Maid-Rite visit on June 20, 2006. Tom [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Maid%20Rite/WebP6200024.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Maid%20Rite/WebP6190004.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Maid%20Rite/WebP6190006.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Maid%20Rite/WebP6200017.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Maid%20Rite/WebP6200020.jpg[/IMG] Hammond High Class of 1967	2
Thank You, Jim! Date: 12-03-2006 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 166 )	Jim: Thank you very much for this new forum. I hope that we who once called Hammond home and those who still live there will post recollections of days gone by in our beloved town. Jim has given us this place to reminisce, and I hope we will take advantage of it. Once again, thank you, Jim. Tom Hammond High Class of 1967	2
Goldblatt & Minas Shopping +CPS in Woodmar Date: 12-06-2006 By: svea3 ( Topic#: 169 )	The whole art of shopping was developed by us of Hammond. I remember going through the boxes of nylons divided by size and length. Now those kinds of nylons would now be left to the racy shops. Woah! Playtex girdles took your breath away. Now we are able to by stretch kind of no nonsense without putting runs in them immediately. Men will not understand that the advances in technology gave us nylons that WILL last 7 days as compared to the black standard mens that last for a year. Females aren't winning this race.	1
Hessville map Date: 12-09-2006 By: Bill Bucko ( Topic#: 170 )	Please don't forget to check out our Hessville map! Ken (wvcogs) has very kindly posted online two versions of the large Hessville map I compiled (with helpful input from Ken and others): The map leaves out only the eastern and extreme southern parts of Hessville. It represents the area as it was in the late '50s to early '60s. Though of interest mostly to local area buffs, I think it has two uses for Shep fans: (1) When a Shep-related place is occasionally identified (such as The Pin Bowl), the map can be used to locate it very precisely; and (2) I've recreated the precise layout of both the old Harding portable and the newer '50s Harding (see Legend near upper right corner); this will be new to most of you. And I've updated the Harding school complex in light of the rare old photos that have recently come to light (thanks to Jim R and the webmaster of www.hhs59.com), and also the satellite photo Ken supplied. I've included only the flagpole that shows in one of the photos ... though I still seem to remember there being one on the Cleveland Street side, darn it! Buildings and empty lots are not to exact scale. I tried, but mostly buildings show up as just as big as their label. And though I've used some of Ken's information as well as my own, the map shows only highlights, and is not complete. For anyone interested in the southernmost part of Hessville, former resident svea3 has a wealth of information. Bill Warren G. Harding Class of '63	118
Re: Woodmar Mall Web Site Date: 12-13-2006 By: jalowe1957 ( Topic#: 174 )	Here is the URL to my Woodmar Mall tribute web site: http://www.geocities.com/jaloweplays/woodmar.html	19
Who remembers Dick Biondi? Date: 12-29-2006 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 179 )	He was THE greatest DJ when I was just entering my teens in the early 60's. He was on WLS radio, and EVERYONE listened to WLS back then. Well, the good news is that he is back on the air at a Chicago radio station. I have just found out that he has a show from 9:00 PM to midnight weeknights on 94.7 WZZN FM. I can't wait until tonight to catch his show! I have to listen via the Internet, since I live about 350 miles from Chicago now and cannot receive that station. I get a good quality sound from their Internet streaming, so it is not a problem for me at all to listen to them via the Net. Here's a link to that station. http://www.947thezone.com/ Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/Web3PICT0018.jpg[/IMG]	13
Mid-American Heritage Preservation Foundation Date: 12-30-2006 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 180 )	My friends, I post this to make you aware of the tremendously important work of a not-for-profit organization, the Mid-American Heritage Preservation Foundation, which I will refer to as MAHP from this point forward. These good people take home movies from back in the 60's and 70's and transfer them to DVDs or VCR tapes. They also collect stock footage from news organizations and transfer it to electronic format. They offer their compilations to the public for reasonable prices. They are non-profit, but they have to cover their costs. I have purchased a couple DVD's of theirs recently. One is called "Hammond in the 1960's," and the other is entitled "Standard Oil Fire of 1955." A lot of the video is very poor in quality. Remember how bad the quality was for home movies back in the 60's and 70's, and then factor-in the aging of the film. Still, if you are as desperate as I am for ANYTHING pertaining to the Hammond of the 1960's, you will be glad that you have those DVD's. If you have some home movie footage that shows parts of Hammond from the 1950's, 1960's, or 1970's, then you shoud definitely let MAHP convert them to electronic format. Their service is free, if you give them the right to use your video footage in the DVDs that they sell. Here's a link to their website. http://www.mahpfoundation.org/ Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/Web3PICT0018.jpg[/IMG]	0
Meet me at WZZN and let's chat! Date: 12-30-2006 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 181 )	Hey, Peeps, how 'bout some of you go to the 94.7 WZZN FM website and click on "listen now." If you choose to listen via Windows Media Player, you can chat while listening to the station. (You have to register, but it's free and takes only a second.) Is that cool, or what? Remember, John Landecker and Dick Biondi have shows on that station. The format is strictly Oldies. Great music. Great radio station. http://www.947thezone.com/ See ya there! (I'm there now, waiting for you.) Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	1
WARNING Watch for this scam Date: 01-06-2007 By: DEEDEE ( Topic#: 184 )	I just received this email using Sheptalk forum as the sorce to obtain my email address. Just thought you might want to watch out for this scam. I have contacted the FBI site PLEASE READ EMAIL BELOW Hello DEEDEE You received the following message from: emma55 (emmanueltoochi@yahoo.com.vn) At: http://sheptalk.com/ Dear One, URGENT ASSISTANCE Good day, I am Emmanuel Toochi. From Abidjan Cote d'ivoire, I wish to request for your urgent assistance in my investment plans in your base,I wish to invest in manufacturing and real estate management in your base,this is because I inherited an important sum from my late father who died in recent political crisis in Cote d'Ivoire here. Before the death of my father he informed me near his hospital bed, that he has saved the total sum of ($9.700,000) Nine Million Seven hundred thousand united states dollars only, in one of the bank here in cote d Ivoire. This money was been deposited for my social security and for fruitful international investment.That is why I need you to keep this transaction highly confidential and trustworthy person who will assist me to receive this fund overseas for investment establishment purposeindurities and lucrative profitable ventures. Further directives and details about the deposit and on how to move the fund successfully into your private bank account in your country will be given to you as soon as I get your response. Please reply me through this email address (emmanuel_toochi_1985@yahoo.com) for security reasons. Yours Faithfully. Emmanuel Toochi. From Hammond & Hessville Now..."the Boonies"	2
Been looking at some old Hammond Times newspapers Date: 01-17-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 189 )	I signed up for a free one week trial at a newspaper archive website, newspaperarchive.com. They have the Times for a good number of dates between 1931 and 1966. There are some big gaps in their coverage, but for certain years, they have the Times for almost every day. I'm going to have a hard time canceling that subscription before having to pay for it. I am really enjoying looking at those papers. They appear in .pdf format. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	13
Bird Hunting Date: 01-22-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 191 )	"Bird" Hunting It became a tradition in our family for Dad and I to drive down from Hammond to Rockport, a small southwestern Indiana town on the banks of the Ohio River, the day before Thanksgiving to go quail hunting with my cousin, George Allen Johnson, who was a teacher and a coach at South Spencer High School. We would leave after Dad got off work and arrive at George Allen's house around midnight. Thanksgiving morning would find us up before dawn, dressed in our hunting clothes, our shotguns in their carrying cases and placed in the back of the truck, and the bird dogs loaded in their cages. We would head to the "Modern," a restaurant where we ate our breakfast and where George Allen would tell us all about his plans for our day of hunting. George Allen was Dad's brother's son, but my grandmother raised him, and he was more like a kid brother to Dad than a nephew. Sadly, I lost Dad in 1994 to prostate cancer, and George Allen passed away suddenly from a heart attack in 1998, just after celebrating his 68th birthday. I miss both of them very much. Now if there was ever a man who loved quail hunting, it was George Allen, but in saying what I just said, I am violating a sacred unwritten and unspoken rule pertaining to the hunting of Colinus virginianus, the Bobwhite Quail. I learned by listening to Dad, George Allen, and other hunters during the breakfast conversations at the Modern Restaurant and during the drives to and from our hunting areas each day that you simply do not under any circumstances refer to the objects of our pursuit as "quail;" they are always to be referred to as "birds." This inviolable rule is universally accepted among "bird hunters." George Allen would say, " I know there is a big covey of birds here," or, "I know we should be able to find some birds over there." It was understood that he was not referring to wrens, sparrows, robins, blue jays, or woodpeckers. (Speaking of woodpeckers, George always called Dad either "Pecker," or sometimes "Peck" for short, and, if memory serves me, Dad got that nickname during his youth, when a hapless woodpecker found himself in the line of fire as Dad was shooting at some "birds.") I didn't question this rule about never calling quail "quail;" I faithfully referred to the sport as "bird hunting" and to our quarry as "birds." I do have to wonder, though, why deer hunters are allowed to call deer "deer." They don't say, "We hope to find some mammals today." They don't call their sport "mammal hunting," do they? I guess they must have different rules. We would hit the field after our big breakfast at the Modern, and we would hunt until early afternoon, at which time we would head back to George Allen's house for a huge Thanksgiving feast. We would also hunt the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, then drive back to Hammond on Sunday. I could not hit a quail (sorry, I mean a bird) to save my life. I don't know how a guy is supposed to prepare himself for that explosion when they take flight. Even with a good, solid point on the part of the bird dog and the warning that it provides that birds are under foot, I would always jump out of my skin when I heard that instantaneous flutter of wings, and I would thrust the barrel of my shotgun in the right general direction and blast away. Who had time to "aim," anyway? I have a perfect record as far as confirmed kills. I thought I had brought a bird down once, but it was never found. When I tried to get the dog to hunt for it, he gave me an incredulous sneer, as if he were saying, "You killed a bird? Yeah, right!" and walked away from me. I'm not sure that it would have added to my enjoyment if I had killed any birds. I was outdoors with my Dad and my cousin doing "guy stuff," and that was good enough for me. Those were some of the best days of my life. A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/Web3PICT0018.jpg[/IMG]	0
Blizzard of 1967 Date: 01-23-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 192 )	Who remembers that HUGE snow we got in January of 1967 in Hammond? The official total was 27 inches! The snow started falling on Thursday, January 26, 1967, and did not stop for two days. This Thursday, January 25, will be the corresponding Thursday to the one 40 years ago when the snow started. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	10
"Christmas Story" Director Dies in Crash. Date: 04-04-2007 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 219 )	Hello to all, this is my first post. I grew up in Hammond and then later moved to Hessville. However, more about me later, I just came across this very sad news. 'Christmas Story' director dies in crash By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ, Associated Press Writer LOS ANGELES - Film director Robert Clark, best known for the beloved holiday classic "A Christmas Story," was killed with his son Wednesday in a car wreck, the filmmaker's assistant and police said. Clark, 67, and son Ariel Hanrath-Clark, 22, were killed in the accident in Pacific Palisades, said Lyne Leavy, Clark's personal assistant. The two men were in an Infiniti that collided head-on with a GMC Yukon around 2:30 a.m. PST, said Lt. Paul Vernon, a police spokesman. The driver of the other car was under the influence of alcohol and was driving without a license, Vernon said. The driver, Hector Velazquez-Nava, 24, of Los Angeles, remained hospitalized and will be booked for investigation of gross vehicular manslaughter after being treated, Vernon said. A female passenger in his car also was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and released, police said. In Clark's most famous film, all 9-year-old Ralphie Parker wants for Christmas is an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle. His mother, teacher and Santa Claus all warn: "You'll shoot your eye out,kid." A school bully named Scut Farkus, a leg lamp, a freezing flagpole mishap and some four-letter defiance helped the movie become a seasonal fixture with "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Miracle on 34th Street." Clark specialized in horror movies and thrillers early in his career, directing such 1970s flicks as "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things," "Murder by Decree," "Breaking Point" and "Black Christmas," which was remade last year. His breakout success came with 1981's sex farce "Porky's," a coming-of-age romp that he followed two years later with "Porky's II: The Next Day." In 1983,"A Christmas Story" marked a career high for Clark.Darrin McGavin,Melinda Dillon and Peter Billingsley starred in the adaptation of Jean Shepard's childhood memoir of a boy in the 1940s. The film was a modest theatrical success, but critics loved it. In 1994,Clark directed a forgettable sequel,"It Runs in the Family," featuring Charles Grodin, Mary Steenburgen and Kieran Culkin in a continuation of Shepard's memoirs. In recent years, Clark made family comedies that were savaged by critics, including "Karate Dog," "Baby Geniuses" and its sequel,"Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2." Among Clark's other movies were Sylvester Stallone and Dolly Parton's "Rhinestone,"Timothy Hutton's "Turk 182!",and Gene Hackman and Dan Aykroyd's "Loose Cannons."	0
Hessville 5 & 10 Store Date: 04-05-2007 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 220 )	Hello, Not wanting to be the bearer of bad news, but are you aware that the Hessville 5 & 10 store on Kennedy and Martha was torn down a few years ago? AFAIK the spot is now a parking lot. :( Mike Rapchak Jr. Hammond	51
Grandma's Delicatessan Date: 04-05-2007 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 221 )	Hello! This one may be a real brain teaser. Back in the 1960s there was a very small food store on Kennedy Ave., called Grandma's - or Granny's - Delicatessan. It was located in a group of small store fronts on the west side of Kennedy Ave. somewhere between Sharon Maes and the florist (was it Gladish?) to the south. We used to buy candy, etc., there. Actually the experience wasn't all that pleasant as Granny was a rather imposing figure. We'd walk in the front door (with its little bell that would ding-a-ling). A few seconds later she'd waddle down the stairs (she apparently had her living quarters on the second floor), looking a bit perturbed. I figured that she didn't consider the interruption of whatever she was doing upstairs worth it just to sell some cheap candy to a couple of whippersnappers. A couple of years ago my brother and I checked the area out; we couldn't recall for certain which of those little stores used to be Granny's. There were so many small shops like that on Kennedy Ave. back then - and there still are. This is one reason why I found the area fascinating (we'd moved to Hessville from Woodmar in early 1962). :) Mike Rapchak Jr. Hammond ---------------------------- Mike Rapchak Jr. Hammond	8
Do you have classroom photos to share? Date: 04-06-2007 By: hhs59 ( Topic#: 222 )	Hi, If anyone from Hammond/Hessville has old school classroom photos, or pictures of Hammond stores to upload and share with others, we will be glad to post them on a special web page at www.hhs59.com If you haven't seen our website, it is about growing up in Hammond during the 1950's era. Please join us in remembering the good old days! Rich	2
George's Pinbowlerama Date: 04-11-2007 By: wvcogs ( Topic#: 226 )	Over a year ago I posted the following on a different topic on the Shep Forum: "In the 1950s the bowling alley at 6716 Kennedy Avenue was called Pin Bowl Recreation. It is interesting to speculate if this could have been expanded by Shep to 'George's Pinbowlerama.'" Information that I saw just recently from a late 1940s or early 1950s Hammond directory -- I have just the one page for another purpose so no date -- shows the name of the bowling alley at 6716 Kennedy Avenue as George Beslich Bowling. Now we have both "George" and "Pin Bowl." Ken... Former Hessvillite Morton Graduate 1960	2
Anyone ever eat at Mrs. Johnson's Chicken Dinner? Date: 04-14-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 229 )	Do any of you have memories of eating at this place? It was located just a few miles south of Chesterton on Route 6, near the intersection of US 6 and Indiana 49, as I learned after doing some research. I remember trips to this place after church on Sundays, and I remember thinking that I would absolutely die of starvation by the time we drove out there from Hammond, waited for a table (There was ALWAYS a long wait for a table.), ordered our food, and waited for it to be served. Mom and Dad took me there several times as I was growing up. My sister, who is thirteen years older than I, remembers Mom and Dad taking her there, so I guess my trips to Mrs. Johnson's started almost from the day I was born. I only remember having gone there durimg my late pre-teen years and throughout my early teenage years, which would have been in the late 1950's through the mid 1960's. A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	48
Jefferson School in Woodmar Date: 04-17-2007 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 231 )	Does anyone here remember and/or did anyone attend Jefferson elementary school on Northcote Ave. in Woodmar? I went there for one year - 2nd grade (1956-57). A yonger brother and sister of mine also spent a couple of years there. Mike Rapchak Jr.	106
Hammon High School Class of 1967 Date: 04-20-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 234 )	I wrote this little poem for all of my classmates as we approach the 40th anniversary of our graduation, and I thought I would share it with my good friends here at Sheptalk. Even though I wrote it for my own graduating class, I'll bet the sentiments I express in those verses are shared by you good people who come here to reminisce. We will be having a 40th class reunion August 3rd thru August 5th this summer. Tom Friends Forever, The Class of 67 By Tom Johnson, 8/9/06 We remember with fondness Our days at Hammond High Can it be that forty years Have gone so quickly by? Does not our laughter yet echo Through those hallowed halls? Shouted greetings to our friends Within those strong brick walls We each had our hopes, And we all had our dreams So eager, so anxious, We were bursting at the seams We were imbued with the love Of our moms and our dads, Their hopes pinned upon us, They'd given the best they had Life took us each Our own separate ways But now we look back On those sweet childhood days The years have flown by, As if in a blur And it's time now to remember What good friends we were You are my classmate, And I love you, my friend. How good it would be To grow up with you all over again. Yes, we grew up together In the same time and place, And the memories of you Put a smile on my face. Your face looks up at me From the yearbook page And for just a few moments We are once again that age. Most are still here But some are in Heaven Together we stand, The Class of 67 A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	0
Word from Jim Clavin on server space Date: 04-23-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 235 )	Recently, some folks have suggested that we refrain from posting actual pictures and, instead, post only the links to the pictures. Also, it has been suggested that we refrain from using the quote feature in replying to posts. These steps were proposed out of concern for server space limitations. I am very pleased to find myself associated with people who are considerate enough of their host to make such suggestions. You won't find that kind of attitude most places on the Internet. I wondered, though, if these limitations were really necessary, since I was not aware of any communication from Mr. Clavin to the effect that server space was an issue. I sent him a private message asking about this, and his response was that we have PLENTY of server space. If he says it's OK to do so, I will post his response for all to read. We do need to limit the number of pictures, and we need to be cognizant of the file sizes of the pictures that we post. These considerations have nothing to do with Mr. Clavin's server, since he confirmed what I believed to be true; i.e., the pictures actually reside at the host site and are not on the Sheptalk.com server. All that is resident on the Sheptalk server is the LINK to the picture. The reason that we should be judicious in the posting of actual pictures and be aware of file size for the ones that we do post is for the sake of those members who are on dial-up connections. Pages heavily laden with pictures, or those containing pictures with very large file sizes, load extremely slowly for those of us on dial-up connections. It can be so bad that a page times out before completely loading. Sometimes it makes sense to post the actual picture, like when you are going to go into some details about what appears in the picture. Other times, it is just as good to simply post a link to a picture. As for using the quote feature, there is no reason to refrain from its use. I'm just one of the gang here, so I don't speak with any authority. I took it upon myself to investigate these issues, and I am reporting what I found out, for whatever it is worth. I am thoroughly enjoying myself at this website, and I thank Mr. Jim Clavin for providing us with such a great place to reminisce. I consider all of you to be good "cyber friends," and I know you would be just as nice in person as you are on the Internet. God bless. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	2
Anyone have non-Hessville Hammond memories? Date: 04-27-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 236 )	I have really enjoyed following the huge thread where all the Hessville folks have been reminiscing, but not being from the Hessville section of Hammond myself, I cannot fully relate to all of the people and places mentioned. Does anyone have memories of Downtown Hammond to share? There is a thread already set up for Downtown, so please post in there. I guess no one who comes here grew up in the area of 165th and Calumet? That intersection was the southwest corner of my little neighborhood. Did any of you guys go to Wallace Elentary, Washington Jr. High, or Hammond High? I sure wish I had someone to swap memories with, but it is enjoyable to read about all the Hessville memories and to see you guys having so much fun. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	60
Number One on This Date Date: 05-25-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 240 )	Here's a cool website that lists the number one songs for each year on the date you select. Want to see which songs were number one each year on your birthday? Select your birth month and date, and a list will come up showing the number one song on that date for each year. Have fun. Tom http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	9
Where did everyone go? Date: 06-27-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 244 )	Hey, what's up with you guys? No posting going on for a while now. I have an excuse: I have been on vacation. What about the rest of you? I just got back from a vacation that I will remember for the rest of my life! I went out to Glacier Park in Montana, and then returned to the area where I worked for the US Forest Service in Kingston, Idaho, back in 1971 and 1972. I had a little reunion with some guys I worked with back in those days. What a JOY! There was an added bonus during my visit to Montana. A gal who grew up in my neighborhood in Hammond and whom I had not seen since our grade school days lives in Missoula, MT, and I stopped by for a visit with her and her husband. They put me up my first night out there. We re-established contact with one another a couple years ago via Classmates.com, and we have been exchanging emails and have had occasional phone conversations since then. Here's one of the pictures I took at Glacier Park. I'll also include a link to the rest of the Glacier Park pictures and another one for my Idaho pics. God bless. Tom http://s4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Vacation%202007%20Montana/?start=20 A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	11
Great HHS 40th Reunion! Date: 08-19-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 253 )	Hey, Sheptalk Buddies, the Hammond High School Class of 1967 had one fantastic reunion August 3rd thru August 5th, 2007. We started at HHS Friday night at 5:00 PM for a tour of the school. We then moved to "Bobby Beach" for a little bonfire and beach party. Bobby Beach, as it was known back in our day, is right next to the Casino on the west side of the marina. It used to be the place where the guys took their gals to "watch the submarine races." For those who wanted to participate, there was a golf scramble at Lost Marsh Golf Course Saturday AM. What a beautiful golf course that is! There was a picnic at Forsythe Park in the afternoon, and then the main event, a dinner dance, was held at the Hammond Civic Center at 6:00 PM Saturday evening. We had the band "Monterrey" play for us, and the meal was catered by Tiebel's. I heard that we had 156 people there for that main event. Some were spouses and guests, but I'll be we had at least 120 class members in attendance. Not bad for a class of 340 or so students. The wrap-up was a brunch at Charlie's Ale House on Calumet Avenue down in Munster at 11:00 AM Sunday. A terrific weekend! Tom [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/HHS%20Class%20of%2067%20Reunion/PICT0031.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/HHS%20Class%20of%2067%20Reunion/PICT0005_edit.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/HHS%20Class%20of%2067%20Reunion/PICT0012.jpg[/IMG] A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	0
Morton High School Band Date: 09-25-2007 By: Marie ( Topic#: 257 )	Are there any former band members from Morton out there? My father, John Melton was the director for about 40 years! Jean Sheperd was once a tuba player in the Morton Band. I would love to hear from anyone who remembers the Morton Band and John Melton. Marie	41
Where's Barb & Reg Date: 10-09-2007 By: Wolfen ( Topic#: 258 )	Howdy all New to site - Looking for graduation or later pictures of Barbara Macanelly - spelling is probably wrong. I think she graduated from Morten in 1960. She later married Reg Ramsey and last I heard, they lived in Highland. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Hammond High Class of 60	4
Pow - Wow Date: 10-09-2007 By: Wolfen ( Topic#: 259 )	Any one here hang out at Pow Wow in the late 50's and early 60's?	81
Dick Biondi now on at 8 PM CDST Date: 10-14-2007 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 261 )	For folks like me, who have a hard time staying up at night, the good news is that Dick Biondi's show will be starting one hour earlier beginning tomorrow night, Monday, October 15, 2007. Dick's show will be starting at 8 PM CDST from now on. For those of you who didn't know it, Dick Biondi, yes THE Dick Biondi from "back in the day," has a show on 94.7 FM, WZZN, in Chicago. The station plays music from the 50s, 60s, and early 70s. PERFECT! For those who live away from the broadcast area, WZZN streams their programming on the Internet. Here's the link... http://www.947trueoldies.com/ You can chat with other folks as you listen to WZZN by going to yes.com and registering. It's free and takes only a couple minutes. Once you have registered, type WZZN into the search window and you will be taken to the chat room for that station. You will see the songs being announced, and you can type your messages in the blank text field associated with each song. COOL! http://www.yes.com/ Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	0
Photo Album Date: 10-18-2007 By: seejay2 ( Topic#: 262 )	A good place to centralize and share those vintage photos of people, places and things.	224
A Little History of Harding School Date: 03-13-2008 By: wvcogs ( Topic#: 289 )	Dear Friends, This history of Harding School appeared in a booklet that was prepared for a reunion of the Harding class that began kindergarten in 1946. My wife was in that group. The reunion was to honor their kindergarten teacher, Miss Jean Jordan, who taught at Harding from 1935 until 1976, and who was still living at the time of the reunion in 1997. Maybe some of you out there remember her. How about it Bill and others? This history is just a little long. So, if you are interested, take a deep breath and sit back and enjoy. I cannot swear that it is 100 percent accurate; I am just putting my trust in those who put it together a little over ten years ago. Ken... A Little History of Harding School Warren G. Harding School opened on January 4, 1927, at 3107 Cleveland Street on 19.1 acres of land in the Hessville section of Hammond, Indiana. It replaced the temporary Gibson School founded in 1922. Mr. A. O. Reed served as the first principal there and at Hessville School (originally located in the 2700 block of 169th Street, and now known as "The Little Red School House" in Hessville Park.) Harding School had six teachers and 188 children in kindergarten through grade 5. In 1928 Miss Anabel Norton became the acting principal of the eight room school. It continued to grown and in 1930-31, a wing was added to the south end of the building. In 1933 a sixth grade class and a gym were added. In 1938 Miss Dorothy McLaughlin assumed the duties of principal, a position which she held until 1960. The student body continued to grow to the point that in 1946 grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 were put on half day programs. The gym was divided into classrooms, and in September 1947 all the children returned to a full day schedule. In 1948 the cornerstone was laid for the new brick building. When it opened, the brick building was fully occupied and the old frame building still housed two 5th grade classes, three 6th grade classes and two 7th grade classes. On February 22, 1950, the Parrish School burned, and those students were moved to Harding on March 1. No students were injured in the fire, but almost all the students lost their winter coats and school supplies. The students stayed at Harding until April 17, 1952, when they returned to their new school, Lee L. Caldwell School. In 1953, three fourth grade classes from Porter School attended Harding in the frame building. Then, the Eastgate subdivision opened in 1954 and enrollment climbed. In 1955 the Porter children left Harding. In 1956 a thirteen room addition was begun to the brick building. In 1958 all the rooms were occupied in both the brick and frame buildings and two classes were being transported to Porter. In 1959 a three room portable was moved from Morton and placed by the frame building. When Miss McLaughlin died in 1960, Mr. Richard French was appointed principal of Harding. In 1961 a second addition to the brick building was begun. The plans for the building called for a gymnasium, a multipurpose room, and more needed classrooms. At that time, four classes were still being transported to Porter School. In 1963 four classes were being transported to Porter and two to Jefferson. This was the year that ended mid-term classes in Hammond. In 1964, enrollment was still going up with five classes to Porter and three to Jefferson. In September 1964 twelve mobile units were moved onto the playground by the frame building. These were fully occupied. In 1965, Harding students went to school for one half day until the end of October when Miller School opened. Then, 725 students were moved to Miller. When the new Morton High School opened in September 1967 at 169th Street and Grand Avenue, students from grades 6, 7, and 8 at Harding began attending the old Oliver P. Morton School at 7040 Marshall Avenue. In the summer of 1967, the Harding mobile units and the portable were moved to various schools. The original frame school with its wooden floors, antiquated lighting, drafty windows, and other worn out or obsolete features, was razed. The lilac bushes were transplanted to the grounds around the brick building. There has been one more important development since this history was prepared over ten years ago. In 2007 a new elementary center was opened next to the old brick building; and, that old brick building that was constructed in three stages from 1948 to the early 1960s was demolished.	3
Seeking contributions for a book about Minas's Date: 03-16-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 290 )	Edward C. Minas III, grandson of the founder of the Edward C. Minas Company and former employee of the same, has written a book on the history of the store. An appeal has been made by Dave Minas, Ed's son, for any pictures or articles pertaining to the Minas Store. If any of you have something that you think might be worthy of being included in the book, you can contact me through my profile here at Sheptalk, and I can pass it along to Dave. The book is basically finished, so whatever is added at this late stage would need to be something very significant. Pictures are what Dave is mostly interested in obtaining, but I'm sure a good story would also be a candidate for inclusion in the book. Thanks. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	6
Dusk to Dawn Nights Date: 03-18-2008 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 291 )	Anyone remember "Dusk to Dawn" nights at the Ridge Road Drive-In Theatre? I recall attending one evening of "The Planet of the Apes" films.	6
Illiana Speedway Date: 03-21-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 292 )	Who remembers going to Illiana Speedway in the 60s? My dad took me there a few times, and I loved it! I remember only one driver's name, Paul Goldsmith, and I remember that he drove a Pontiac. He was my favorite driver. I also remember how much I liked the snow cones there at the track. Do they still race there? Anyone have any memories to share on this subject? Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	14
Columbia Center Date: 03-21-2008 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 293 )	Columbia Center ain't exactly the Gold Coast and it is a place that folks in general are wise to stay out of and away from. However, the place has a very intersting history regarding its origin. Built, I believe, during the 1940s to house industry workers and their families; low-cost but adequate housing. From 1971 through early 2000s I spent more than my share of time visiting the place (LONG story), so I'm pretty familiar with it (wish I could say I wasn't). In spite of its atmosphere and clientele it does have a certain vintage charm. However, all good things must come to an end - at least partially in this case. Two or three of the 2-story builings on the southwest corner of Columbia and 175th St. were demolished a year or so ago; some kind of high-rise structures have taken their place (either an old-folks home or a mid-lower-income housing deal). Now, all of the buildings east-west along 175th St. - plus the parallel row behind them (north) plus a couple of them on Chestnut St. (east side) are being readied for demolition. How much more of this complex will be destroyed I'm not sure of; perhaps all of it eventually? If anyone has any interest in this south-Hammond complex that has been a fixture of the area for decades, now is the time to get over there and get your photographs. It may not be long before this institution, like so much of classic Hammond, is nothing more than a memory. Mike Rapchak Jr.	6
Happy Easter Date: 03-23-2008 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 294 )	I would like to take this opportunity to wish all here on the forum, a happy Easter. Hope one can spend time with family or friends to enjoy chocolate rabbits, gooey filled eggs, jelly beans, and even those god-awful Peeps.	1
Small World After All Date: 03-26-2008 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 295 )	A few years back I was vacationing in Hawaii on the island of Maui, and while during a bike tour I met a couple from Hammond Indiana, and during our conversation I learned the gentleman worked at Saint Margaret's Hospital, the place where I was born, and he was an assistant to a Doctor Costello, the same doctor who delivered me. So it just goes to show, it is a small world after all.	30
Hammond Indiana Alumnis Date: 03-29-2008 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 296 )	I am an avid collector of classic films, starting back with 8mm, then on to Super 8, Home Video, Laser-Discs, and now DVD's, and one of my favorites, "Island of Lost Souls" (1932), starring Charles Laughton, and Bela Lugosi, the film is based on the H.G. Wells story; "The Island of Doctor Moreau". The movie also features an actress named Kathleen Burke, as Lola the Panther Women, I later learned the late actress was born in Hammond, Indiana. I soon found a list of links that feature other Hammond Indiana alumni's who work, or have worked in the entertainment industry. Enjoy; http://www.imdb.com/BornWhere?Hammond,%20Indiana,%20USA	0
Major blow to Region's economy Date: 04-02-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 297 )	Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news concerning our beloved Calumet Region, but more jobs are leaving. Union Tank is closing its East Chicago plant, and approximately 450 people will be out of work at the end of May. They had already laid off about 150 of the 600 people who worked there as of last fall. My heart goes out to all the families effected by this. Here's a link to an interview with the president of the Boilermakers Union Local 524. http://www.heyregion.com/ShoeBoxArticle-3741.112113_Union_Tank_Closing.html#123 Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	21
1960sTop Forty Radio lives again! Date: 04-26-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 300 )	Well, the closest thing, anyway, to real 1960s Top Forty Radio can be found at http://www.60sradio.com . A guy by the name of Richard Kaufman, or "Ricky the K," as he refers to himself on his shows, does a really nice job of simulating the types of radio broadcasts that we all listened to in the 60s. He even uses equipment that makes his voice sound like DJs used to sound on our Top Forty stations, lots of reverb. You can really close your eyes and pretend that you have been taken back in time as you listen to Ricky the K. Unlike today's "Oldies" shows, where very little is heard from the DJs, Ricky the K does a lot of talking, just like the DJs from the good old days used to do, back when the DJs were really part of the shows, back radio was FUN. Ricky the K makes use of 500 old commercial jingles, including cigarette commercials. (He always follows cigarette jingles with a warning about the dangers of smoking and an appeal for the listeners to stop smoking or to never start smoking.) Guess what I heard at least twice on the first download from 60sradio.com? The US 30 Dragstrip commercials! One was for the grand opening for the 1967 season, and I believe the other one was for a race weekend in 1972. You download five-hour segments, because there is some kind of legal thing about copyrights of old music that requires the downloads to be at least five hours long. It doesn't take all that long to download the whole five hours, if you have a decent Internet connection. In one format, the segments are about 45 MB, and in the other format, they are about 72 MB. I signed up for the minimum, one month, at $12.95, since I wanted a chance to check it out before committing to a longer subscription. Be aware that the subscription is self-renewing, so you will be charged each month, unless you cancel. I do believe I might cancel my monthly subscription and sign up for a longer one, which saves a few bucks. You can get the subription cost down to $9.95 per month, if you sign up for a year at $119.40. I'll see how this first month goes before signing up for a year. Too bad they don't have a totally free subscription for a week or something. I might suggest that to Richard. I love hearing the old songs and commercials, and it is so much fun having a lot of DJ input, like we used to get "back in the day." Check out this Fox News story about 60sradio.com http://youtube.com/watch?v=i8XT8UnIzBo Just had to share this with my buds here at Sheptalk. I don't know if I will keep my subscription or not, but so far I am really enjoying it. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	2
Early Television Date: 04-30-2008 By: Joel357 ( Topic#: 302 )	My family owned a television shop at 7331 Calumet Avenue, called Miner TV. My dad and grandfather started it in 1948 after grandpa sold out his interest in Miner-Dunn. We are going to celebrate our 60th anniversary this summer.Miner TV is now Miner Electronics Labs, Inc. and now in Munster. We are a dealer for Motorola two way radios. I remember, as a kid, the different radio/tv shops in that area and my all time favorite was EDI and looking at all the surplus stuff, Neal had. Does anyone have any pictures from the late 40's to 60's of our business? By the way my dad and Shep were ham radio friends at Hammond High School. They both graduated the same year, 1939.	30
Our favorite TV shows from the 50s and 60s Date: 05-06-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 304 )	Hey, something good old Bill Bucko said in another thread gave me the idea to start this thread. Why don't we talk about those great old shows that we used to watch so faithfully during the 50s and 60s? Kids shows, regular shows, whatever. Anyone remember Two Ton Baker? Captain Kangaroo; Garfield Goose; Howdy Doody: Kukla, Fran, and Ollie; Mickey Mouse Club, Rin Tin Tin, Sky King? What show did Ray Raymer host? Who watched Gunsmoke? Bonanza? Wagon Train? What about "The Wonderful World of Disney?" Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	120
Sorder's BBQ Pit on Gostlin Date: 05-11-2008 By: pwalerow ( Topic#: 305 )	Hello! This may be a long shot but does anyone remember Sorder's BBQ Pit on Gostlin in Hammond? It was there probably in the 40's and/or 50's. It was run by my grandfather Frank Sorder. Later he opened a Kentucky Fried Chicken store attached to the BBQ Pit. Frank was my mother's father. I know a bit about my father's side of the family (Walerowicz from Calumet City) but not much about my mothers. If anyone has any memories or information I would be very grateful. Thanks! Paul Walerow Born in Hammond Raised in Calumet City	1
Problems Logging onto this site??? Date: 05-20-2008 By: duane ( Topic#: 307 )	Is it just me, or are the rest of you having problems getting to this site. Most of the time, I can't log in and my browser just times out. When I do get in, it usually takes a couple of minutes to get here, and then it takes forever going between different forums. Since it seems like nobody's posted for about 5 days, I assume the rest of you have been having trouble too. Also, sometimes I get an Microsoft error, which kicks me off the internet completely, and it only happens when I'm on this site. Is there anything the site manager can do to fix this?	6
Hessville Lumber Date: 06-18-2008 By: seejay2 ( Topic#: 310 )	Hi All! It's been a while. I'm trying to pick anybody's brain that remembers Hessville Lumber. It's not so much the lumberyard itself that I'm interested in, but there was an attorney (Ted Puchowski)who reportedly set up an office for his practice at the H Lumber address, 6837 Kennedy Ave. This is a property a bit north of 169th on the east side of the street (right next to "Luchene's"). Inasmuch as this sounds like an unlikely situation, it was confirmed thru an old phonebook at the Hammond Library that Puchowski did in fact have an office set up at that address. This would have been in the early 60's. The assessor's office show no records, just a vacant lot. Can anyone enlighten me on this? All I can recall is Bluebird Tap sitting there. So what happened to the lumberyard anyway?......CJ	17
Friends of Randy's Date: 06-23-2008 By: Alan Vandever ( Topic#: 312 )	I just wondered if any friends of Randy's were still around. Randy, Tom Roop, George Anderson, and myself were the best of friends in the late 60's and through the 70's. We all hung out at the Big Wheel restaurant in Hammond back then. From that group I'm the only one left. I was just wondering if anyone else is out there. Al.	30
Videos of the "Region" in the "Good Old Days" Date: 08-03-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 326 )	Below is a copy of a post of mine that no longer shows up on the message board, unless you do a search on "MAHP." At least one of my friends here at Sheptalk was unaware of this organization and the videos that they have from the old days in Hammond, East Chicago, Whiting, etc; and I thought it would be a good idea to re-post this message. Posted - 12/30/2006 : 10:18:23 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My friends, I post this to make you aware of the tremendously important work of a not-for-profit organization, the Mid-American Heritage Preservation Foundation, which I will refer to as MAHP from this point forward. These good people take home movies from back in the 60's and 70's and transfer them to DVDs or VCR tapes. They also collect stock footage from news organizations and transfer it to electronic format. They offer their compilations to the public for reasonable prices. They are non-profit, but they have to cover their costs. I have purchased a couple DVD's of theirs recently. One is called "Hammond in the 1960's," and the other is entitled "Standard Oil Fire of 1955." A lot of the video is very poor in quality. Remember how bad the quality was for home movies back in the 60's and 70's, and then factor-in the aging of the film. Still, if you are as desperate as I am for ANYTHING pertaining to the Hammond of the 1960's, you will be glad that you have those DVD's. If you have some home movie footage that shows parts of Hammond from the 1950's, 1960's, or 1970's, then you shoud definitely let MAHP convert them to electronic format. Their service is free, if you give them the right to use your video footage in the DVDs that they sell. Here's a link to their website. http://www.mahpfoundation.org/ Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	45
Wouldn't it be cool? Date: 08-12-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 328 )	I was just thinking about how much fun it would be for all of us on this board to get together in Hammond sometime. Man, could we ever do some reminiscing! We could hit the Calumet Room of the Hammond Pubic Library and dig through some of those old pictures and articles from the 50s and 60s. A lot of stuff is in boxes and has not been catalogued as yet. Maybe we could help get that stuff organized? Just a thought. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	14
Anyone else having trouble getting in here? Date: 08-13-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 329 )	Yesterday and today I have had a hard time getting in here. The site seemed to be down a good part of the day each of the last two days. Was the problem on my end, or did the rest of you have the same trouble? I sure would be hurting without this place to come to! Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	10
Johnsen's Blue Top Date: 08-16-2008 By: seejay2 ( Topic#: 330 )	Hi Kids, Some of you expressed concern over Blue Top and what may become of it. Well, while on a welfare trip to the old country to check up on mom, I decided a quick jaunt to Johnsen's and a chat with whomever may be present was in order. I had the good fortune to meet the present owner, Kent Johnsen, son of the originals, who told me his story. This is Kent. [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/Kent.jpg[/IMG] Blue Top is currently in operation, but sadly to say probably will not remain in business too much longer unless a new buyer pops into the scene in short order. The possibily of that happening is worth wishing for, but.... The sign isn't the real issue. Blue Top is victim to the blight that has fallen on NWI: outragous taxes and a new youth culture who has forsaken the charm of the drive in for the speed of the drive up window. We used to go there to see the other kids and what they have done with their cars. What is to see in todays crummy little look-alike plastic cars with aluminum engines. And besides, Kent doesn't pass out a handful of junk toys with every kid's meal. He did give me a 1967 postcard of the place which will go into my special book forever. This is the real pic, not a staged photo. Remember when it was like this? [IMG]http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/Johnsens.jpg[/IMG] It still carries the old Temple phone number on back: TE 8-1233. Tom J, if you are still interested in saving the business, start passing the hat around and you can have it for about $850,000 (I think he'll take 825)and you will only have to change one letter in the name on the sign! Believe it or not, I had never set foot inside of the place until today. According to Kent, the place still maintains the same look as the 60's. http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/Seating.jpg Here are two of the lovely girls that help Kent out (Sorry, just a tad blurry). http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/girls.jpg This photo is a prize. This is Kent's family, the original Johnsens. Kent is the little guy in front to the right. http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/Family.jpg Here is todays sign; not much difference from the original. http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/sign-1.jpg Kent has no children to leave the business to or any serious lookers. He may remain in operation for about another year, but after that if the Historical Society can't come through with a blessing, it will probably be demolished in about 5 years. This will be another loss of a great landmark and legend, but will make way for another junkfood clown drive-thru, like we need another one of 'those'. I have some video that I shot of hand-made signs created by Kent that are under the port, but aren't too visible from here. I will be posting them soon. http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u250/seejay2_photos/Today.jpg We're all pulling for you Kent!!.........Cj	63
OLD ARMY NAVY STORE ??? Date: 08-17-2008 By: briz57 ( Topic#: 332 )	DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THE OLD ARMY NAVY SURPLUS STORE ??? IT USED TO BE ON HOHMAN AV. BY THE PARAMOUNT OR THE PARTHENON THEATRE ... THEY LATER MOVED UP THE STREET, BUT I REMEMBER THEM AND "WAYNE'S TRICK SHOP" AND THE OLD "S&J RECORDS" WERE VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER... JUST TRYING TO JOG SOME MEMORIES... B william m brislain	45
For those who can... Date: 08-22-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 333 )	I saved the link directly to Shep Talk in my "favorites" and do not enter this message board via the main website, "flicklives.com." Therefore, I was not familiar with the features on flicklives, but in trying to get into Shep Talk since all the trouble with accessing the site started, I tried going through flicklives.com yesterday. It was then that I noticed a "donation" button on the home page. I will be making a small contribution this afternoon, and I would like to encourage those of you who love to come to Shep Talk to reminisce, and who are able to do so, to contribute to the cause. Our host, Mr. Jim Clavin, has never solicited donations, or at least not to my knowledge, and he is unaware that I am making this appeal. I'm doing this strictly on my own. I hope he doesn't mind. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	1
Former Hessvillites Date: 09-05-2008 By: seejay2 ( Topic#: 334 )	Mark Kiesling, a Times columnist, wrote an interesting article which appears in this morning's (9/5/08) paper. For those of you who have been away for a long time, this article may seem a bit shocking to you. My mother still lives there, but we are making provisions for her to live elsewhere, closer to a family member, and sell the house. After this is completed, I will have no good reason to visit there again...........Cj "Hessville, your neighborhood needs your help" http://nwi.com/articles/2008/09/05/columnists/mark_kiesling/doce5cd4f918cbcf952862574bb000e3178.txt	5
U.S. 30 Drag Strip Date: 09-09-2008 By: dilligaf717 ( Topic#: 335 )	How about a trip down memory lane to the "Drag racing capital of Chicago." Remember the car "No Big Thing?" I know it's gone, but, let's talk about it. What ya think? Jim Still runnin against the wind.	13
WLS Silver Dollar Survey Date: 09-09-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 336 )	OK, Gang, here's the 1967 WLS Silver Dollar Survey for the week that corresponds to this current week, the survey that came out on September 8, 1967. I picked 1967, since that was my HHS graduation year. You can go to the WLS-FM (was WZZN until a short time ago) website and look up for yourselves whichever dates you want. Here's the link. http://www.947trueoldies.com/ Tom [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/WLS%20Silver%20Dollar%20Surveys/1967/670908.jpg[/IMG] A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	16
Anyone here remember the WJOB request line? Date: 09-11-2008 By: dilligaf717 ( Topic#: 338 )	I know I called it so many times in my teens that I had a black ring around my finger. LOL You have to be old to understand that one. Jim Still runnin against the wind.	17
NWI Flooding Date: 09-16-2008 By: seejay2 ( Topic#: 340 )	I'm sure that all are aware of the recent heavy rain we have had here. I doubt if you are aware of the extent of the damage. Go to this address: http://www.nwi.com/packages/slideshows/floodingaerials/ Be sure to click on "Captions" in the lower right-hand corner to see the text of where the pix were taken. There are 42 of them......Cj	6
Got awful quiet in here Date: 10-17-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 344 )	Where has everyone gone? Tomster A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	1
What was the name of the feed mill? Date: 10-17-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 345 )	It is driving me nuts that I cannot think of the name of a feed company that had a feed mill at the corner of Calumet and Kenwood. There was a railroad spur that ran to the place. All the neighborhood kids called it "Feedies," but that was just our knickname for the place. I keep thinking it was "MGR Feeds," but I could be totally off on that. It is very frustrating that I cannot remember the name of the place, since it was in my neighborhood and I had to walk right past it every day on my way to school. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	4
Vern Guzek Date: 10-18-2008 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 346 )	Does anyone here remember Vern Guzek, the auto mechanic who spent his career at Bert's Shell Station on the corner of Kennedy and 173rd St. in Hessville? Sadly, Vern passed away on 9/11/08. This is his obituary from the NW IN Times. Mike Rapchak Jr. --------------------------------- Northwest Indiana and Illinois Times Obituaries View/Sign Guest Book -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vernon Guzek VERNON GUZEK HAMMOND/CHESTERTON, IN Vernon Guzek 72, of Chesterton formerly of Hessville, passed away Thursday September 11, 2008; He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years: Mary Lynn (nee Mirzalli); sons: David (Kelly) Guzek DDS, Dan (Sue) Guzek and Doug (Dotty) Guzek; grandchildren: Emily, Andrew, Nathan, Ben, Joshua and Anna; brothers: Tom (Kathy) Guzek and Robert Guzek and family; sisters in law: Joan (late Joseph) Kartz, Betty (Al) Vermejan and Kathy (Terry) Schwartz; numerous loving nieces and nephews; preceded in death by his parents: Walter and Helen Guzek; brothers: Ted (Peggy) Guzek and Wally Guzek; sister: Pat Guzek; sisters in law: Evelyn Fusner and Leila (George) Vrahoretis; A Mass of Christian Burial will be on Tuesday September 16, 2008 at 11:00 AM from St. Patrick Church 638 N. Calumet Ave. Chesterton, IN; Visitation will be on Monday from 2:00-4:30 & 5:30-8:00 PM at Kish Funeral Home 10000 Calumet Ave. (next to Fitness Pointe) Munster, IN. and Tuesday from 10:30-11:00 AM at the church. Vern was a graduate of Morton High School class of 1954, was an employee for 50+ years at Bert's Towing and Services (Bertagnolli Family), Hessville's Greatest Mechanic; Memorial contributions to a charity of your choice in his memory would be appreciated. www.kishfuneralhome.net Create a lasting online memorial with a biography, photos, videos and more Share memories View/Sign Guest Book Professionally print this Guest Book Offer condolences Send flowers Visit the gift shop Donate to charity Published in The Times from 9/13/2008 - 9/15/2008	1
1969 Minas ad for Magnavox Color TB Date: 11-08-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 351 )	Man, I can't believe how the prices for televisions have come down over the years. I signed up for "newspaperarchive.com" in order to be able to look at some old editions of the Hammmond Times newspaper. Sometime along about 1967 they renamed the paper and began calling it "The Times," dropping "Hammond" out of the name. There was a Minas ad that I noticed in the March 19, 1969, edition of the Times that listed Magnavox console model color TVs "on sale" for $548. The ad didn't say what the screen's diagonal measure was, but it said the screen area was 295 square inches. If the screen shape were square, the diagonal measure would be about 24", which would be pretty small by today's standards. I looked up a chart on the Consumer Price Index that uses 1967 as the base year, and the CPI in March of 169 was 108 vs. the current CPI of 655. That means that TV would cost six times as much as that $548 price in that ad, or $3288! A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	5
Anybody want a job? Date: 11-08-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 352 )	Inland Steel is hiring! No HS Diploma needed, no experience needed. Amazing starting pay rate of $2.64 per hour! This ad was in the March 19, 1969, edition of the Times. Remember when there was FULL EMPLOYMENT in the Region? I had worked the previous summer at Youngstown Sheet & Tube, #3 Sheet Mill. I wonder what my pay rate was that summer back in 1968? [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Hammond/InlandAdMarch1969.jpg[/IMG] A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	3
Introduce yourself Date: 11-12-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 353 )	We regular posters eventually learn some things about one another, but I think it might be good to have a thread where we can introduce ourselves and tell a little bit about our connection to "The Region." Such a thread would help the new folks who find their way here get to know us more quickly, and it would provide them a venue to tell us about themselves. Let's include pictures of ourselves, if possible. I'll start things up in a follow up post. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	40
Happy Thanksgiving! Date: 11-27-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 357 )	Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Region Rats! Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	1
Hammond Civic Center Date: 12-13-2008 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 361 )	Is the Civic Center still in use? I worked there when I was a kid, hawking food and Cokes. Sam Miller owned the concession rights and paid us a dime on the dollar. It wasn't much, but it was a big deal to a 13-year old. One side benefit was seeing all of the productions from behind the scenes. When the circus was there, the lion and tiger cages were right next to the concession office. When the Grand Ole Oprey visited, we were in the backstage area and saw all of the stars coming and going. Another perk was after-hours access to the swimming pool. An older kid who worked for Sam, Ron Wilson, was sort of a manager and had keys for all the doors. Having a huge swimming pool to ourselves was really living.	15
Hot Dog John's Date: 12-14-2008 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 362 )	I sort of started a separate thead with my self-introduction, and thought that Hot Dog John's deserves its own thread. Hot Dog John's was located on Indianapolis Boulevard in EC, just north of Chicago Avenue. It was the place where many of us had our first encounter with loaded Chili Dogs. I won't mention the subsequent experience. For you White Castle fans, Suffice it to say eating a couple of Hot Dog John's loaded Chili Dogs led to the same odiferous results as woofing down too many sliders. Hot dog stands are rare in my neck of the woods, but the memories of those gastronomical delights remain. When I fly through Chicago, I make a beeline to the nearest airport bar that serves Chigago hot dogs so I can relive this one of my many youthful indiscretions. And then I board my next flight and hope that the impending results don't arrive until after I have landed.	21
The Apple Diner Date: 12-17-2008 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 363 )	This post will not get a lot of responses, but I want to pay homage to a piece of Hammond history that was part of my life. The Apple Diner restaurant was located on the southeast corner of Columbia Avenue and 150th Street. It was a converted railway car sans wheels. The car's width accomodated a countertop that separated a row of 12 stools from the grill. The Apple Diner was a burger joint, but it was never destined to become a teenage hangout. Working people ate there. They came from the bus barn a block north on Columbia, the LaSalle Steel factory four blocks east, the adjacent EJ&E railroad tracks and an assortment of nearby industries. My attraction to the Apple Diner has a simple explanation. I delivered papers for the Hammond Times and the Apple Diner was at the end of my route. The Times was an evening newspaper and was sometimes delivered late. My family of seven was not about to delay dinner on account of late press times, so I was left to my own devices. Hunger urged me to step through the Apple Diner's sliding door and seek food. Call the Apple Diner what you will, a joint, an eatery, a greasy spoon, whatever. It qualified for those descriptions, but it mean't much more to me. The cooks and customers recognized me as a kid who delivered papers, but they respected me as a fellow wage earner. That was a real coming-of-age experience. I am not sure when they razed the Apple Diner. I suspect that it was dragged off shortly after the Hammond buses quit running. I expect that most visitors to this site will not remember it, but the Apple Diner has a significant place in my personal history and heart.	20
Friendly Bob Adams Date: 12-20-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 367 )	Which financial institution adverstised that customers should come in and talk to "friendly Bob Adams" about a loan? No such person actually existed, of course, but that was the way the commercial was scripted. Also, do you guys remember the Beneficial Finance commercial? "At Beneficial (toot, toot) you're good for more." Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	14
A Hammond Christmas Date: 12-20-2008 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 368 )	My grandkids love to watch Shep's "Christmas Story," and I enjoy watching it with them. They enjoy the film's funny moments while I engage in a bit of nostalgia. I swear that the animated window displays in the film came from Goldblatts. Did a store in Gary have similar displays? If so, I will yield to historical accuracy. All I can say is this. When I hit the point in the film that shows the department store window displays, I become a kid standing on Hohman Avenue, awed by the Goldblatts animated displays.	19
Share your Christmas memories here Date: 12-21-2008 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 369 )	I would love to hear about the family Christmas traditions that you folks remember from your childhoods in Hammond. I'll post mine in a follow up to this post. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	63
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Date: 12-24-2008 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 371 )	Merry Christmas to all on the forum, and to all a good night.	3
24 hours of MERRY CHRISTMAS Date: 12-25-2008 By: svea3 ( Topic#: 372 )	As I watch our favorite movie, I realize that I have my father's movies from ole Hessville including many parts which reminds one of the movie. I am having a friend over for Christmas dinner tomorrow and am going to have him show me how to get the movies onto youtube. This being accomplished I should be able to share them with you all. I remember how my dad organized the erection of the Christmas Tree on Kennedy and 173rd. That involved alot of Glug ---plus lights. The men were well lit afterwards so to speak. Cars full of people would come to watch the entire cycle. It was great to watch from our living room. My dad graduated from Hammond Tech when he was 15. There was no keeping kids in school forever. Kids had to go to work.[8)]	0
Stardust Bowl Date: 12-30-2008 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 374 )	I am presently visiting my family in Hammond and I just learned that the Stardust Bowl on 167th & Columbia Ave, has closed, while I've never been much of a bowler I can recall the Stardust as far back to my early childhood, when I would go shopping with my Grandparents at Burgers Grocery store. It was extra cool in the evening, with the big Stardust neon sign and the Hammond Water's multi color fountain.	24
Trains Date: 12-30-2008 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 375 )	Like most visitors to this forum, trains were a daily part of my life in Hammond. About the time that I was in the fourth grade, my family moved to 6123 Harrison. We lived two doors down from an EJ&E spur that served the nearby Rand-McNally plant, and three blocks from the Erie tracks. On nice days, my sisters and I walked to All Saints School. Waiting for trains was part of our lives early on, as we had to cross the Erie tracks at Highland and Sohl, and then the Nickel Plate tracks at Sohl and Fayette. But in cold or rainy weather, we got to take the bus to school. We got on the South Shore Line at Harrison and Conkey, but getting to All Saints required that we change buses in Downtown Hammond. Being the youngest of the troupe, I was content to wait for the next bus at our transfer point at Sibley and Hohman. But my sisters were often no so content, and we would walk the remaining three blocks to school. Walking to school from downtown required that we cross even more train tracks, first the Monon and then the Erie and Nickel Plate. We also walked past the Monon and Nickel Plate stations, where we witnessed the regular starting of the massive steam engines as they labored to pull their trains out of the stations. The Monon station was on State Street at Willow Court, and the Nickel Plate station was at the intersection of Sibley and Oakley. When I first got up close to those steam engines, their huge drive wheels - which were taller than me - were jaw-dropping, and the sound they made as the train pulled away was absolutely frightening. I only stood my ground because the adults around me went about their business. Now that I look back on it, I had the good fortune to witness a phenomenon that died when steam engines were retired from service - taking the slack out of the train. The steam-driven pistons that powered the drive wheels delivered torque in pulses. Each push of the piston rods moved the drive wheel forward a bit. As the repetition of pulses increased, the drive wheels rolled faster and faster. But there was a hitch, and it occurred when the engine began pulling away from the station. As a train approached a station and slowed to a stop, the cars lost the slack in the couplings and bumped into each other. As the train departed, the engine would move forward - until it took up the slack. At that point, the full weight of the cars held the engine back while the steam pistons were delivering full power to the drive wheels. The result was wheel slippage, accompanied by the most horrendous noise that I have ever heard. There is no way for me to do justice to the sound of steam engine wheel slippage, but I will try. When the engineer was ready to depart, he would transfer steam from the boiler to the pistons located on each side of the engine. As the pistons pushed the rods attached to the drive wheels, each push delivered a sound like "SHOOMPH." The initial SHOOMPH would move the drive wheels a few inches, to be followed by another SHOOMPH and more forward motion. But after about four or so slow and steady SHOOMPH'S, the slack was gone. The engine was now pulling the full weight of its cars. This meeting of the high-torque pistons and the full weight of the train caused wheel slippage. The force of the pistons against the high load made the wheels lose traction and spin for several revolutions. When that happened, the sound from the pistons went from a low and steady SHOOMPH to a rapid cacophony of sound magnitudes higher, "S, SH, SH, SHO, SHOO, SHOOM, SHOOMP, SHOOMPH," which took all of two seconds. Then the wheels would regain traction and the low and steady SHOOMPH would return, shortly to be disturbed by another round or two of hellacious wheel slippage. Thanks to a poster on a railroad history web site, I found a sound file of a steam engine that includes wheel slippage. Unfortunately, the engine is some distance away from where the sound was recorded. It is hard to hear the initial SHOOMPH'S, but you will hear the sounds of the wheel slippage as the train gains speed. You can find it at www.youtube.com/watch?v=vltKG9hIxw.	60
HAPPY NEW YEAR Date: 01-01-2009 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 376 )	During these tough and uncertain times, I would like to wish all a happy and positive New Year. "HAPPY 2009"	3
Train Trips Date: 01-01-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 377 )	The thread about trains that Paddy started gave me the idea to start one about travel by train. Hopefully, some of you will contribute stories of your own about train trips you have taken. I will start things off by telling about my trip on the California Zephyr. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	17
How to Post Avatar Date: 01-02-2009 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 378 )	Tom & All, How does one insert an avatar (photo) that will appear in each message, such as your picture of yourself we see in your posts? Mike Rapchak Jr.	3
Marx Dinosaur Playset - Christmas 1957 Date: 01-03-2009 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 379 )	Well, look what we have here: a picture of my yonger brother Larry with his ultimate gift for Christmas of 1957: the new Marx dinosaur playset. 1957 was also the year that this classic item made its debut on the market. Mike Rapchak Jr. [IMG]http://i418.photobucket.com/albums/pp266/pro2am/Larry-MarxDinosaurset-Christmas1957.jpg[/IMG]	6
First Visit to Hammond by Newbie Russ Date: 01-08-2009 By: Russ Firestone ( Topic#: 382 )	Hey Tom, Took you up on your invite to visit the Hammond Forum. Couldn't help noticing: I did the rough math in my head, but it looks like this forum's got the lowest ratio of topics to entries of them all. Does that mean you guys jabber more about less stuff than everyone else? ;) In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I've never been to Indiana -- but I kinda like the music... Which is odd when you consider that my two biggest creative inspirations were both native sons: Shep and Kurt Vonnegut. Am I the only one who finds their writing similar in certain ways? (Discuss among yourselves.) Actually, I noticed the comparison made between Shep and Mark Twain in the site's profile. Vonnegut often got compared with Twain, too. Who was more Twain-like? I think that's like trying to count the number of angels dancing on the head of a pin -- an embarrassment of riches best enjoyed without too much analysis. Oh, yeah -- the other connection I have to Indiana, being a film fan, is one of the best sports movies ever made, "Hoosiers" with Gene Hackman. In fact, I've been toying with the idea of writing a sequel: This time, the coach's daughter -- and head cheerleader -- is pregnant. She won't say by whom, but the coach naturally assumes it's one of the players. So, while he's drilling the team for the upcoming state finals, he's also drilling them to find out who the father is. The title? "Hoosier Daddy", of course. (Insert your own groan and rim shot here.) Don't worry, you don't have to ask me to leave -- I only came to say I must be going... Russ Firestone quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Tom J Oh, yeah, Russ, come on over to the "Hammond" forum, since that's where most of the posting is going on. You don't have to be from Hammond to be part of the gang over there. I'll bet you will be able to relate to a lot of what is being discussed in that forum. Welcome to Sheptalk! Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	3
Another Christmas Photo Date: 01-08-2009 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 383 )	I know that Christmas is over but what the heck. Since we're into "vintage" stuff here's a photo taken on Christmas morning 1959. My brother Larry is posing with his new Miller small dinosaur set while I'm involved with my Marx Cape Canaveral setup. Mike Rapchak Jr.	2
Stickers and "snot flowers" Date: 01-10-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 384 )	Two plants that were common in Hammond that we don't seem to have here in Kentucky are stickers and snot flowers. I think stickers need the sandy soil that is so common in The Region. What is the real name for the plants we called snot flowers? They had that real slimy juice inside the stem, and that's why we called them snot flowers. Seems like the flowers were blue. Who can tell me the proper name for them? Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	52
Tongue stuck to pole in Hammond IN!! Date: 01-15-2009 By: duane ( Topic#: 387 )	This is no joke. It is an Associated Press story from today. Life imitates art. A triple-dog dare: Boy's tongue stuck on pole Event was reminiscent of a scene out of the movie 'A Christmas Story' updated 4:15 p.m. CT, Thurs., Jan. 15, 2009 HAMMOND, Ind. - In a scene straight out of the movie "A Christmas Story," a 10-year-old boy got his tongue stuck to a metal light pole. Police said the unidentified fourth-grader was able to tell them that a friend dared him to lick the pole Wednesday night. Temperatures in Hammond were around 10 degrees at the time. By the time an ambulance arrived, the boy was able to yank his tongue off the frozen pole. Police said ambulance personnel explained to the boy's mother how to care for his bleeding tongue. The 1983 movie is set in a fictional city based on Hammond, the hometown of author Jean Shepherd.	2
Your first kiss Date: 02-13-2009 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 391 )	Just for fun, and in keeping with the St. Valentine's Day spirit, I thought I would ask about a possible Hammond memory, your first romantic kiss. Did it occur in Hammond? If so, what memories can (or are you willing) you share with us? My first romantic kiss took place in Hammond when I was fourteen. Her name was Sally, a lovely redhead of the same age who lived on the same block (name changed in the event she still lives there). Being that young, I didn't realize my affinity for redheads, which I now attribute to my Irish heritage. I later fell in (and out) of love with two more Hammond redheads. Sally's kiss was my first romantic buss. A coming-of-age event, if you will, that remains part of my Hammond memories.	31
Local bands Date: 02-18-2009 By: duane ( Topic#: 394 )	Fellow Region Rats: Who were some of your favorite local bands of the 1960's? Just think back at who used to play for your sock hops and proms. My favorites: Oscar and the Majestics Stone Ground Kelly (used to sit in their basement & listen to them jam) All Star Frogs (played at Bishop Noll prom in 1971) Shades of Blue (not the hit band, but local band with Terry Kish on guitar) World Column (great band with a rhythm section, horn section (ala Chicago) and 3 or 4 singers (ala 4 Tops or Temptations). They could play it all....rock, rock/jazz, soul.	42
Dr. Daniel Ramker? Date: 02-23-2009 By: S C Jones ( Topic#: 397 )	For those of you who knew Dr. Ramker, I thought this online finding a worthy contribution to our memories on this site. Remembering my uncle, Dr. Daniel T Ramker, of Hammond, Indiana who passed away May 14, 2006. By Helen Milan (Hmilan) on Wednesday, May 31, 2006 - 04:53 pm:	0
Jacks Carry Out Date: 02-23-2009 By: Gavitgal ( Topic#: 398 )	Anyone remember? Hessville on Kennedy Ave. Still there under new owners. My aunt & uncle owned it for years. Mom worked there on Friday nights when Catholics used to not eat meat on Friday, he was so busy cooking his shrimp & fish. Sadly uncle Jack passed away last year.	5
A dog tale Date: 03-05-2009 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 400 )	One Hammond memory that stands out is that of my first pet, a dog named Pal. I'm not sure if I found Pal or Pal found me. All I can say is that our meeting involved a bus stop and a Catholic priest. We lived at 4842 Beech Avenue at the time. My three sisters and I went to All Saints Grade School, which was downtown, and we took the bus to and from school. Our closest bus stop was at Beech and Hoffman. The north side of Hoffman was taken up by Catholic Central High School, now Bishop Noll Institute, along with a convent and rectory for the nuns and priests who taught there. Beech dead-ended at Hoffman, but a driveway on the north side of the intersection led to the rectory and beyond. I never had a notion to venture there, but that changed when I got off the bus on a spring day and heard a dog barking. The property was surrounded by a chain link fence, so I felt safe to cross over and investigate. When I peered through the fence, I saw a huge black and tan German Shepherd leaping at the end of a 30 foot chain, barking and growling at ME. I turned and walked home, but I was curious as to why this dog, who had never seen me before, had it in for me. When I got off the bus the next day, I walked through the driveway gate to get a better look at this chained monster. He was lying down, but immediately went into attack mode when he saw me, straining at the chain and barking his head off. I don't know why, but I sensed that he was daring me to get closer, and what kid would ever turn down a dare? I was brave, but I wasn't stupid, so I took my sweet time getting closer. I stopped by every day after school and sat beyond his reach, talking to him and inching a little closer each time. As days went by, he stopped his furious barking and straining at the end of his chain. When I got off the bus, I heard the bark of a friendly dog. As I approached, he would sit there. After a very long time, I finally got close enough to hold out my hand and touch him. He licked my hand and let me pet him, and we bonded. He welcomed me into the 60 foot circle that defined his realm as the rectory watchdog, and that became our private playground. What I didn't know was that Father Junk, the principal of Bishop Noll, had been observing our bonding ritual from a rectory window. When he came out to speak to me, I was sure that he would yell at me for my sins, first trespassing on his property and then befriending the dog who was supposed to protect the property against trespassers. He caught me quite off guard when he approached us. I learned that someone had given Pal to him as a watchdog. Apparently, my ability to befriend this ferocious beast impressed him, and he asked if I would like to take Pal home with me. To me, it was a dream come true. Pal was not the average mutt that I was used to seeing around the neighborhood. This was one prince of a dog. But nobility aside, there remained the not so small problem of parental consent. Father Junk cut off a length of Pal's chain for a leash, and I walked him home to find out. My mother was home but my dad had left for work at the Socony refinery in Whiting. I made the typical kid's plea that I would feed, water and clean after Pal day and night. She wasn't happy about the situation, but she was willing to wait until my dad got home so they could discuss it. When it was time for bed, I wrapped Pal's chain around a post that supported our front porch roof and he rested at the top of the steps. All was well until Dad got off the bus at Beech and Hoffman around midnight and walked to the house. Then mayhem ensued, with lots of shouting, lights going on, Pal barking ferociously, Dad's lunch bucket on the front lawn and Dad standing in the middle of the street. Pal didn't come with an owner's manual, and Father Junk neglected to tell me that German Shepherds were fiercely loyal to their masters. When Pal and I bonded, he went from being Father Junk's watchdog to my personal watchdog. To make a long story short, Pal sat quietly when I came outside. After Dad regained his wits (and lunch bucket) and got inside, we all went to sleep with Pal on guard. Pal stayed, but everyone in the family recognized that he obeyed only me. This was not a problem until the day that my younger brother Jack did something that got my ire. I can't remember the infraction, but when Jack ran up the stairs to the second floor, I told Pal "Sic 'Em," which he dutifully did. In one bound, Pal leapt up the stairs, grabbed Jack by his shirt collar and pulled him down the stairs. I thought that the power of me and my dog was pretty cool, but Jack's incessant wailing alerted my mother to what I had done. A couple of days later, I came home from school to find that Mom and Dad had found a new home for Pal. Pal's departure saddened me, but I was young and got over it in time. Now it is just one more memory of growing up in Hammond that I wanted to share.	4
Horse tales Date: 03-14-2009 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 401 )	Like the buried streetcar tracks, no visible evidence remains of how horse-power served our Hammond ancestors. You might not be surprised that the Hammond Fire Department stopped using horse-drawn pumpers in the 1920's. But would you believe that horses travelled Hammond's streets into the late 1940's? They did. Horse-drawn wagons delivered ice to homes. I remember the signs in house windows, rectangles measuring about one foot square, with "50 pounds, 75 pounds, 100 pounds or 'No Ice Today'" printed on each side. The ice wagons were a kiddie treat. When an ice wagon entered our block, us kids would quietly follow. As the Iceman stopped to deliver ice to a home, he would deftly cleave the ice block to the requested size. Using tongs, he then hoisted it over his leather-clad shoulder to carry it to the house. Our treat was the left-overs. When the Iceman cut the large blocks, the cutting left lots of shards. The shavings ranged from almost mush to fist-sized chunks. When the Iceman returned to his wagon, he had to push the ice shards off the end of the wagon so he could cover the remaining ice with canvas. The event was a treat for all. There were shards galore, and us kids eagerly reached for the biggest. I can say that I never met an Iceman who did not enjoy sliding those icy treats toward our eager hands, pushing them slowly enough for us to catch them. Icemen were not the only ones using horses in the 1940's, but those are horse tales for another day.	4
Grand Calumet and its bridges Date: 03-15-2009 By: duane ( Topic#: 402 )	I thought I'd start a new thread here instead of riffing off the Apple Diner thread: I certainly agree about the Grand Cal having little water in it most of the time. However, for any of us that dared wander in, we found that the muck was several feet thick and nearly impossible to free yourself from once you got stuck. I was always amazed at the bridge over the the Grand Cal on Calumet Avenue. It was a bridge that was designed to rise up (like a gate over train tracks) so that allegedly a boat or ship could pass through. However, since I was a little kid (late 1950's) I never remember that river being more than about 10 feet wide and only about 1 foot deep where it went under the bridge. I could never imagine when the river may have been deep and wide enough that boats or ships actually travelled it....but they must have because why else would they have built that bridge that lifted out of the way? Also, I never rememberthe bridge over the Grand Calumet at Indianapolis Blvd (just north of the Toll Road and the South Shore station)ever being a lift bridge, just a regular old permanent bridge. BUT...there was a local hobo (we would have called him a homeless person in today's vernacular) who lived under the bridge. His name was Martin Piniak, and he had very matted hair (early dreadlocks?)and filthy clothes. He was a very nice man and kept to himself, but would always say hello if you greeted him. The EC police would arrest him every few months and throw him in jail, just so that they could clean him up, give him a bath and new clothes, and cut his hair. After several years, I think they gave up because he had fleas and they didn't really want to get their squad cars or themselves infested. As years went on and he got older, he started losing his faculties and eventually he died, but he was a good man. We heard the story that he lost the love of his life somehow and that's what drove him to be a hermit and live under the bridge. ...don't know if that was true.	43
Schwartz--Hammond Indiana Hero Date: 03-16-2009 By: csanderslaw ( Topic#: 403 )	Collecting info on "Schwartz," Shep's childhood buddy from Hammond Indiana. Lt. Paul Schwartz, KIA 3.19.44, USAAF. Please contact Charlie Sanders, csanderslaw@aol.com	1
Our favorite Calumet Region eateries Date: 03-17-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 404 )	Threads have been started about individual restaurants and diners, and they have been mentioned in various other threads, but I thought it might be fun to have a thread where we can each share our memories of our favorite places to eat in the Region. If you guys like the idea, let's hear about your favorite place or places. Take out food is fair game for this discussion, also. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	68
Hammond on Google Earth Date: 03-25-2009 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 405 )	Google Earth is a free service, and I highly recommend it. It has rewarded me in many ways, such as finding the exact location of my great grandfather's farm in County Limerick, Ireland. The rock walls that have demarcated farmsteads for centuries remain today. By comparing maps from the 1850's with Google Earth images, I identified the exact place where my grandfather was raised. Google Earth has also identified places of my youth in Hammond, some of them already covered over by time. I can see the outlines of the old pond/ice rink at Irving Park, located at Hoffman and Columbia. That is where my sisters taught me how to skate. I had to pay a price, though, wearing their white hand-me-down skates until I saved enough to get my very own. I bought them at the sporting goods store across the street from Minas but don't recall the name. If you look at Harrison Park on Google Earth, you can see the outline of its ponds, which also served as rinks in the winter. I suppose that Hammondites who ice skate these days go to indoor ice rinks. I left Hammond in 1968 and raised my family in Minnesota. The place was, and still is, replete with outdoor ice skating ponds like we had in Hammond. My son and daughter still talk about how they learned to skate on those neighborhood ponds, just as I did in Hammond. For my great memories, I have to thank my sisters, white skates and all.	7
New book on Calumet Region Date: 03-30-2009 By: Alan Vandever ( Topic#: 407 )	Hi everyone, I thought I would let you know about a new book coming out all about the Calumet Region. It's author, Gary Wilson, is a former WJOB/The Times, reporter and a cohort of mine. The name is, "Blunt Force, A Reporter's Heartbeat" and will be out on book shelves soon. It talks about the Hammond area and it's many characters of the 60's and will be a fun read for anyone who was around at that time. Just a foot note, I'm mentioned on page 87. Al.	49
Wicker park Date: 04-04-2009 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 408 )	My early memories of Wicker Park go back to the late 1940's. On Labor Day, the union locals would host family picnics and free rides at Wicker's amusement park. Labor Day at Wicker Park became an annual pilgrimage for us. We didn't own a car. Getting to the picnic involved packing the seven of us and our food onto a bus going downtown, where we would transfer to one heading south on Hohman and east on Ridge Road. Grills were spaced throughout the picnic area, and we always managed to find a spot where we shared a grill with other families. All I know is that I never wanted for hot dogs. Those grilled beauties kept coming my way until I was stuffed. There were adult festivities, of course, such as martial music and political speeches, but I have no memory of that. The amusement rides, however, still stand out. The amusement park was kid-oriented, and the miniature train was my "primo" ride. For one thing, it lasted longer than the other rides. For another, it made you feel like you were traveling somewhere as it circled the vast expanse around the amusement rides. If those train rides didn't create the wanderlust that I have to this day, they certainly reinforced the wanderlust that I was born with. Wicker Park holds many good memories for me.	91
Happy Easter! Date: 04-12-2009 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 409 )	I would like to take this opportunity, once again, to wish all here on the forum, a Happy Easter.	2
Standard Oil Fire of August 1955 Date: 04-27-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 411 )	OK, this was recently mentioned in another thread, but it was a big event in the lives of most of us who frequent this message board and deserves to have its own thread. Let's hear from everyone what you remember about the explosion and fire, and please share whatever interesting facts you might have learned about the event since that time. I think there was some discussion on this subject a good while back, but not in a thread dedicated to it. Don't be afraid to repeat what was in the other discussion. Let's consider ourselves to be "starting over." (I'm not even sure there really was much of a discussion anyway.) Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	13
Gone but not forgotten. Date: 04-29-2009 By: tsofred ( Topic#: 412 )	Kwikee Snax,Manhattan Lunch,The Kettle,Chat & Chew,Pow Wow,Serenade,Kelly's,Prince Castle,Cam Lan,41 Outdoor,Moonlight Drive In ,(Cline & Michigan aves),Pauls Drive In,Arts Drive In(Caumet Ave) Arts (five points)Nick & Georges on State & State Line,(cancer clinic) Nick & georges moved to Hohman Ave across from Harrison Park...still have the dreatest steaks anywhere...Maid Rite,Red Rooster,Jim;s Drive In,The Mirth Drive In,Woodmar Shopping Center,(all that is left is Carsons),	231
Minas and Goldblatts Pictures? Date: 04-29-2009 By: calumetregionforever ( Topic#: 413 )	Does anyone have any more pictures of Goldblatts and/or Minas? I would especially love to see some pictures of the INSIDE of those stores during downtown Hammond's heyday. Thanks, this is a great forum!	13
Re: Posting Pix to the Shep Forum Date: 05-02-2009 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 414 )	Hello All, I once again need instructions on how to post photos to this forum. I've done it before but have - Duh - forgotten a couple of things. I have a Photobucket page; what I need to know is which link to copy/paste on the site in order to post the photos here. Many thanks in advance! [:D] Mike Rapchak Jr.	2
50 Years Ago Today Date: 05-03-2009 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 415 )	Here is a photo of my brother Larry's (HassemBenSoba) 1959 confirmation group, taken at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Hessville. There is a descriptive text that's supposed to to accompany the photo but it doesn't look like it's going to show up. It is doesn't I'll put it in a separate post. Mike Rapchak Jr.	6
Balancing salt shakers Date: 05-06-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 416 )	Did any of you guys do this when you were teenagers? At Maid-Rite's some HHS kids would balance the salt shakers at their tables on one grain of salt. I finally got my skills honed enough to be able to do it. It wasn't easy to do, but the beveled edge at the base of the salt shaker would allow it to be leaned way over and kept from falling all the way over by one grain of salt. It looked like the shaker was perfectly balanced, and you couldn't see the grain of salt, of course. Tomster A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	5
Trip to the Region Date: 05-25-2009 By: duane ( Topic#: 426 )	I'm sorry to start a new topic, but I wasn't sure where to put this update. I passed through the Region twice during this last week. I am happy to report, as have others, that Blue Top is still in operation. There were quite a few cars there on Sunday (a week ago). No so many there this past Sunday. I got my first actual look at what is left of the Woodmar shopping center...having seen the photos, I knew what to expect, but it still made me sad. No more Comay's jewelers where we bought records (anyone remember Tivoli buttons from Comays?). No more Woodmar Records (from the 1980's era, where I bought bootleg records. I was on my way to Knoxville with my daughter, who was competing in Destination Imagination Global finals. Tom - we also stopped in at Purdue at Lafayette, IN, so I could show her where I went to classes (Forestry and Ag School) and where I lived (in a basement apt at St. Tom's church, where I worked as a custodian). While some things remained the same, there are many new buildings at Purdue, especially around the Purdue Mall...it is now completely enclosed by engineering buildings. We took the exit off I-65 that takes you to the US 52 bypass. There was NOTHING that I recognized for several miles. Everything is now strip malls and was completely unfamiliar to me. It was only when I saw the Maple Leaf sign for Maple Leaf trailer courts, that I actually saw something that was the same. I decided to take US 52 to US 41 back to the region. What a relief it was when I got past Purdue, and started seeing all the little towns east along US 52...they were still the same, some houses, a few businesses, the railroad track and a large grain elevator in each town. The one BIG difference was around Fowler...although the town was almost exactly as I remembered it, it was surrounded by a massive windfarm, there must have been 400 or more huge wind turbines in the farm fields surrounding the town....at least that is constructive change...not like those worthless strip malls that mostly sell things that no one really needs, but only wants, and at the same time their stores eat up rich farmland. On the positive side, the rest of the route along 52 and US 41 was just about as I had remembered it and the changes were minor. The long time restaurant and pit stop at Kentland was now closed and a McDonald's was now located about a block away. Things only really started changing when I got near Cedar Lake (remember, this is where Ralphie caught his mess of those "speckled beauties"...the wiley Crappies! From there north to Highland it was nearly a constant strip mall. It could be anytown USA...they all look the same and there are very few independent businesses...most are all chain stores. Having just come from Knoxville (which I had never visited before) it looked very familiar..the same stores, the same logos. America has been overtaken by big corporations. Only in the rural parts of my trip did I experience true uniqueness. Whomever said "You can't go back home again" really knew what they were talking about...especially if you've been gone for a long time. Anyway, I just thought I'd let you all know about my travels through the region and through Purdue.	4
Earl Park Indiana Date: 05-26-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 427 )	My mom and dad were both born and raised in Kentucky, and throughout my entire childhood we would head down US 41 several times a year to visit relatives there. Back in the 1950s and even into the early 1960s, US 41 was just a two lane road that went through many little map dot towns. It was an arduous journey of about nine hours to go see our relatives in those days. It was common to get stuck behind slow moving traffic and have no opportunities to pass for miles at a time. One of the landmarks along our way was the grain elevator "in the middle of the road" at Earl Park, which is six miles south of Kentland and four miles north of the US Hwy 41/ US Hey 52 junction. Dad would always tell Mom and me whenever we were getting close to Earl Park, so that we could watch for the grain elevator. It was an optical illusion, of course, but it sure seemed like Hwy 41 was going to go right smack through that grain elevator! As we got closer and closer, it STILL looked like we were going to go through that thing. It was sad to see grass growing in the cracks of that once proud section of one of America's main arteries, US Hwy 41, but I took a little side trip off of the four lane and drove down the OLD Hwy 41 headed south toward Earl Park a couple years ago, so that I could once again see the grain elevator in the middle of the road. This series of pictures will show you what I am talking about. Yeah, the road improvements knocked a good bit of time off the trip, but what do we do with the time that we save? I guess we spend part of it thinking about how good things were when we enjoyed life's little pleasures like the grain elevator in the middle of the road. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days! [IMG]http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y145/tsjay/Tom%20and%20Georgeann/img014.jpg[/IMG]	8
The Dunes Date: 05-27-2009 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 428 )	With summer upon us, my mind turns to the Indiana Dunes, or the "Dunes" as we called them. One nice thing about going to Noll High School was having friends from all over Hammond, EC and Gary. We would meet at the Dunes to sun, swim and play while listening to the emerging music genre, rock and roll. I cherish the days. My last day at the Dunes was in the spring of 1959, just before graduation. I wish that I could remember my "steady" girlfriend's name at the time, but I cannot. What I do remember is that we went swimming - her with my class ring on her finger - and then waded back to the beach with her ring finger sans ring. Maybe it remains buried in the sands awaiting a dramatic reunion when someone spots this gemstone and tracks me down. More likely, someone found it long ago and pawned it for a few bucks. No matter. Even if I got it back, it wouldn't help me who I entrusted it to in the first place. If you want to see what the Dunes were like back in this old codger's day, rent the film titled "Four Friends."	21
Wanna go back and listen to some Top 40 Radio? Date: 05-31-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 429 )	There is a super cool website where you can listen to recorded radio broadcasts from Top 40 stations from "back in the day." These broadcasts feature many of America's top DJs from the 60s and 70s. Good old Dick Biondi is featured on several of these "airchecks." There is a membership fee that had to be imposed to help defray the costs, but it is only $15 per year, and you can listen all you want. www.reelradio.com Go there and check it out. I think maybe you can listen to samples without paying the membership fee. Maybe not, but it is DEFINITELY worth the $15 a year! Tom	20
Sin Strip (Cal City) Date: 06-14-2009 By: seejay2 ( Topic#: 430 )	C'mon, we've all gone in there at least once...	12
July 4th in Hammond Date: 06-20-2009 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 432 )	My earliest memory of celebrating "the 4th" goes back to my preschool days. I remember my Dad taking me to see the July 4th parade along Indianapolis Boulevard in Whiting,and then visiting the Robertsdale fire station where my great-uncle Mike worked until his retirement in 1930. The original Robertsdale fire station on Indianapolis Boulevard is long gone, but my memories remain of my visits and my Dad's stories. My Dad was born in 1907, and he remembered visiting the Robertsdale fire station when the engine was horse-drawn. By the time that I came along, fire departments had long since replaced horse-drawn apparatus. But to my good fortune, the fire station had not changed. A gasoline-powered fire engine stood in the bay where the old horse-drawn engine once stood, but the horse stalls in the back of the station remained. My Dad pointed out how the horses were trained to trot from their stalls into their harnesses when the fire bell rang. This is just one of my July 4th memories in Hammond. What are yours?	9
Old commercial slogans and jingles Date: 07-10-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 468 )	Let's have a little fun and see who can use the clues given by the authors of the posts to identify the products or services being advertised in the commercials that we saw on TV or heard on the radio during our younger days in "The Region." The older the commercial, the better. Local commercials would really be cool, but regional or national ones are fine, too. Let's all post a slogan, leaving out the name of the product or service, and see who can "fill in the blank." I'll start if off with a REAL easy one. "From the land of sky blue waters, _______'s the beer refreshing." I would expect everyone here to know that one without even thinking about it. Somebody post the answer, please, and then give us one that the rest of us can respond to. This should be fun. Tomster A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	161
Ugliest car from the 1950s or 1960s Date: 07-14-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 469 )	I would like to hear from each of my buddies here at Sheptalk as to which car from model years 1950 thru 1969 was the ABSOLUTE UGLIEST in his or her opinion. I'm talking about stock from the factory, not customized or anything. Possibly, my choice would be the 1958 Oldsmobile, but I would have to put some more thought into it. Now, I'm a big Oldsmobile fan, but, Lordy, that '58 was UGLY! Lots of people thought the Edsels were ugly, and they were, but the '58 Olds might be even uglier in my book. Let's hear which one YOU think would win the UGLY contest. Tomster	38
"Men In Space" Date: 07-19-2009 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 470 )	Here's a video clip of "Men In Space". Wow. How well do you remember this show? [:)] Mike Rapchak Jr. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1JMA2qe3XE&feature=related	1
Where were you when "the Eagle landed?" Date: 07-19-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 471 )	Can you guys believe that it was 40 years ago that Neil Armstrong took that "small step for a man" that was such a "giant leap for mankind?" What were you doing when the moon landing was taking place? I was up in Tipler, WI, very near the Wisconsin-Upper Peninsula Michigan border at Purdue's Forestry Camp during the summer of 1969. I was a Forestry major at Purdue, and we were required to attend summer camp. What about the rest of you? What stories do you have to tell about what was going on in your life on July 20, 1969? Tomster	30
Sox or Cubs? Date: 07-24-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 472 )	OK, let's find out which of us were Sox fans and which were Cubs fans. I was always a White Sox fan as a kid. I remember the disappointment of the Sox losing the World Series to the Dodgers in 1959. Although I was never a Cubs fan, I am certainly an Ernie Banks fan. Now, THAT guy loved the game! "Let's play two!" Hope he is in good health and is enjoying life. I wish every baseball player had his attitude. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	43
1940 Date: 08-13-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 475 )	Well I can't find the photo. I did however find where I had scanned it before only I reduced the size for a web page. This is the celebration after Hammond Tech won the State basketball championship in 1940. Does anyone recognize the street corner? I see the old street car tracks and the guy standing up in the dark colored convertible is my future Father. Bob	5
Kelly's Drive-In Date: 08-14-2009 By: Carol ( Topic#: 476 )	Hey, all you Hammond and surrounding towns cruisers! I worked as a carhop at Kelly's dring the summer of '58, I think that was the year. Was that the year of the big strike? Anyway, I'd love to hear from all those of you that parked at the fence and in "general population" areas.	36
How to post pictures Date: 08-14-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 477 )	I intend to post instructions on how to make pictures appear in our posts, but I know I will need to edit my text, especially as others suggest improvements. Since the first post in a thread cannot be edited, I will simply use this post as an announcement of my intentions and will post the instructions in the following post. I know there are folks in here who know more about this stuff than I do, so please feel free to chime in with your ideas on how to make the instructions clearer or more complete. Tom	8
�On Saturday morning of August 27, 1955, at 6:15 " Date: 08-14-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 478 )	Standard Oil blew up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPAldyzfSUg We lived on the north side of Hammond on the corner of Torrence and 140th. My parents were in bed on the first floor on the other side of the blast and I was on the second floor under a window facing the blast. My mother said they were almost knocked out of bed by the blast and I didn't feel a thing. Our house was about 3 1/2 miles from the blast with only the houses on the other side of Torrence between us and the blast. Beyond those houses was nothing but swamp and slag filled swamp on either side of Calumet Avenue. It was my and many of my friends playground and the Toll Road wasn't there yet. As I watched the fire, I could see the large storage tanks blow up and 10 to 15 seconds later the heat from the blast would hit you making you glad you weren't any closer than Calumet Avenue. I took my Dad's camera and took pictures as the tanks blew. It was color slide film but my Dad never had it developed and being only 13 I didn't have any money to have it done. Sure were some good shots that didn't get developed. Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]	8
Mr. R. Date: 08-15-2009 By: MrRazz ( Topic#: 479 )	This is my first post...been sitting in the wings. Ran across this site over a year ago and found it most facinating and have so enjoyed remincing. I grew up in Hessville and have many fond memories of the area. Actually started out at James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School until 3rd Grade when we moved to Hessville. Graduated from Harding Jr. High in 1963...don't know if that was the last class in the old "fire trap". Graduated from the"old" Morton High in 1967. Was that the last year before they moved to the new school? As some of you may remember, my dad taught biology and zoology at Morton. I'm sure that name..."Mr. R"...struck fear into some hearts and maybe brings good memories to others (but I know he had good thoughts of many of you). I had him for some classes myself...big mistake. I have recognized a lot of the names posting here...former students of my dad's and classmates. Must admit that I had to get the old Top Hat's out, (which some of you made some marvelous contributions to), to recollect. Now that my mom and dad are gone, I don't get back there much, so this site has helped keep me in touch and brought back so many memories...many happy, some sad, but still and always a place in my heart, a part of my life, and something I'll always reflect on. My accolades to all of you for keeping Shep, Hessville, Hammond, and those great memories alive through this forum. I think back to the play, "Our Town" (my first exposure...Mr. Edwards's or was it Ms. Virden's class at Morton)and everything is significant...it all plays a part in making up this wonderful existence...Illinois Ave, Hessville, Hammond, Indiana, United States of America, North America, the earth, the universe... Little Brother of Two, Tim	8
Calumet Avenue and 165th Street Date: 08-17-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 480 )	This intersection was only two blocks west of my house on Woodward Avenue, and I would like to hear from anyone who remembers some of the businesses that were located on or near this corner. I remember a Shell gas station on the NE corner, but it was Marnye's Standard before becoming a Shell station. I'm not sure that I can remember it when it was a Standard station, but I can sure remember it as a Shell station. The address on this post card says that the station was at 6450 Calumet Avenue, but the houses on the east side of the streets are supposed to have odd numbers, not even numbers. I wonder if businesses are exceptions to that rule? The next place north of the Shell station was a garage where cars were repaired, and the name of the place was "Community Service." I remember hanging out there sometimes and watching the mechanics work on cars. There was another gas station on the SE corner, but my memory is that it was closed down. Just south of that on Calumet was "Marnye's Fruitland," a large outdoor fruit market. On the opposite side (west side) of Calumet was Bowl Era Lanes. Just to the north of Bowl Era was a Rexall Drugs, and north of that was a little place called Waddy's, which had a soda fountain. The next place north was right on the NW corner of the intersection, and the neighborhood kids called it "The Jew Store." Forgive me for being politically incorrect. I mean no offense to any of our Jewish members, but that is what the store was called. I don't even know if the owner was Jewish or not. It was sort of like a pawn shop, I guess. A lot of the stuff was actually outdoors. On the NW corner was Van's Barber Shop, which is where I got my haircuts. Now that I have typed all of this, it seems to me that I might have started a thread on this subject in the past. Oh well, I guess it won't hurt to have another thread if I did. Tom	49
From Hammond to Highland? Date: 08-18-2009 By: Carol ( Topic#: 481 )	I grew up at 6824 Leland Ave., 3 blocks east of Indpls Blvd off of 169th St. Since all the houses looked the same, it was the 3rd house on the left (the first brown one). After I got married, we moved to 9432 Anthony Pl, Highland. That's where my kids grew up. Yvonne Stavitzke's brother lived next door and Hank Bremer lived down the street with his family. Ironically, both Yvonne and Hank died of complications from MS. I wanted and was able to provide a block for my kids to grow up on as wonderful as my neighborhood in Hammond.	7
What was the name Date: 08-20-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 482 )	What was the name of the drive-in on the corner of 169th and Calumet before it was Paul's. Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]	2
Somebody PLEASE post SOMETHING Date: 08-26-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 486 )	Please! Way too quiet in here. Tomster	53
Ditrich's Ice Cream Date: 08-31-2009 By: wcc62 ( Topic#: 487 )	How many remember Ditrich's Ice Cream and candy store? Coroner of Hohman and Cleveland next to Oak Hill Cemetary. All the ice cream was home made as was much of the candy. Was a big HHS hang out and they used to have a big bon fire in the intersection before homecoming games. Then it was later in the night that some guys used to paint the gym roof on the old Kenwood School. Great times and great memories. Have never had better dark chocolate ice cream than there, anywhere.	14
Hobbies? Date: 09-03-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 489 )	I guess I can start. I/we have been riding Honda Gold Wings since 1985. In 2001 I had the Wing converted to a trike and in 2006 I bought a new one already triked. We have ridden in every state except Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California & Nevada and all the Canadian Provences except the Maritime Provinces. We ride with 4 groups in Florida during the Winter. Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]	5
1950s Hammond Video Date: 09-05-2009 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 490 )	Here's a nice film video of Hammond in the 1950s. You should be able to recognize any of the businesses, etc. I hope the link works! Mike Rapchak Jr. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO8SjyF0s7c	2
1960s Hammond Video Date: 09-05-2009 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 491 )	Here's another classic film video of Hammond, this one from the 1960s. Enjoy! Mike Rapchak Jr. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZxgCl_gu8g&feature=related	1
Dating in Hammond Date: 09-06-2009 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 492 )	I have fond memories of "growing up" in Hammond, those years where I was betwixt and between youth and adulthood. After I reached the age where I "discovered" girls, I bounced between exhilaration and heartache as I loved and lost, which eventually taught me meaning of true love. Many of those memories involve things we used to do (sneaking into the Calumet Drive-In in car trunks, tobogganing in Palos Park, IL),and places where we partied (the Dunes). What places in "the Region" stand out in your dating memories?	11
OT? Chicago 1948 Date: 09-07-2009 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 494 )	Well, this isn't Hammond, but I'd imagine that most of us who lived in the Calumet Region had visited downtown Chicago at one time or another. And even if we hadn't, the city's influence was strong upon us in many ways. Plus, this forum seems to have the most visitors and rack up the most views, so I thought I'd post this here. :) Mike Rapchak Jr. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaMGqzkNwLY	4
Illinois RR Museum Date: 09-08-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 497 )	Have any of you been to the Illinois Railroad Museum in Union, IL? I'm thinking about driving up there for the weekend of 9/19 and 9/20. Is it a place where you really need two days to see everything, or is one full day enough? Tomster	17
Memorabilia Date: 09-10-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 498 )	I have a tape measure from Hammond Lumber Company. They were located at 5019 Oakley and had the old Sheffield phone exchange. I vagely remember a lumber yard around there but I was too young to care about it at the time. I seem to recall it burning down, is my memory correct? The address would have put it behind L Fish Furnature and Hoosier State Bank extending along Willow Court. I have a Zippo lighter from Edward Valve, a mechanical pencil from Inland Steel and one from Electric Supply (on Calumet north side of the South Shore tracks), and a small pocket screw driver from Calumet Sheet Metal Works on Hoffman at the corner of Pine. Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]	26
Paintings Date: 09-25-2009 By: Alan Vandever ( Topic#: 499 )	Some of you showed an interest in my paintings so I thought I would supply a link. Thanks, Al. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viZA2HQkw6Y	4
P.H. Mueller Sons Hardware shuts after century of Date: 10-02-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 500 )	http://www.post-trib.com/news/1801947,mueller.article Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]	8
Anyone from the Wilson School area? Date: 10-10-2009 By: Candace Dainty ( Topic#: 501 )	I am a 1961 grad of DOHHS who came from the Woodrow Wilson School area. Is anyone out there from the same area?	5
Calumet Theatre nears final curtain Date: 10-13-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 502 )	http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_98639ceb-33cb-5e1a-80c3-65c47f3926b2.html Bob	17
75th Wedding Anniversary Date: 10-16-2009 By: cherilynn64 ( Topic#: 504 )	Hi all, Just an FYI for whoever knew my grandparents from Hammond and the Minas Dept store, Herb and Marie Poppe: here is the write up I sent in to the NW Indiana Times a couple weeks ago. http://www.legacy.com/NWITimes/Celebrations.asp?Page=Announcement&PersonID=133858113 Cheri	1
Soupy Sales Dies Date: 10-23-2009 By: Pro2am ( Topic#: 505 )	The passing of one of our heroes. ====================================== Pie-splattered comedian Soupy Sales dies at 83 By DAVID N. GOODMAN, AP Fri Oct 23, 12:27 AM EDT Soupy Sales, the rubber-faced comedian whose anything-for-a-chuckle career was built on 20,000 pies to the face and 5,000 live TV appearances across a half-century of laughs, has died. He was 83. Sales died at Thursday night at Calvary Hospice in the Bronx, New York, said his former manager and longtime friend, Dave Usher. Sales had many health problems and entered the hospice last week, Usher said. At the peak of his fame in the 1950s and '60s, Sales was one of the best-known faces in the nation, Usher said. "If President Eisenhower would have walked down the street, no one would have recognized him as much as Soupy," said Usher. At the same time, Sales retained an openness to fans that turned every restaurant meal into an endless autograph-signing session, Usher said. "He was just good to people," said Usher, a former jazz music producer who managed Sales in the 1950s and now owns Detroit-based Marine Pollution Control. Sales began his TV career in Cincinnati and Cleveland, then moved to Detroit, where he drew a large audience on WXYZ-TV. He moved to Los Angeles in 1961. The comic's pie-throwing schtick became his trademark, and celebrities lined up to take one on the chin alongside Sales. During the early 1960s, stars such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis and Shirley MacLaine received their just desserts side-by-side with the comedian on his television show. "I'll probably be remembered for the pies, and that's all right," Sales said in a 1985 interview. Sales was born Milton Supman on Jan. 8, 1926, in Franklinton, N.C., where his was the only Jewish family in town. His parents, owners of a dry-goods store, sold sheets to the Ku Klux Klan. The family later moved to Huntington, W.Va. His greatest success came in New York with "The Soupy Sales Show" - an ostensible children's show that had little to do with Captain Kangaroo and other kiddie fare. Sales' manic, improvisational style also attracted an older audience that responded to his envelope-pushing antics. Sales, who was typically clad in a black sweater and oversized bow-tie, was once suspended for a week after telling his legion of tiny listeners to empty their mothers' purse and mail him all the pieces of green paper bearing pictures of the presidents. The cast of "Saturday Night Live" later paid homage by asking their audience to send in their joints. His influence was also obvious in the Pee-Wee Herman character created by Paul Reubens. Sales returned from the Navy after World War II and became a $20-a-week reporter at a West Virginia radio station. He jumped to a DJ gig, changed his name to Soupy Heinz and headed for Ohio. His first pie to the face came in 1951, when the newly christened Soupy Sales was hosting a children's show in Cleveland. In Detroit, Sales' show garnered a national reputation as he honed his act - a barrage of sketches, gags and bad puns that played in the Motor City for seven years. After moving to Los Angeles, he eventually became a fill-in host on "The Tonight Show." He moved to New York in 1964 and debuted "The Soupy Sales Show," with co-star puppets White Fang (the meanest dog in the United States) and Black Tooth (the nicest dog in the United States). By the time his Big Apple run ended two years later, Sales had appeared on 5,370 live television programs - the most in the medium's history, he boasted. He had a pair of albums that hit the Billboard Top 10 in 1965; "Do the Mouse" sold 250,000 copies in New York alone. Sales remained a familiar television face, first as a regular from 1968-75 on the game show "What's My Line?" and later appearing on everything from "The Mike Douglas Show" to "The Love Boat." He played himself in the 1998 movie "Holy Man," which starred Eddie Murphy. He joined WNBC-AM as a disc jockey in 1985, a stint best remembered because Sales filled the hours between shock jocks Don Imus and Howard Stern. Sales is survived by his wife, Trudy, and two sons, Hunt and Tony, a pair of musicians who backed David Bowie in the band Tin Machine. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.	6
Any railfans around here? Date: 10-29-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 506 )	Hey, Region Rats, the Old Tomster is becoming a railfan. You would think that a guy who grew up in Hammond would have gotten his fill of trains, but I actually like trains now. Maybe that's because I am not being caught by them every time I go somewhere. I have joined my local chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Do any of you guys go out of your way to watch trains? Do any of you have model railroads at home? Any other railfans around here? Tom	17
Ace Theater Date: 11-01-2009 By: Jim Plummer ( Topic#: 507 )	My favorite theater was the Ace. It was the only one I could walk to. Does anyone know the name of the manager? He was a dapper man with a pencil moustache. At one point he also owned the Lans theater. Anyone have any photos of the Lobby?	32
Christmas LIonel Displays Date: 11-01-2009 By: Jim Plummer ( Topic#: 508 )	The highlight of Christmas for me was always the train layout at Minas's and Goldblatts. Does anyone remember these? They must have done by the employees. My father would always go down to see what was left over the day after Christmas that he could buy for half price. My first train set was a year old when I got it! I wonder where my parents hid it for a year! I always thought that Minas's had the best toy department and my brother and I would always drag my mother through to see what was new that we might want for Christmas.	8
Former Hammond Mayors Date: 11-10-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 511 )	I found this interesting. http://www.hammondindiana.com/hammond_mayors.html Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]	26
Article in todays paper Date: 11-18-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 514 )	http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_85e28b32-5cab-54ef-87ba-f6879fe6d88b.html Bob	4
Happy Thanksgiving, Region Rats! Date: 11-25-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 517 )	I hope all of my fellow Region Rats here at Sheptalk have a nice Thanksgiving. Tom	14
Tribute to the 50's -Mel Blanc's "Christmas Tree"! Date: 11-26-2009 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 518 )	Check out my new Christmas video on YOU TUBE! Does anyone remember Mel Blanc's nutty "Christmas Tree" song from the 50's?? Our dad brought home the record in 1958, and it's been knockin' around in my brain ever since. So last February, I decided to do something about it! The video is my 5-minute tribute to Mel and those great childhood Christmases---we filmed it in Our Lady of Perpetual Help School--which looks almost EXACTLY the way it did 50 years ago! Enjoy the video---it's my Christmas greeting to everyone--but especially all of us who grew up in the Region! Larry R --- Just go to YOU TUBE and type in "MEL BLANC'S CHRISTMAS TREE" OR--here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN4qhOOTCz8	10
Can downtown Hammond return? Date: 11-27-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 519 )	http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_93d366e6-72c5-5e31-8272-11aa55b0fa43.html I miss the old downtown but I don't think I'll see much change from the current in the rest of my lifetime. Bob	15
Edju Tucker of East Chicago Date: 11-28-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 520 )	quote: Originally posted by duane HI Cindy. I don't have a picture, but here is a link to a story about him in the book Hoosier legends. http://books.google.com/books?id=-xqSIsUF76QC&pg=PA140&lpg=PA140&dq=Martin+Piniak+East+Chicago&source=bl&ots=icLNhYYF46&sig=JijjYt6GHOSrxcGS1nYYicPC5hM&hl=en&ei=4Q_DSf6mEo_vnQf95ZzzDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA140,M1 I lived just a block and 1/2 down from your sister on 151st Street, right next to the store that sold the candy. It was called Park View Store(it was just across from the park) or more commonly known as Lebryks (the owners and proprietors). Mrs. Lebryk still lives there to this day, although the store has been closed for years. The big park across the street was Kosciousko Park, named after the Polish War hero that fought for America. Although Martin physical appearance may have scared you, he was really a nice and gentle man. Later in years, he developed his "spin around" where he would just turn one way and then the other a few times before walking on. He also talked to himself a lot. Do you remember the other famous East Chicago character...Edju Tucker? His real name was Eddie Pietroski and he was about 6 foot 5 inches tall and about 350 pounds or more.	44
Inland Steel Date: 11-30-2009 By: MrRazz ( Topic#: 521 )	Has anyone out there ever worked at Inland Steel? I was fortunate enough to land a summer job there in '68, '69, and '70 to help pay my college tuition. Long enough that I realized, I better stay in college, but it did pay well. Used to hitch hike to an from work...not a good decision when you get off at midnight. Met a lot of great and interesting people there and had alot of good memories from my experiences. Blowing my nose after a shift wasn't one of them. Often wondered if it is still going with the downturn in the steel industry. Safety meetings were like the United Nations...needed an interpreter for all the different languages spoken. Remember driving to a job with a Peurto Rican who was popping these round peppers like candy and offered me one. I said sure...not a good choice...hottest stuff I've ever had and still brings tears to my eyes. I can still see the grin on his face. And then there was a crazy Cuban who they sent me out on on a job with, SixTwo...we didn't communicate well. Heard they hauled him off when they found him talking back to voices he heard coming off off of Lake Michigan.	29
Those Fabulous Hot Dog Tacos! Date: 12-03-2009 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 522 )	Here's one great region food item that I think deserves it's own topic---Fabulous Hot Dog of Hessville and its legendary tacos. Fab Hot Dog was originally housed in what is now the Subway on the NW corner of 169th and Arizona (by the train tracks). It was a totally 50's place, painted with huge red and white vertical stripes on the outside and a big metal arm with flashing yellow light bulbs on it that extended at an angle out over 169th. Sometime in the later 60's they moved into the old Sinclair gas station on the NE corner of Kennedy & 169th, and that's when I started my long love affair with those FABULOUS tacos! They were all pork, in a mild sauce with authentic Mexican cheese, and their special hot sauce was a killer, with lots of garlic. During most of the 70's (whenever I was in town) I'd get their tacos AT LEAST three, if not four times a week. After a while, when I'd walk in, the cashier girl would call out to the cook "Three Hard, Two Soft...make 'em BIG ones!"...since they decided that a fanatic customer like me deserved a bonus in the form of extra-gigantic tacos. When I moved to Whiting in 1980, I rarely got back there to eat, and I believe they closed down sometime around 1982 (possibly due to my absence?) So it seemed that I had lost one of my primary reasons for living, until....... September of 1997---Fifteen years later!---I'm having lunch with a friend who works in Hessville..and he tells me that the ORIGINAL FAB HOT DOG TACO recipe has been preserved and is being served by a place on North Kennedy Avenue; I almost fell out of my chair! A few days later I was there....this mysterious lounge which was called "DTK--169th Street Station" and which featured this tiny walk-in eatery on its North end. Sure enough, the Fabulous Tacos were there and AS TASTY AS EVER, hot sauce and all! I was in Heaven. The place was run by a Vietnamese family, who told me that "The Tacos pay the rent here!" since they sold so well. I would eat there during the next three years, and would occasionally ask the owner "what happens to the Taco recipe if you sell this place?" "Don't worry", he said. "The recipe goes with the business and cannot be changed in any way." Well..... in September of 2001, shortly after 9-11, another disaster (though on a much smaller scale) took place: DTK was sold to a new owner---nice guy who had good intentions---I was there on his first day of business, and he assured me that the Tacos would remain AS IS. BUT.....within a few months, they started to change. First, the Mexican cheese was replaced by American, then the Hot Sauce recipe was changed (and ruined), etc ...and so I regretfully bid farewell to the best Tacos I had ever experienced. I wonder if the actual printed recipe still exists somewhere? Incidentally, the new owner changed the name of the place to the Escalade Lounge, and within a year there was lots of controversy surrounding their weekend parties, etc...lawsuits resulted and the place is now shut down. Another Region legend bites the dust. Larry r	65
Madvecks Date: 12-03-2009 By: Roger D ( Topic#: 523 )	Does anyone know if Madvecks on Calumet Ave. at about 171st. is still there? In the mid 80's they had the best polish sausages around. My son was a mechanic at Montgomery Ward and we would meet there for lunch.	6
The Big Snow of 1967. Date: 12-04-2009 By: dilligaf717 ( Topic#: 524 )	Since it's winter time for those of you unfortunate enough to still live in Da Region, let's talk about the snowfall to beat all snowfalls. I remember getting out of school early and the wet snow just kept coming down. When I was young, we always looked out the bedroom window to see how much snow had fallen overnight to see if we would have to go to school. That morning I remember opening the curtains and the whole side of our house was covered by a big drift. My Dad worked in Chicago and spent at least three days stuck in his office. It was a couple of days before the National Guard got to our neighborhood to remove snow. We don't have that trouble in South Texas. We had three inches of snow a few years ago. People freaked out. Noone knows how to drive when it freezes down here. My family up north got tickled, because the local paper put out three hardbound books of snow pictures people took . They even had photo contests. Different cultures for sure. Jim Still runnin against the wind.	28
Please don't publicize Sheptalk Date: 12-04-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 525 )	I have a favor to ask of all of you, and it is critical to our survival as a friendly, laid back message board whose members respect one another: please do nothing to publicize Sheptalk. By all means, tell people whom you know and trust about Sheptalk, but let's please don't make any public announcements to attract new members. Have any of you been to the NWI Times message board? WHAT A FIASCO! There are members flaming one another all the time, and people use all kinds of foul language. It is just about impossible to have a decent conversation there. Somebody always comes along and starts a flame war. We have no moderator, except for our gracious host, Mr. Clavin, and I am quite sure that he doesn't have the time or the inclination to babysit this message board around the clock. I would be the first to welcome a new member who sincerely wants to take part in the discussions, and if you have noticed, I HAVE welcomed new members many times. I just don't want us to become another NWI Times message board. Please, invite all the folks you know who would fit in here and would not cause trouble, but don't recruit "at large," OK? Tom	11
Garfield Goose Date: 12-06-2009 By: Jim Plummer ( Topic#: 526 )	Looking at The 'Times' I noticed an article that claims wgn will be running "Bozo, Gar and Ray" on Christmas eve at 9:30 pm. I saw this a couple of years ago and it was priceless. Museum of Broadcasting [Museum.tv] is supposed to have a documentory on this show but I couldn't find it.	4
Martin Piniak - an East Chicago legend Date: 12-07-2009 By: Jay ( Topic#: 527 )	I was reading the "Grand Calumet And Its Bridges" thread when the subject of Martin Piniak came up. I believe he deserves his own thread so that he can be found much easier. Since I could find no other thread dealing with him, I'm creating this one by transfering the other postings to this thread. My mother once dated Martin Piniak. She has shown me photographs back from the 1930's when he was a very sharp dresser and very concerned about his appearance. If I ever run across those photographs, I'll post a link here.	8
BOZO'S CIRCUS --- THE BIG ONE! Date: 12-14-2009 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 529 )	I know we all endeavor to keep these posts respectful, clean, and fun for the whole family. HOWEVER..... there is one great Chicago TV story that has acquired legendary status, and that I think deserves its own thread. I would love to hear from anyone with their own throughts, memories, and impressions of this big event, as long as we keep everything as "tidy" as possible. I'm referring, of course, to the famous "Cram it, Clown" comment that was supposedly made on a LIVE telecast of BOZO'S CIRCUS during the playing of the Grand Prize Game. I recall that it was a hot topic around March of 1966, which would help place it "historically". Most of us, I'm sure, we're no longer watching the Boz by that time--but we've all heard people swear that it actually happened. In early 1996, I had the opportunity to speak with James Sherman, formerly of Hammond who, according to his very detailed, no-nonsense account, was the Big-Top Band's ORGANIST on that VERY DAY in the WGN studio! After our talk, I rushed home and immediately wrote down everything he had told me. I'd be happy to share all of this info with you guys, if there is enough interest. But I also want to hear YOUR versions of the event, so we can see how closely they match what Mr. Sherman told me. This is major Chicago TV stuff! Larry r	15
Had to straighten out Scott Shannon Date: 12-14-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 530 )	Did any of you hear Scott Shannon on the True Oldies network mention my name and tell the listeners how I straightened him out on the name of the real town that was the setting for "A Christmas Story?" Scott said something over the air that indicated that he thought the real name of our hometown was "Hohman, Indiana," like in the movie. I sent him an Email to tell him that the name of the town was "Hammond, Indiana," even though it was called "Hohman, Indiana," in the movie. Tomster	2
Old Commercials Date: 12-16-2009 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 531 )	I'm hoping for great things on the DVD set that I ordered from Amazon.com. The title is "1001 Classic Commercials," and it is a three disc set with 16 hrs. of viewing. There were ten ratings for the set on Amazon, and most were very favorable. There were complaints that the quality of the image was very poor for some of the commercials, but I guess we have to take the bad with the good. Film doesn't hold up very well over time. I thought it might be fun to start a thread about old commercials to see which ones are our favorites. Seems like there might already be a thread in here about old commercials, but I guess it won't hurt to start a new one. OK, so let's hear from everyone... what is the first commercial that you can remember, and what is your favorite commercial from your youth? Tom	17
MOVIE THEATERS of da' REGION Date: 12-23-2009 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 534 )	Though hardly appropriate for Christmastime, I wanted to start off this thread with something truly bizarre. Check out the two ads below, the bigger one on the left from the Friday, Sept. 16th, 1955 Hammond Times movie listings, the one on the right from a week earlier (Sept 9, 1955 --at the Parthenon). This is a bit before my first movie-going experiences; does anyone remember just WHAT WENT ON in the theater during these freaky live stage-shows? I assume they were performed as an "opening act" before the feature film. Somebody please tell us what this was all about. Holy Cow! Larry r [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/HorrorShowAds0001.jpg[/IMG]	77
Older than dirt. Date: 12-23-2009 By: BobK ( Topic#: 535 )	Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?' 'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him. 'All the food was slow.' 'C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?' 'It was a place called 'at home,'' I explained. ! 'Mum cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.' By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table. But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have handled it : Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore Levis , set foot on a golf course, traveled out of the country or had a credit card. My parents never drove me to school. I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow). We didn't have a television in our house until I was 19. It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at midnight, after playing the national anthem and a poem about God; it came back on the air at about 6 a.m. and there was usually a locally produced news and farm show on, featuring local people... I never had a telephone in my room.The only phone was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line. Pizzas were not delivered to our home... But milk was. All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers --my brother delivered a newspaper, six days a week. He had to get up at 6AM every morning. Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the movies. There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or most anything offensive. If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing. Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it? MEMORIES from a friend : My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it.. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to 'sprinkle' clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old. Older Than Dirt Quiz : Count all the ones that you remember not the ones you were told about. Ratings at the bottom. 1.Candy cigarettes 2.Coffee shops with tableside juke boxes 3.Home milk delivery in glass bottles 4. Party lines on the telephone 5.Newsreels before the movie 6.TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning. (there were only 3 channels [if you were fortunate]) 7.Peashooters 8. Howdy Doody 9. 45 RPM records 10.Hi-fi's 11. Metal ice trays with lever 12. Blue flashbulb 13.Cork popguns 14. Studebakers 15. Wash tub wringers If you remembered 0-3 = You're still young If you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older If you remembered 7-10 = Don't tell your age, If you remembered 11-15 =You're older than dirt! I might be older than dirt but those memories are some of the best parts of my life. Don't forget to pass this along!! Especially to all your really OLD friends....	78
Hessville Centennial Date: 12-29-2009 By: wvcogs ( Topic#: 537 )	A friend who graduated from Morton in 1956 mentioned she had a vague memory of a Hessville centennial celebration that occurred maybe in 1947. Do any of you Region folks on the forum have any knowledge of such a centennial celebration or have you heard your parents speak of one? Thanks. Ken	54
A reminder... Date: 01-03-2010 By: seejay2 ( Topic#: 538 )	I just want to remind youse guys who have migrated to a more tropical climate (Florida, California, etc.)just why you did it. This is Portage this afternoon. My place is the yellow one. Now you others who have chosen places closer to Siberia (Minnesota, Montana, etc.) have done so of your own free will. If things go right, I will migrate to Murray, Ky on Kentucky Lake the first part of the year. It's not Hawaii, but it's not the North pole either. I'm hoping I can leave the snow blower in the garage in Portage when I make the big leap. That's all. I just had to post this nonsense...Cj	47
Mike Rapchak Jr Date: 01-09-2010 By: Joel357 ( Topic#: 539 )	Hey guys, I saw in the Hammond Times obits that Mike Rapchak Jr. died. It said that he passed away on Thursday, Jan 7, 2010. Joel Miner	15
Old photographs of Hammond Date: 01-10-2010 By: Jay ( Topic#: 541 )	I'm finding more and more old photographs of Hammond. As a result, I believe they deserve a special thread here so they can be easily found and viewed. My first contribution is located at [url]http://www.familyoldphotos.com/8c/2e/echman_street_hammond_indiana_19.htm[/url] Can anyone tell me where "Echman Street" is or was?	31
Jan Gabriel Date: 01-12-2010 By: Joel357 ( Topic#: 542 )	I heard on channel 32 that Jan Gabriel died Sunday. I remember him on WJOB. Joel	7
What's so funny? Date: 01-12-2010 By: EastHammondBoomer ( Topic#: 543 )	I've noticed past posts which try to discuss things BESIDES eateries, stores, schools and events � I see I'm guilty of maybe over indulging in said topics but, thanks to all, just the same, who have answered questions or added funny little vignettes. Lately, I haven't laughed as much as I'd like to. I'd like to ask what makes you laugh or what has made you laugh? I guess this is kinda like a Readers' Digest "Laughter is the Best Medicine". For me: � The comedian Brian Regan is hilarious. Neither vulgar nor rude, just funny everyday stuff. � Goober on Andy Griffith. � When I catch myself saying things to my kids which I swore I'd never say because my parents used to say it to me�(when I was your age�) � A couple days ago I set my cell phone to vibrate 5 minutes before I was to receive an important phone call while I was at work. I wanted to give myself enough time to go outside for when the call came through. After a few hours, my cell vibrated and in my nervous haste I answered my cell saying "Hello?, Hello?" over and over . I finally realized it was my alarm. I'm glad no one else was around. � Reading the funny true life incidents which a lot of you have posted. Dave G	13
Email feature working Date: 01-17-2010 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 544 )	OK, Region Rats, good old Mr. Jim Clavin, our host, has the Sheptalk email feature working again for us. You can click on a person's user name, and then you can click on "click to send an email," as long as the person you wish to contact has set up his profile to accept emails from other members. Tom A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	1
A glimpse of my childhood family life Date: 01-17-2010 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 545 )	I think many of you Region Rats in here will be able to relate to this little thing that I wrote about my dad and about the wonderful home that I grew up in. Time for Dad to Come Home "It's almost time for Dad to come home." I remember how my mom would often make that announcement at that enchanting time of day when shadows lengthen and late afternoon fades into early evening. Much of the very essence of my idyllic childhood is encapsulated in that simple phrase, "time for Dad to come home." Those words take me back to the 1950s and 1960s, back to a modest white bungalow-style home on Woodward Avenue, a quiet residential street in Hammond, Indiana. The fact that there was a "time for Dad to come home" meant that there was security, stability, joy, and love in the world of the little boy who would grow into the man who is writing these words. Memories of Dad coming home from work still warm my heart, even though I am older now than he was then. That expression "time for Dad to come home" makes me misty-eyed, and it evokes memories of a loving and devoted father's presence in my life, a father who went to work every day to support his family and who came directly home when his work day ended. There was only one place that my dad wanted to be when his work day was through, and that was home with his family. My family's socio-economic status placed us in the lower middle class, but I would not trade childhoods with anyone, regardless of how rich his family might have been. I had all the things that count the most, and I had them in abundance: I had God fearing parents who loved one another and who loved me, I had a good, comfortable home in a safe neighborhood, I had decent clothes to wear, and I had stability in my daily life. What more could I have possibly wanted? I have spoken with people whom I knew as kids and who came from financially well off families, and I learned that they do not have the same cherished childhood memories that I do. "Time for Dad to come home" meant that one of my mom's simple, but delicious, home cooked meals would soon be served and that we would be sitting down together as a family at the dining room table to eat supper. We each had our own place at the table, of course, and there was something so very reassuring about sitting at my place and seeing Mom and Dad at their places evening after evening. When there is a "time for Dad to come home," there is a stable home where a child feels secure. After supper, Dad and I would work the crossword puzzle in our daily newspaper, and then there would be some time for family TV viewing. When it was "time for Dad to come home," the best part of the day was about to begin. I thank God that throughout my entire childhood there was always such a time as "time for Dad to come home." I am truly sorry for those who grew up without such a time in their family lives. On September 27, 1994, according to God's plan, it was "time for Dad to come home," this time to his Heavenly home.	32
Tom J Moderator Date: 01-17-2010 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 546 )	Our host, Jim Clavin, has made the Old Tomster a moderator for the Hammond Forum. I'm not sure what I can do or can't do, but this forum really has never needed a moderator, except to delete the occasional spam posts. One thing I can do for folks is edit their posts when they start a new thread. The first post in a new thread cannot be edited by the original poster, but as a moderator, I can get in there and fix something for you. Let me know if you need anything, and if it is something I can do, I'll be glad to help you out. Tomster A 1967 Graduate of Hammond High who cherishes his memories of growing up in the Hammond of the 1950's and 1960's. Bring back those days!	100
"Tree" street neighborhoods Date: 01-20-2010 By: wefles ( Topic#: 547 )	Did anyone grow up in or live on any of the "tree" streets (birch, walnut, beech, chestnut, catalpa, magnolia)? I live from 1989 to 1998 on chestnut right near the expressway. Those track houses might have been start of the art in the day in which they were built in 1952, but unfortunately have fallen to disrepair. I barely got my money back when I sold mine after what I put into it to make it liveable. But at the time it was a good place to start a family, but not one which ballooned to 4 kids. I wonder if how many list members are my former neighbors....	9
History of Edward C. Minas Store Date: 01-22-2010 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 550 )	MINAS HISTORY BOOK: http://nwitimes.com/news/local/article_9c50e883-9c79-53d7-a33d-2e8745c174c0.html Originally posted by BobK	31
Planet Hammond on Facebook Date: 01-30-2010 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 552 )	Former and present Hammond Facebook residents may also be interested in this; http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1254783511&ref=name#/pages/Planet-Hammond/267975613540?ref=mf I also posted a link to this forum as well.	82
Condolences to Joel Date: 02-07-2010 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 554 )	Fellow Region Rats, please join me in offering condolences to our good friend, Joel Miner (Joel357) in the loss of his dad, who passed away 1/29/10. May God's Grace sustain you in this time of sorrow. Tom JACK H. MINER ARIZONA/INDIANA Jack H. Miner, 87, of Rio Verde, AZ, a longtime resident of Hammond, Munster and St. John, IN (1922-1985), died January 29, 2010. Mr. Miner was retired from the business he founded, Miner Electronics, in Munster IN. He is survived by his sons: Jeffrey (Lee) of Phoenix, AZ, Joel of Crown Point, IN and John (Suzanne) of Lake Zurich, IL; sister, Lois Scroggs of Sun City, AZ; six grandchildren and one great grandson. A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 6, 2010 at 10:00 AM at Rio Verde Community Church. Contributions may be made in Lieu of flowers to Sunshine Acres Children's Home, Mesa, AZ.	3
Chandler's Food Shop Date: 02-08-2010 By: Doug G ( Topic#: 555 )	Here's a story of my youth in North Hammond: It was going to be a very good year. We had just moved.. From a trailer park to an apartment on Oak Street. And almost enough bedrooms to go around. And I had made 2 new friends that lived in the neighborhood. They were Mike and Steve. 2 friends in one week? Could it get any better? I was 10 that year. In the north, there were small neighborhood grocers every few blocks. Nowadays we call them convenience stores. There was one 2 houses away from where we lived. The sign above the huge plate glass windows proclaimed "Chandler's Food Shop". And on the windows themselves were stripes across the top that hawked Salada Tea. And over the windows was a large striped awning that could be let up or down with a long handled crank As you opened the old creaking door, a small bell rang. Not an electronic buzzer but an honest to goodness bell. There were no hours on the door. Everyone knew when the store opened and closed. You could feel the breeze in the store as a large ceiling fan created cooling air currents. It was an odd sight really for in those days, no one had heard of ceiling fans in a house. The store was small but large. I believe there were 4 aisles and a wooden floor that squeaked when you walked on it. And at the front of the store was an soda pop cooler where you would pluck a bottle of Royal Crown Cola out of the icy water. If you went down the center aisle, there were Hostess snack cakes for 12 cents and to make you want them was an animated Twinkie character that would run for months on a single battery. At the back of the store was a dairy case and a butchers counter and the old wood meat block where many a steak was cut and chickens dismembered. Then to the left and left again was the check out counter and behind it was the Holy Grail... the candy jars. Most small penny candies weren't packaged back then.. Simply dumped into big glass jars so you could see them. It would make your mouth water. I think my favorites were Michigan Cherries. They were red and sour but best of all they were three for a penny. Whopper malted milk balls were 2 for a penny. You could get a huge pretzel stick for a penny and a wide variety of gumballs... HUGE gumballs for only a penny each. It was here that I got my first taste of gambling. There was a penny gumball machine by the counter. It was filled with multi-colored gumballs and tiny charm like toys that were totally useless. But best of all were the stripes. These were old, beat up gumballs that were painted with stripes. If you put in a penny and were lucky enough, when you opened the metal chute, a stripe would drop into your hand. A smile would cover your face as you went to the counter cause a stripe could be exchanged for a 5 cent candy bar! But I'm stumbling down memory lane. Most of that is not important at all. I just told you that so I could tell you this. I was soon to find out that my new friends were not the most reputable boys in the neighborhood. We were sitting on Steve's front steps, probably talking about girls or baseball when Mike suggested we go down to Chandlers. I had never been in the store at that point and besides, I didn't have any money. There was Mom and 4 of us kids and Mom made $52 a week as a cook at a restaurant so I rarely had money. But Mike said don't worry about it. We entered the store and an old man with gray hair and big ears came to the counter from an apartment in the back. "That's Frank" Steve said, "He owns the place". Steve and Mike headed down the aisles. I felt awkward and Frank was looking at me in a weird way. I started back out the door. Then Steve and Mike rushed past me and said "C'mon". It was then I saw the grocer right behind us. We ran down a narrow passageway beside the store but the grocer caught us. As he pushed Mike agains the wall I could see that Mike had stuffed something down his pants. It amazes me to this day what Mike came up with as a believable explanation. He said it was a quart Pepsi bottle and he had gotten it stuck in his pants the day before. The ignorance of youth!! Well, it was a Pepsi bottle but it wasn't exactly empty and Mike unashamedly handed it to Frank, jerked loose and ran off. Frank turned to Steve and me and said "You boys go on, I'm real disappointed in you". That night, as Mom was fixing dinner, she handed me some change and told me to run to the store and get a loaf of bread. I nearly choked and quickly came up with a myriad of excuses why one of my sisters should go instead of me. But Mom said "Just go, and hurry. Dinner is almost ready". It was one of the longest walks I had ever endured. I surely didn't want to face Frank again but on the other hand, I didn't want to make Mom angry. I got to the store and slowly opened the door. I slid inside and found the bread, picked up a loaf and started to walk to the counter. My head was down but I could feel the old man staring at me. I put the bread on the counter and dropped the change beside it. I wanted to run. He spoke " You're that boy that was with Mike today". I nodded. His voice got sharp "Look at me, boy!. I slowly raised my head.. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. "It's ok, son" he said in a much softer voice. "But you need to be a bit more careful of who your friends are". I nodded again. I was afraid to try to say anything. He counted out the change and handed the extra back to me. I grabbed the bread and headed for the door when he said "What's your name boy?" My voice cracked and I managed to get out a barely audible "Doug." Well, nice meeting you Doug" he said "I hope you'll like it here on Oak Street. I nodded and left. As I got outside, tears started to flow. I wiped my eyes and went home to dinner. I avoided the store after that and I also avoided Mike and Steve. I would lay in the yard and read a book. The Hardy Boys. Their adventures could really start my imagination going. While reading one afternoon, a white car pulled up in front of the store. It was Frank. He closed half a day on Wednesday so he could go to the wholesale house for stock. As he got out of his car I tried to get to our porch but it was too late. "Doug" he yelled "Can you give me a hand?" I didn't really want to but I went over to his car. He popped the trunk and it was filled with half cases of canned goods, cereal and other store stock. "Could you carry this inside for me?" he asked. I nodded and picked up the first case, carried them inside and started stacking them on the floor. It took about 20 minutes and when I was done, Frank said "Grab yourself an RC, you worked up a sweat." I opened the cooler and grabbed a cool bottle and opened it. Frank looked at me expectantly. Remembering my manners, I said "Thanks". "No" he said "Thank you, you earned it." Here..." he said as he held out his hand to me and dropped a shiny quarter into my hand. I noticed his hands were large. "I can use some help here from time to time, you interested?" he asked. "Sure" I said "Just tell me what you want me to do." I grinned. He smiled at me and suddenly things were so much better. Over the next few years I saw many sides of Frank. Sometimes, he was like a slave driver. Demanding everything be done a certain way. "Don't sweep too fast" he'd say "You'll raise dust and nobody wants to buy dirty food." Or he'd tell me to make sure all the cans faced forward so that they were easier to read and looked neater. I used to watch as he'd take care of customers. He was the same with a lady buying her weekly groceries as he was with a kid that had 2 cents and could not make up their mind. "It's all about people" he'd say "Treat em right or someone else will." But Frank had his soft side too. I remember that he had a milk club. He had a card he punched whenever you bought a gallon of milk and after you bought 12 gallons, the 13th one was free. One day, Mom sent me to the store for milk. She handed me a whole handful of small change she had gotten in tips. I got the milk and lugged it to the counter and started counting out the change. While I was doing that, Frank opened up the little metal box that held the milk club cards and exclaimed "Well, how bout that? This gallon is free." He shoved the pile of change back across the counter to me. Thinking back now, we must have bought a dairy full of milk because we sure got a lot of free milk. There was a blizzard one winter. Snow was drifted everywhere and cars could not move. Many businesses were closed but not Frank. His store was open but the stock was dwindling. On Wednesday afternoon when he closed for the day, Frank and I took my sled and pulled it 3 miles to the Wonder Bread bakery and picked up loaves of bread, then stopped at Prairie View Dairy which was on the way and loaded crates of milk on the sled. It took both of us to pull and push the sled but we made it. Frank explained "many of the people around here are old, and my store is the only place they can get to." The next morning I got up early and started shoveling snow. Frank's garage was half a city block from the street and the snow was drifted as high as 6 feet, but I shoveled it all the way to the street. Now he could get his car out. Frank was amazed and gave me $2.00 for my morning of work. I realize now that even though he could get his car to the street, he couldn't go any farther. And even though my labor was in vain, Frank rewarded me for the effort. Over the next few years, I learned so much about the store, the people and even about life. I learned to use the cash register and wait on customers. A few of the customers would jokingly call me Frank Jr. I know now what an honor it was to be called that. By now, I was a teenager, and started to make more money mowing lawns and doing odd jobs for people. I was also discovering girls. My time at the store dwindled and finally the only time I went there was as a customer. One day I noticed a young boy sweeping the sidewalk in front of the store. I grinned. It was almost like I had graduated. Graduated from the School of Frank! The lessons were tough but have served me well in my lifetime. I learned people skills, compassion, responsibility and most of all.. pride! Pride in my work and pride in myself. For value received, I should have never accepted the dollars and quarters I got for the labor at Chandler's Food Shop.. I should have paid Frank! His lessons have been so valuable and shaped a boy headed down the wrong road into a responsible, compassionate, caring person who learned to stand up for himself and to look a man in the eyes with pride. I went into the Navy when I turned 17 and Mom moved to another neighborhood when I went away. I only saw Frank one more time after that. I was home on leave and stopped by his shop in my dress blue uniform. As the bell rang as I entered the store, I looked him in the eyes and smiled at him. We had come full circle for I could see tears welling up in his tired eyes. Frank wanted to take a picture of me in my uniform so we stepped outside. In the Navy, I had to salute officers, but that day.. On Oak Street... I saluted Frank Chandler because he deserved it and I owed him that much.	12
Columbia & Hoffman Date: 02-12-2010 By: BobK ( Topic#: 556 )	Back when I was going to Irving there was a gas station on the NW corner of Hoffman & Columbia. I believe it was Steuer's Phillip's 66? They had a son, Chuck and we were classmates. We were on the 9th grade football team which was a team +1. We played both offence and defense and since we had a +1, Chuck and I would rotate. We played left guard on offence and right halfback on defense. I didn't think Chuck was a very good player and I wasn't any better. I didn't know anything about football when I went out for it and at the end of the season I didn't know much more than when I started. I remember we had a play where I would pull, go right and block for a running play. Walt Timco was the center and a BIG guy. I don't think I ever made it to the block as Walt either took a step back at the snap or was pushed back, whatever the case I didn't make it past Walt. I guess Coach Thompson thought that if you went out for football you must know something about it. Jack Ulocky? was our quarterback and I believe he lived on 150th east of Columbia.	18
Doing the Avenue Date: 02-16-2010 By: nitti ( Topic#: 558 )	One of our traditions before a pending nuptial was to take the groom from north to south on Kennedy avenue stopping at every bar for a drink. (well we all didn't, someone had to help carry the groom as we approached the end). I'm doing this quickly from memory so I'll miss some - I'm hoping others will jump in with the missing bars past and present: Chuck and Irene's Idle Hour - now coaches corner Flicks (former Nook) Sportsmans Porters Freddies Brothers (former Flicks) Eli's (former Fifields) Pin Bowl Pioneer Blue Bird Drift Inn. Gotta stop here, the boss is calling. Please help with the ones I've missed.	2
I know it's Highland but Date: 02-20-2010 By: BobK ( Topic#: 559 )	do you remember Parkmore Drive-in at the corner of Ridge Road and Cline?	34
Condolences To Ken O'Neal Date: 03-06-2010 By: Jim Plummer ( Topic#: 563 )	I just read that Ken O'Neal's wife, Judy died yesterday. I am truly sorry for his loss.	9
Cherries and Honey Date: 03-14-2010 By: MrRazz ( Topic#: 565 )	Does anyone remember the name Clarence Tunis from Hessville? He and his family had an older home and some property on the corner of either Missouri or Montana & 169th. They lived there long before and up thru the development of the homes in that area. Had 3 sons Harold, Alan, & Darrell. They had a small cherry orchard south of the house. We used to sneak up into the trees and gorge ourselves on cherries until Mrs. Tunis would scream like a banshee out of the window and put the fear of God into us. She had quite a set of vocal chords...exercised them quite frequently trying to corral her boys. Mr. Tunis was a very kindly gentleman and a bee keeper. He used to share his knowledge of raising bees with us as we watched him collect the honey putting the comb right in the jars with the honey. The free honey comb samples were so good. I believe they were members of Rev. Eastwood's congregation at the Presbyterian Church. They were good people.	14
Thanx 4 The Memories Date: 03-15-2010 By: SixTGunr ( Topic#: 566 )	I just came across this forum early this morning and I can see that I have a lot of catching up to do. Brief: Born and raised in Hammond and resided in the Hessville area. Attended Lee L Caldwell, OLPH, Bishop Noll and ended up graduating from Morton (the older one in 1966). My first job ever was at Fifield Pharmacy Also: Keyes Fibre (Woodmar area) after graduation. United States Marine Corps 1966-1970 Vietnam Combat ... Wounded Three Times Resided in Hessville after return and spent a little time in both Highland & Griffith before moving South and then again South Westerly. Actually left Hammond around 1987. Believe I saw a name or two of folks that rang a bell and numerous bells of locations and photos that brought back a lot of memories. I'm sure I will enjoy more as I get some time to peruse the topics here. Like the title says: "Thanks For The Memories" and I look forward to spending more time here catching up as time permits. Have a great day. Six	20
Tastee Freeze (Hessville) Date: 03-15-2010 By: SixTGunr ( Topic#: 567 )	Not sure if this topic has been covered or not but I remember well growing up in the SE corner of Hessville near Cline & Orchard Drive and there used to be three business' along Cline Ave between 177th Street and Orchard Drive (on West side of Cline Ave) .... There used to be a Texaco or Sinclair station at Orchard & Cline (when Cline was a little two lane road) ... Just North of the Texaco station was a Tastee Freeze and just North of the TF there was a little store called the Five Star @ 177th & Cline ... If you continued traveling eastbound on 177th or Orchard Drive crossing Cline you were in the Black Oak section ... I spent a lot of time at the Tastee Freeze and Five Star. Used to walk the Nickel Plate RR Tracks down to those two places. Ah ... the memories.[:)] Six	3
Help! Kin of Baker needed Date: 03-17-2010 By: junkonoki ( Topic#: 569 )	Hi, I don't know how fruitful this will be, however, I am looking for relatives on my mother's side of our family. My grandfather received a letter on December 20th, 1995 from the mother of his former wife seeking my mother and aunt after many years. The letter is simply signed "Grandma Baker." The last known address included in the letter is 165th St at the Brich(?) Complex Apartments. She speaks of poor health in the letter. It is assumed she has passed. I am however looking for my mom's mom/my grandmother and next of kin. Baker had a heart valve replacement in 1993 as per the letter. The letter is addressed to my deceased grandfather Lawrence (Buster) Kohl. I am hoping this will ring a bell with someone. Thanks.	0
Fess Parker Date: 03-19-2010 By: Roger D ( Topic#: 570 )	Just read that Fess (Davy Crockett/Dan'l Boone)Parker has died. There goes another hero. Sure brought back memories. May he rest in peace.	4
Cedar Lake Date: 03-22-2010 By: MrRazz ( Topic#: 571 )	I know it isn't Hammond, but I am sure alot of folks from da Region have had experiences at Cedar Lake. One of my greatest memories was spending time with Grandpa Louie at Cedar Lake. He was my dad's Boy Scout Leader in Chicago. After moving to Hammond at a very young age, Grandpa Louie would stop by on a weekend and take me to to the lake. He and Aunt Magaret had a cottage at the lake. I would help him in his vegetable garden, clean out his Martin houses, and he'd take me fishin' on a dock near by...boy, I loved that and him too. Later they moved to Florida, and I only saw them once after that, but the memories remain. Would be interested in hearing others experiences at Cedar Lake. A while back, surfing channels I caught a glimpse of a movie written by SHEP which mentioned Cedar Lake. The movie starred Charles Grodin, but don't know the name of it. Whenever I get back to the area, which isn't often now, since my folks are gone, I make it a point to take a tour around the lake remembering my friend, Grandpa Louie.	7
Shep's Initials in Hammond High sidewalk Date: 03-25-2010 By: john~k ( Topic#: 572 )	Can anyone confirm this? Clip from May 19, 1967: http://ultrashare.net/hosting/fl/b5592c167e/Sidewalk_Initials	9
My Summer Story Date: 03-29-2010 By: BobK ( Topic#: 574 )	I found it here http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LGBCFUYY Good but not as good as A Christmas Story. Bob	0
OLPH 8th Graders Date: 03-31-2010 By: SixTGunr ( Topic#: 575 )	Was taking to my sister Patty, who will more than likely climb aboard here some time in the near future. She "kinda" remembers you Larry r ... After many of the kids graduated the 8th grade at OLPH we kinda all went in different directions when it came to high schools. Some of the names Patty dropped on me were these: Frank Tokoly Jim Kumigea Terry Skertich Richard "Dick" Ramker (The Doc's Son) Maureen Scott Jane Sanders Anyone remember these folks and where they might be today? Six	88
Jean Shepherd ??? Date: 03-31-2010 By: SixTGunr ( Topic#: 576 )	Please excuse my ignorance and lack of knowledge here but could someone please explain to me exactly who is the individual that this forum is named after. Details? Thanks, Six	4
All My Lazy Rivers - John Bollinger Date: 04-04-2010 By: nitti ( Topic#: 577 )	My wife Vicki - Morton '75 - saw an article in the Times this morning describing a new Jean Shepherd inspired book. Stories of growing up in Hessville in the fifties. I suspect the Morton Grads in the forum know the name (I'm Noll) because he taught there for 35 years. Article says he went to Harding and Gavit. The article also says he has a couple of sequels in the works. Does anyone know him/know anything about the book?	17
Towle Theater Date: 04-04-2010 By: BobK ( Topic#: 578 )	Someone asked awhile back about the location of the Towle Theater. It's next to the old Woolworth building. http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotos-g37170-Hammond_Indiana.html#1825606 Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]	0
Dr. Albert John Costello: R.I.P. Date: 04-12-2010 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 579 )	Dr. Albert John Costello: R.I.P. Here's to the gentleman who brought me in to this world; http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nwitimes/obituary.aspx?n=albert-john-costello&pid=141669832	0
America Now: City of Heartbreak and Hope: Date: 04-21-2010 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 581 )	America Now: City of Heartbreak and Hope: Once a thriving city, Detroit is now a shell of what it used to be Although this transcript from a recent episode of Dateline NBC deals with the problems in Detroit, anyone from Hammond, Indiana, or any where hit by the changing times, can relate to this story. Very sad. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36665950/ns/dateline_nbc-the_hansen_files_with_chris_hansen/	0
Little League Date: 04-24-2010 By: SixTGunr ( Topic#: 582 )	I played for a couple of years and from what I recall (which is'nt much at my age now) there were three leagues basically ... I believe the brackets went by age: A .. B .. C The A's (older boys) always played (or were based at) at Lee L Caldwell Field The B's were homed at Loss/Gibson Park I played two years for the B Leaugue Giants. Coach was Walter Frye and his two sons Wally & Mike were also on the team. Mike was later KIA in Vietnam in 1969. The Fryes and my family lived within a half a block of each other in Hessville (176th & New Hampshire). Those were some good ole days from what I recall and I sure miss my childhood friend Mike. Six	6
Why no one hitch hikes anymore Date: 04-25-2010 By: duane ( Topic#: 583 )	I know that it is a different world and even the biggest guy might feel unsafe hitchhiking today, but there is a radio talk show guy here in Minnesota (his name is Joe Soucheray and his show is called Garage Logic - All Life's problem's can be worked out in the garage!) who, I believe, has the correct answer. It doesn't really have to do with safety - rather it has to do with "rampant prosperity." Back in the 1960's and early 1970's lots of people didn't have cars, many teenager's didn't have cars and didn't have access to their parents single car. Today, there are so few hitchhikers because almost EVERYONE has a car. I remember while attending Purdue Univ. in Laugh-a-Lot, Indiana. I made up a sign that said "Chicago" in the same logo-style as the Chicago Transit Authority band that was popular at the time. I got home almost as fast as if I were driving myself. My folks, of course, wouldn't let me hitchhike back, so I got bus money and took the greyhound - now there was a trip I'd like to forget.	0
Mill cars Date: 04-27-2010 By: Joel357 ( Topic#: 584 )	When the mills were going strong, the people who were employed at Youngstown, Inland, or US Steel(among others) had mill cars. Me being quite young, I asked my dad one time why our neighbor, Mr. Sullivan had such a piece of junk, rusted out, burned oil and was one step away from being driven to the junk yard and he was probably scared to wash it as it would probably fall apart. He told me that Mr. Sullivan was a smart man because no one with an intelligent mind would drive a nice car because it would soon become a mill car. Any of you guys drive mill cars? Joel	19
50th Anniversary of Dick Biondi on WLS Date: 04-30-2010 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 585 )	This Sunday night, May 2nd, from 7:00 PM until midnight on WLS FM (94.7 FM) Dick Biondi will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his first show on WLS. (The station streams on the Internet for those outside the station's broadcast range.) I believe Sunday will be fifty years to the day since Dick's first show on WLS. Tomster	10
Discovering snakes - a Mother's Day Tale Date: 05-09-2010 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 586 )	If you think about it, our memories fall along time lines. Our discoveries are age-related. How could we discover the joys of running until after we had learned to walk? We could not feel the freedom of bicycling before we had mastered the art of balancing, and so on. As each year passed, the more amazing our discoveries became. I cannot give you the exact year that I discovered snakes. I was a kid, after all. Maybe six, maybe eight. At that age, my concept of time was based on events like dinnertime and bedtime. The concept of months and years came along after puberty, but that is another story. My memory of the year that I discovered snakes came back to me because of Mothers Day, of all things. By the time that I came along as the fourth of five children, my mother had learned how to delegate some parenting tasks to my older sisters. But some tasks were reserved to mothers, things like taking me on my first bus ride, discovering the wonders at Goldblatt's department store, etc. One parenting task that she reserved for herself was her garden, which was demarcated from the back lawn by a row of Irises. Beyond that line, she planted (and us kids weeded) a garden that yielded fresh vegetables in the summer with enough left over to be canned for winter meals. She made gardening a pleasurable experience, and it remains so today. Unfortunately, I made one particular year very un-pleasurable for her. That was the year that I discovered snakes. Our house on Beech was one block south of Hoffman. The tract of land between Hoffman and Chicago was swampland, bounded on the east by Catholic Central High School (now Bishop Noll HS) and on the west by Irving Park. For a kid my age in the 1940's, the swamp was a treasure trove. We watched pollywogs grow to frogs and caterpillars become butterflies. And then there were the wriggly things called garter snakes. Having been forewarned by my older male playmates (my sisters would not venture into the swamp), I watched for Black Widow spiders that might be lurking and pits where snakes were waiting to engulf me. I never did see a Black Widow spider, but I did find snakes. Once I learned how to fashion a tool from a forked branch, I quickly became an ace at handling Garter snakes. The baby snakes were quite passive and seemed to be fine with me holding them, so I collected a bunch of them in one of my mother's canning jars and deposited them where I thought they would be happier - in my mother's garden. It turned out that they were very happy to get out of the swamp, so much so that some of them grew to two and three feet long. As I then learned, my Mom and sisters were scared to death of snakes, and my wriggly friends terrorized them as they tended to our garden. Adding to the problem, the snakes expanded their territory beyond the row of Irises and into the back lawn - where Mom hung our clothes. All of a sudden, I had a new chore of hanging out the wash. This is just one memory of growing up in Hammond.	10
Tom J. Date: 05-15-2010 By: Roger D ( Topic#: 587 )	I have recently learned that Tom J's wife is seriously ill. Please keep her, Georgeann, Tom and the family in your prayers.	33
Cold War era tattoos Date: 05-26-2010 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 588 )	My wife asked me about the tattoo on my right side, which caused me to think about where I got it when. It was my first (and only) tattoo, and I got it when I was in grade school in Hammond. Yes, grade school. It was not part of a gang rite. Rather, it was a Civil Defense program during the Cold War. I attended All Saints Grade School during 1947-55. I am not sure when the Civil Defense measures began affecting us, but I recall the drills where we would take cover under our desks in the event of an atomic attack. I also recall lining up to bare the right side of my torso while someone zapped me with a tattoo (a series of dots) that was supposed to show my blood type. The theory was that such tattoos would aid rescuers in helping victims after an atomic bomb attack. Thankfully, we never experienced the outcome that our country was preparing for during the Cold War. Civil Defense drills like hiding beneath desks might sound silly now, but as ineffective as they would have been in the face of an atomic attack - they were the only practical defenses at the time. My blood-type tattoo is a physical reminder of living in Hammond during the Cold War era. The series of dots must have made sense at the time, but not now. My wife is an RN, and she has no idea of how the tattoo identifies a blood type. I would love to find out more about how I and my fellow-students came to be tattooed at such an early age, but have found nothing to date.	9
Thawk Date: 05-27-2010 By: Thawk9632 ( Topic#: 589 )	Hi,iam new to this site,it is really great.i was born in Hessville,1943-1969,in the service from 1962-1966 moved to Whiting.I had worked at Dudek's car wash,the Nook resturant,Byer's Heating,Younstown sheet-Tube,Carbide Chemical's,those where the good old year's	11
Old Hessville Date: 05-29-2010 By: Thawk9632 ( Topic#: 590 )	Did anyone work at the Grapette bottling co.or Spiffy ice cream,or at Delock's grocery on 165th st.Or even hangout at the Nook resturant,Or Kenwood Bowling alley,in the 50s-60s era,please drop me a line or 2 thanks	1
Memorial Day Date: 05-30-2010 By: Thawk9632 ( Topic#: 591 )	Nothing has really changed in the years,Are men and women in the armed services still serving and protecting our country and men and women protecting our families at home,Let us all pray!!!!!God bless us all.	2
This is it(Black Oak Date: 06-02-2010 By: Thawk9632 ( Topic#: 593 )	Does any one remember the two stores in Black Oak called This is it,what a cool place,also when Ridge Road drive in had swap meets or Garage sales,the good old days of route 30 drag strip,if a lot of our kids really new what we did as kids,my son and daughter ask me once in a while!!!!	21
Hammond Times Date: 06-02-2010 By: Thawk9632 ( Topic#: 594 )	Both of my sister's worked at the Hammond times,my grand mother worked at the phone co as a operator,my grandfather worked at IHB railroad as a locomotive engineer,by Chuck-Irene's Bar.	17
Downtown Hammond Date: 06-02-2010 By: Terry ( Topic#: 595 )	My name is Terry Farrell. I was born in Hammond in 1941. My family lived on Douglas Street, just across from the Erie Railroad yards. My folks owned Farrell's Erie Lunch, located on the corner of Douglas and Oakley. Borden Dairy was just down the street. I remember when I was a very young boy, the milkmen would give the local kids small chunks of ice and now and then chocolate milk. Borden's bought a coal yard on Clinton that bordered the railroad tracks; it was used primarily to park trucks and to store milk crates......there were more crates stored there than I have ever seen in one place. My friends and I would climb over a concret wall that ran along the tracks and head right for the crate storage area, where we had built a fort (think "building blocks"). My Mom and I would walk down Oakley, over the Nickel Plate railroad tracks (I can still remember that gigantic steam engin coming around the bend and railway express carts), across Sibley to the Minas Department Store. I remember our Sheptalk moderator's father; he ran the parking lot and parking garage. Mr. Campbell was the shoe saleman that we always dealt with; Mom bought me Buster Brown shoes and with each purchase a customer would receive Superman money to be used to "buy" one the prizes (you had to save up for the good stuff). I remember the Orphum Theater (not the gravey bowls) and the Hohman Theater (12 cents to get in; could barely see walking out after an afternoon of movies on a Saturday). The Parthenon and Paramount were 20 cents for a kid before 5:00 or 6:00. Someone mentioned the Hammond Times; I often helped my older brother deliver newspapers and on Sunday mornings we sometimes walked through a tunnel that started in the Jack Fox building (on Hohman Avenue) and went under the alley into the Hammond Times building, where the presses would be running (I do not have a clue as to why we would access through the Jack Fox building on Sundays). When they were dating, my Mom worked for the telephone company in the Calumet Bank building. My Dad worked in the NIPSCO building (sometimes they would waive to each other during lunch; the buildings were about a block apart). As a child of four, five or six, I would go to the Calumet National Bank with Mom and I can still recall looking up through the glass countertops of the tables where people wrote out their deposit slips. Later, I worked at the bank and I always admired the lobby, with its high, ornate, celings (one time, during remodeling, before my time, those ceilings were almost painted over; the years had covered up the beautiful artwork; it was during preparation to paint when the art was discovered and cleaned). So, what do I know about Jean Shepherd? I was introduced to Jean Shepherd's writings by Jim Gasvoda (Hammond High and Purdue athlete and a very nice human being). I have never been to either Flick's Place, but I know where they are and when I was in high school, I am sure that I went to the same place Shep did for my tux (probably the very same guys!). I remember Goldblatt's with its decorated store windows at Christmastime. The buses downtown. The trains. Hessville is not unknown to me. As a kid in high school, working with my brother, I scrubbed the floors at Cande's in the middle of the night and took dates there for pizza or beef sandwhiches. Hills News Agency was another customer; it was bit more difficult to clean, given all of the merchandise. When I was older, the Kennedy Theater was one of my favorite shows. By way of general background, I spent all of my childhood in Hammond, attending St. Joseph's grade school and Noll. Upon returning from the service, I attended and graduated from Calumet College. I worked at Stanray, Union Tank, 1st Fed of E.C. in Munster and retired from Bank Calumet. Not unlike most of you who have contributed to this forum, I have always considered myself blessed to have been raised in Hammond during the forties and fifties. I did not understand my good fortune at the time, but I do now. My wife and I live in California, but I have not forgotten my roots, the places, the people. If you found the above interesting, I will dig a little deeper and come up with more memories of Hammond; there's still the Civic Center, Harrison Park, the fire escape at the old Hammond Tech, State Street in Calumet City, the Calumet Theater, Carroll's Ice Cream sales (selling ice cream from the three-wheeler bikes), etc. Thank you for this opportunity to reflect a bit.	11
Remember Date: 06-07-2010 By: Ron H ( Topic#: 596 )	Does anyone remember the slogan TUT TUT NOTHIN BUT ___________ BREAD?[:)][:)]	18
Doctor Rudolph Date: 06-10-2010 By: Jim Plummer ( Topic#: 597 )	As a child I was taken to see Dr. Rudolph who was located in The Calumet Bank Building. Anybody else remember him? I remember he was bald and had a pleasant manner about him. Whenever I got a shot (always in the rear it seemed), I would receive a sucker with a safety handle on it rather than a stick to hold it. I also remember he had a blonde nurse who I was very impressed with.	13
Downtown Hammond/Part 2 Date: 06-22-2010 By: Terry ( Topic#: 599 )	THE OLD COURTHOUSE CLOCKTOWER/OLD HAMMOND TECH Born at Saint Margaret's Hospital in 1941, I was raised in a home located near the corner of Douglas and Oakley. The Erie Railroad yards were just across the street. There was a roundhouse, water tower and bunkhouse. The Minas warehouse was nearby on Oakley (sometimes I had to climb a telephone pole to the warehouse roof to retrieve a baseball hit from the sandlot on Douglas and Webster). I attened Saint Joseph's church and grade school. The school had a large parking lot/playground area with plenty of basketball courts. In those days (40s and 50s), a kid could disappear for most of the day and no one was concerned, however, there was usually a curfew. From the playground, the courthouse clocktower was visible and well lighted. There was no excuse for being being late when the time was so easy to check (just in case "Be home by dark." wasn't clear enough). At age ten or so, I could run home in ten minutes............unless the Erie Railroad was switching cars and blocking Douglas, Clinton and Russell! As near as I can tell, the first or second building in the church complex was the Antheneum. The lower level had been classrooms and the upper level was the gym with a deep and well equipped stage. There was a locker room on the first level and a large kitchen on the second level. The gym served as a basketball court, theater, banquet hall and a place to hold sock hops. Hammond Tech (the old Hammond Tech that was located on Russell Street)was a three or four story building. There was an ice plant next to the school and even in the summer, it was not unusual to find "snow" to throw at the older kids in the Tech activity yard......the tall iron fence meant that the little kids could usually get away with such things. The Tech building had one of those winding fire escapes. After school hours, neighborhood children would sometimes climb the fire escape and slide down. Once in a while the janitor would throw water down the chute. The fire escape was not enclosed (it did have high sides) and did not have a door at the end, so access was easy. I do not know if the Athenaeum is still standing or not; probably not. The court house that was located on the corner of Hohman and Rimbach is gone and the building that was just across the alley on Rimbach is also gone (I believe it is now the location of the new building for First Federal S&L of Hammond, which moved from just across the street). The 65,000 square foot Masonic Temple on Muenich Court is also gone. Someone asked about The Orpheum Theater; please see the Hammond Historical Society site (url) http://www.hammondindiana.com) Flashback edition of November 2002; there is a nice photo of The Orpheum Theater and a brief story. The May-August 2006 Flashback edition has an interesting story about the Paramount Theater. Could use a little help. Can someone tell me how to upload a photo? Also, can a Word document be uploaded? Does anyone remember Wicker Park in Highland and the amusement park located there? The pony rides? Once again, thank you for this opportunity. Terry	2
The Three Stooges-and other icons from the past. Date: 06-24-2010 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 600 )	The Three Stooges remain a true phenomenom in American pop culture; their "staying power" is AMAZING! Why is this, I wonder? For anyone interested, here's some background--- During the glory years of Hollywood, every studio (MGM, Warner's, Paramount, etc) was like a little, self-contained city that had it's own offices, sound-stages, equipment, actors, directors, designers, editors, orchestra, etc etc---AND a short-subject Department of some sort that produced comedies, cartoons, educational films, etc.. that were distributed as part of the package that went out to theatres nationwide; as you know, a film showing used to include a news-reel, cartoon, comedy short, etc...all of it provided by the studio that produced the feature film. So EVERY studio was making these short films. Columbia studios, which produced the Stooges, also produced MANY OTHER comedy series--Andy Clyde, Vera Vague, Collins and Kennedy, Schilling and Lane, etc....most of whom are totally forgotten today. So, of ALL of the comedy teams that were active during the 30's and 40's, ONLY Laurel & Hardy and the Stooges have survived...and the Stooges's popularity definitely eclipses L&H. However, as the studio system began its post-war decline, they all shut down their short-subject departments. Columbia hung on as long as it could---Shemp Howard died in 1955, but Columbia decided to continue by replacing him with Joe Besser for two more years of films, before they, too, threw in the towel in late 1957. Ironically, even though TV was largely responsible for killling off the studios and ending the Stooges' major career, TV ended up SAVING them! During the 50's, the studios desparately needed the income, so they decided to take all of their old films that were sitting in their vaults---films that were NEVER meant to be seen more than once in the theater and which would have probably been DESTROYED by the studios---and sold these films in packages to TV stations around the country who were all looking for kiddie programming to fill their afternoon time slots. Thus, in the fall of 1958, WGN TV in Chicago first started airing the Stooges' shorts, and my life has never been the same since! So the Stooges and their work were saved from oblivion--- they became a HUGE attraction (bigger than they had been in the 30's); they hired Joe DeRita ("Curly Joe"), and began to tour the country, make feature films, records and cartoons. So let's see where this thread goes; it would be great to hear from anyone who really appreciates the Stooges, and the way in which they brought out that "nitwit/knucklehead" tendency in all of us; there's something about their low-brow humor that just seems to fit in perfectly with the blue-collar, strong work-ethic, fun-loving character of us denizens of da' Region. Jay--please post the 1961 pic you have, and I'll do some stuff too. "I am Hasso Ben Soba"! (Shemp: I've had a few too many myself....!)	38
Mrs. Iolene Luchene Obituary Date: 07-05-2010 By: S C Jones ( Topic#: 601 )	For those of you who remember the Luchene's record store on Kennedy, and who may remember Judy and/or Sharon, this obit appeard in the NWI Times: IOLENE M. LUCHENE HESSVILLE, IN/FLORIDA Iolene M. Luchene, age 92, a resident of Pines Village in Valparaiso, passed away Tuesday, June 30, 2010 at the Arthur B. & Ethel V. Horton VNA Hospice Center in Valparaiso. Iolene was born September 1, 1917 in Clinton, IN, the daughter of the late Helen Morrell and James Yeaw. Iolene was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth N. Luchene. Together they owned Luchene's Sport and Record Center in Hessville from 1955-1960. Iolene worked as a fashion consultant at Rosalee Smart Apparel in downtown Hammond for 10 years until she and her husband retired to North Port, FL where they lived happily for another 32 years. Iolene is survived by two daughters: Judy (late Dave) Kralik of Valparaiso, IN and Sharon (late Richard) Sheffer of Warwick, PA; seven grandchildren; and 17 great grandchildren. Preceded in death by brother, Kenneth Yeaw. There will be no visitation. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Donations in Iolene's name may be made to the Arthur B. & Ethel V. Horton VNA Hospice Center, 2401 Valley Dr., Valparaiso, IN 46383. moellerfuneralhome.com	8
East Chicago through old photos and postcards Date: 08-23-2010 By: Jay ( Topic#: 609 )	I found this interesting link over at the East Chicago Public Library web site. The photos date as far back as 1900. [url]http://www.ecpl.org/History/EC%20History%20Room/ECroomGallery.html[/url]	0
Old photos of Northwest Indiana Date: 09-23-2010 By: Jay ( Topic#: 612 )	Check out the link below for some great old time photos of various cities and landmarks in Northwest Indiana. [url]http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~innwigs/Images.htm[/url]	3
Yearbooks on Classmates.com Date: 10-10-2010 By: Bill Bucko ( Topic#: 613 )	Classmates.com has added some yearbooks to its site. Currently for Morton they have: 1956 1957 1968 1969 1970 1971 As a courtesy to those not fortunate enough to attend Morton, I'll mention they also have: Hammond High 1946 1952 Hammond Tech 1952 1967 Bishop Noll 1953 1954 1955 1956 1960 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 The yearbooks are apparently accessible in preview mode to non-paying members like me; full view requires Gold membership. There's an option to buy reprints: for 1957, black and white $39.95, color $59.95 (though only two or three pages are in color). Bill Warren G. Harding Class of '63	7
Slot Car Racing Date: 10-18-2010 By: TestPattern ( Topic#: 614 )	Recently, an old Hessville neighborhood friend visited. One evening we drove through the downtown area where I now live, and I pointed out a slot car track that opened just a few years ago. The owner of the track opened his business, knowing that it would not make money, but still wanted to do so just for the nostalgia, and in hopes to create some great memories for the current generation of kids whose parents might bring them in. This prompted a discussion, with my friend, about slot car racing during our youth in Hessville. I had not seen any topics open on this subject, or even a mention of slot car racing, so I'm launching one, and keeping it generic so others can contribute their recollections. During the 60s, many a boy received a slot car racing set as their "dream" Christmas gift, as did I. What great fun, watching our cars zoom around the whole twelve foot of two lane oval track set up in the living room, then later banished from under foot to the basement. The first tracks were flat ovals, and later models were figure eight tracks, some with an intersection, or some with an overpass. My brother had received a train set at an earlier Christmas, but I had the racing set. There was no comparison. The train set was basically a one kid toy. The second kid just sat and watched, until it was his turn, or would merely be in charge of placing the train cars on the track if they took a curve too fast - for many the entire purpose of running the train. With the slot car set, I could play by myself - excuse me, practice racing, or my brother or a friend and I could compete. Often, neighborhood kids would collaborate, and combine track pieces, if compatible, in order to build a longer track layout. Then some enterprising business people started opening slot car tracks. And, Hessville had one. The slot car center had two track layouts, built up on legs to about waist high. I think, the largest track along the north wall, was 6 or 8 cars wide, and had a total length of about 80 feet. A smaller track was along the south wall that seldom was played. Near the back of the store was a counter where one could purchase cars, parts or accessories. I believe it occupied the spot where the Readmore Gift Shop was earlier, (east side of 6800 block of Kennedy,) as I remember being able to look into the large storefront windows to see who was there racing. If I recall correctly, the rate was about $0.50 per half hour on the big track. You usually brought a friend with you. If you were racing, your friend watched from the west side of the shop, near the door and the far curve, so in case you flipped at the curve, he could reset your car on the track quickly to keep you in the race. If you didn't have the money to race, you could always watch others who raced, then run home and watch your own slot car zip around your twelve foot track, trying to relive the action. Sigh - just not the same! I believe that there was another slot car track on Hohman Avenue in Hammond, but I only visited there a few times, since our local track was so close. What a memory. Does anyone recall the name of the Hessville slot car track?	4
Region folks on national stage Date: 10-18-2010 By: class_of_66 ( Topic#: 615 )	BNI Grad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Reynolds Frank lived in Munster and attended St Thomas Moore Chuch. His son Dean went to school with me at STM HHS Grad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irv_Cross#Personal Article does not reference the fact that he went to HHS. (somebody fix that) Who's got others?	32
Calumet City Date: 10-18-2010 By: class_of_66 ( Topic#: 616 )	With the onset of prohibition in 1919, West Hammond/Calumet City quickly became known for something other than its patriotism.(West Hammond,saw the largest percentage of its population, per capita, enlist during WWI than any other community in the nation.) Bootleggers found local officials and police willing to turn a blind eye, and the town became a magnet for speakeasies, gambling, and prostitution. A multitude of illegal nightclubs sprang up throughout the town, and were particularly concentrated on a stretch of State Street that quickly became known regionally and, eventually, nationally as "The Strip," just as Calumet City was dubbed the original American "Sin City." With the repeal of the Volstead Act and the return of legal liquor in 1933, Calumet City's speakeasies converted into lawful nightclubs, many of them owned or influenced by organized crime elements from Chicago (including Al Capone, who owned a "getaway" home in Calumet City). Clubs, saloons and taverns continued to prosper in Calumet City, and a new record was set when it was determined that the town had more liquor licenses per capita than any other community in the nation. Many of the clubs featured Las Vegas-style showgirl revues, as well as such marquee talent as Frank Sinatra, Sophie Tucker, Keith Speaks, and Gypsy Rose Lee. By the 1960s, shadier elements had moved in to control the town's bars, gambling, narcotics and prostitution rings when the federal government began cracking down on the large crime families, breaking up their illicit holdings and sending mob bosses to prison. In the following decades, Calumet City's Strip was no longer seen as a sort of "Northern Las Vegas," but instead was infamous as a place to acquire drugs and prostitutes, and as home to a string of seedy bars that were a shadow of the nightclubs that had once reigned there. In the 1980s and after, reformist efforts succeeded in closing down many of Calumet City's bars, and the State Street Strip today is essentially an industrial park.	2
Riverview Date: 10-21-2010 By: class_of_66 ( Topic#: 618 )	http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot47vAN4HBY&feature=fvw	1
New "Nuttin' for Christmas" video! Date: 11-19-2010 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 621 )	OK, yous' guys----- HERE IT IS--- Just in time for the holidays! It's my new Christmas video, based on a hilarious 1955 song by the great satirist Stan Freberg. Apparently, the new kiddie novelty tune "I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas" was new that year, and Stan wasted no time in getting his own parody version recorded and released. MY dad brought home a copy that Christmas, and we've been yukkin' it up ever since; so I decided to do my own video version, which attempts to visually capture the same crazed, cartoon-like energy that you hear in Freberg's song. Here's the You-Tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9XHEUTvVAc If it doesn't work, go to the You-Tube main page and type in: "A TRIBUTE TO STAN FREBERG'S "NUTTIN' FOR CHRISTMAS!" Watch it early and often--share with friends and family alike; hopefully it will bring some laughs to round out the year. Larry r PS-- I THINK I'll officially dedicate the video here to my late brother Mike; he would have cracked up in a MAJOR way over it!	25
"Happy Thanksgiving!" Date: 11-24-2010 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 622 )	I would like to wish all my Forum friends a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.	4
Disco Demolition Night Photos Date: 11-30-2010 By: diskojoe ( Topic#: 625 )	Even though I'm not from "Da Region", here's a link that I found through my rambles around the Internet tubes via Yahoo Sports of a series of pictures that were taken @ Old Cominsky Park on the day of the infamous "Disco Demolition Night": http://www.dawhitephotography.com/disco-demolition	5
Ron Santo 1940-2010 Date: 12-03-2010 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 628 )	While not an Indiana story, but many Hoosiers, including myself, would travel to Chicago and watch Mr. Santo along with fellow Cub teammates play; R.I.P Ron Santo. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-ron-santo-chicago-cubs-obit,0,1699814.story	5
Christmas Story Comes Home Date: 12-27-2010 By: Jim Plummer ( Topic#: 629 )	Did anyone attend this event in Hammond this year?	10
Let it snow, let it snow! Date: 02-02-2011 By: seejay2 ( Topic#: 633 )	It's been too quiet in here for too long. I guess this storm should be the ice breaker (pun intended).	8
Hammond Civic Center Date: 03-27-2011 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 639 )	The Civic Center has meant a lot of things to people who grew up in the "Region." What are your memories? Here are some of my recollections. My family moved to 6123 Harrison in 1951. Our house was not close to the Civic Center, but was an easy bike ride up Highland Avenue and over the Erie RR tracks. A fellow student at All Saints School was a "hawker" for Sam Miller, who had the exclusive rights to vending food and drinks for Civic Center events. I later learned that "hawker" was a circus term for people who carried food and drinks through the crowds and shouted out their products. Sam hired me, and I spent my early teenage years hawking Cokes, hot dogs, peanuts and popcorn at the Civic Center. The events ranged from basketball games, circuses, music to wrestling matches. I have a lot to share about about my experiences in those days. Please share your memories.	28
3 Hammond Transplants and the storms Date: 04-27-2011 By: S C Jones ( Topic#: 643 )	Hey guys, The storms of yesterday and the day before, hit your area pretty hard. Are you all okay as far as the storms go? Somehow Middle TN has a reprieve from the storms moving in today. Hunkering down can give you exercise, I guess, but it "ain't fun"! Just wanted to acknowledge you all have been in my thoughts and prayers.	23
Old Drive Theater Date: 05-29-2011 By: romeo68 ( Topic#: 645 )	Does anyone remember the Moonlite(light) drive-in on Michigan Ave. just before Cline that closed in The 60's. Dennis Harwell	12
TOY STORE VIDEO on YOU TUBE! Date: 06-01-2011 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 646 )	Hey, guys.... Remember me? I feel like the prodigal son, since I've been so damned' busy and pre-occupied with things (for the past...oh..SIX MONTHS...). Like I said to my wife recently, it's great to stay connected to the good old times...but LIFE keeps getting in the way. I've just checked a few postings from March--Tom, I sure am glad to hear that you all are doing well. I had no idea. Speaking of the good old times, I FINALLY figured out how to upload my 2005 Toy/Hobby Store video to You Tube. It's in SEVEN (7!) parts (almost an hour total; yeah it gets a bit talky). But hey, it's my own personal chronicle of a dozen or so great old "MOM-and-POP" Toy Stores from the 50's and 60's in Hammond--filmed on location! (before anyone mentions it...YES...we needed to get more "establishing shots" that would have shown where the buildings were actually located; but my cameraman was a dufus). Here's the You-Tube link for Part 1 (you may have to click on "See All 9 videos" in order to access Part 5 which, for some reason, isn't showing up in the thumbnails on the right side of the screen). If the link doesn't work, go to You-Tube's main page and type in "Timeless Toys and Treasures". http://youtu.be/ZFjMpZqgiS0 Hope you guys enjoy it, and that we can spend some time discussing these stores and any others that you remember here on Sheptalk. Larry r	8
"Happy Birthday Tom!" Date: 06-01-2011 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 648 )	Happy Birthday, Tom, from one Hoosier to another, I hope it will be great one!	9
THREE STOOGES Interview on You-Tube!! Date: 06-04-2011 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 649 )	Here we go again.... I've posted a TV interview I did in 2003 with Rich Koz on his "Stooge-a-Palooza" show. I am the proud owner of five ORIGINAL scripts (not xerox copies) from the 1940's, and Rich invited me on as his guest to discuss them. It's only about 7 minutes long, so you won't need popcorn and a pillow like with the Toy-Store video. Here's the link: http://youtu.be/PACwbHh0LGI If it doesn't work, type in "Three Stooges Scripts" on You-Tube's main page. One the proudest moments of my life was saying "We ALL put the yeast in" in unison with Koz AND the Stooges themselves. Larry r	4
Hammond gardens Date: 06-16-2011 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 650 )	The popular perception of the Calumet Region portrays it as an industrial wasteland, choked of life by the steel mills, oil refineries and railroad tracks that served them. I lived there in the heyday of those industries, and I know how that image grew. In the 1950's and 60's, a drive down Indianapolis Boulevard yielded a landscape devoid of life. The skyline comprised metal towers that distilled gases and gargantuan mill sheds topped with smoke stacks. The smog was so thick that a wind off the lake limited sight in Indiana Harbor and parts of East Chicago to half a block. I understand that perception, but the memories of my mother's garden give me a different view of the Calumet Region. I was born just before WW2 started (July 1941). My early memories include helping Mom and my sisters cultivate her Victory Garden in our back yard (4842 Beech Street). Radishes and lettuce were the first out of the ground, followed by carrots, beans, peas and tomatoes. The Hammond of my memory was a vibrant place that sustained life along with industrial livelihoods. What are your memories of backyard gardens?	2
More than one page of topics Date: 06-17-2011 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 651 )	I thought it might be a good idea to post this reminder so newer folks will know that there are several pages of topics. The newest topics are on the first page and the older ones follow on succeeding pages. As topics get older without any new replies, they drop down the list until they finally drop off the first page. Look down at the bottom of the screen where it says "There are 5 Pages of Topics," and you will see how to go back to older pages. Tom	1
For all the Dad's here on the forum... Date: 06-18-2011 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 652 )	Happy Father's Day! And that includes all "Pet Dads!"	1
Hessville School Bus Service Date: 06-21-2011 By: Roger D ( Topic#: 656 )	Any body out there remember the school bus service that Eugene Winders and his wife ran in Hessville? I rode the bus from the fall of '57 until spring of '62. If I remember correctly it cost $3.50 per month for the first child in the family and $3.00 per month for any additional children. They ran a bus to Morton High and one to Caldwell Elemetry. Mr. Winders didn't put up with nonesense. You behaved or you DID NOT ride.	3
Jean Shepherd - THE MOVIE !!! Date: 07-08-2011 By: dethwort ( Topic#: 663 )	If they made a movie about Jean Shepherd's life, Kevin Spacey would be a great choice to play Shep.	0
The Original Hammond "Dinosaur Kids!" Date: 07-21-2011 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 664 )	Back in the mid-late 50's, my late brother Mike and I were the only kids we knew of who were interested in Dinosaurs, if you can imagine that. Actually, I'd say our interest was more like an obsession. So my mother contacted the Hammond Times, who sent out a reporter to interview Mike and me in our living room at 6912 Magoun Ave. Here's a copy of the interview as it appeared in the HT on Sunday, October 20, 1957, a beautiful sunny fall day, leading up to a fabulous Halloween. Bill Bucko will immediately recognize the great old wax dinos made by the Miller Company that Mike and I are holding in the photo. (Too bad a lot of the text got lopped off of this scan). [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/DinoBoys0001.jpg[/IMG] LR	5
Video Violence in da' Region! Date: 07-24-2011 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 667 )	Speaking of explosives, fistfights, and other forms of mayhem, check out this short You-Tube video: it's three brief (and violent) excerpts from "adventure" videos that I made with a couple of friends in '83-84: 1.) a "noir" detective drama 2.) a contemporary story of military guys who meet a crazed old jerk (guess who) in a bombed-out mid-eastern village 3.) a Western. (I take plenty of physical abuse in all three). http://youtu.be/PhQaYexWXcI The chief interest in these videos is the scenery--many of the structures we used were old and decaying and are no longer standing. Especially cool is the huge device that was used to turn railroad gondola cars upside down to empty them; do you know the thing I'm referring to? It was up by Lever Brothers, where we filmed a lot of the defective...er...detective drama. Incidentally, the guy I fight with in that scene is Dave Innes, who now is the manager of the Hammond Civic Center. The gorgeous babe is my wife Celeste. Check out the explosion that blows me across the room at 1:08; we were always doing crazy crap in these films, just so we could show them to people 30 years later and say "Look at all the crazy crap us morons used to do." LR	0
OLPH SCHOOL Date: 07-28-2011 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 668 )	Since so many of us seem to have a past association with Hessville's Old Lady's Pool Hall (OLPH), I dug through my old photos so we could chronicle the joint. There's lots of info about the place contained in a couple of other thread/topics, but I'd though I'd start a new one specifically for these pics. Shortly after our brother Mike's funeral in January, 2010, my sister Nancy and I were able to wander the halls of OL, and shoot photos; amazing how little the place has changed in 50+ years. Here's a group photo of my 1st Communion class, taken on the morning of Monday, May 4, 1959 in the OLPH Assembly Hall, against the west wall (Monsignor Reinig down in front; I'm in top row, 5th from the left). And here's the exact same view, from Jan. 2010. The big window curtains are gone, the bingo display board on the right is covering some of the wall speakers, etc...BUT the beams, the pipes, the floor tile, ceramic bricks, ceiling, fixtures, etc are identical; you can even see the same cracks in the insulation of the overhead horizontal pipe.	11
Love the renewed posting in here! Date: 07-31-2011 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 674 )	Thanks to all who are contributing to this forum. The place had gotten way too quiet and it is good to have some activity again. I may not have anything to contribute to a particular discussion, but you can rest assured that I am reading every post and enjoying each and every one. Tomster	4
DINOSAURS and ALIENS from Miller Co. Date: 08-03-2011 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 675 )	I can't resist it. Since Bill Bucko and I both remember the cool wax figures made by the Miller Company so fondly, I think it's appropriate to devote a thread to them. Miller's Wax Dinosaurs were released in the spring of 1957, and their fabulous set of Aliens or "Earth Invaders" as they were called, were available for Christmas of 1958. We bought all of ours at Newberry's in Woodmar. The Miller Company was located in Itasca, Illinois (I think that's the Chicago suburb; I'll check it out); the guys who designed these Aliens were definitely off somewhere in an alternate universe--what could they have been smoking back in '58, I wonder? I actually HAVE an original--the URANUS figure, which was one of the craziest designs of all. I bought it out of a toy magazine about 15 years ago for $75(!)--and one of the arms is broken off, so I got it at a reduced rate. The old blue-ink stamp on the bottom of its base says 15 cents. Here's the biggest one of the set, the Alien from *NEPTUNE--- it's the one that my brother Mike and I never got, but Bill apparently owned one (maybe this one sold for 25 cents because of its size). [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/millerNep.jpg[/IMG] Check this one out--the PLUTO* alien; sort of a combination of a lizard/fish-like body with a Japanese ceremonial mask-face, complete with wild-west style, two-fisted ray-guns. BIZARRE!	27
Frostop Date: 08-07-2011 By: BobK ( Topic#: 678 )	Where was it located? Bob	20
MAGOUN AVENUE MEMORIES Date: 08-13-2011 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 679 )	Recently I had the good fortune of getting back in touch with Steve Kush, who lived 2 doors down from us on Magoun Avenue back in the great old days; we had only spoken once in the last 50 years. Our houses--at 6912 and 6920 Magoun, were EXACTLY the same design, down to the last inch. Steve's family moved in (he wasn't born yet) on Labor Day weekend, 1954, and we moved in 2 weekends later. Apparently, the electricity in our house wasn't on yet, and my dad---for the rest of his life---remembered how Mr. Kush ran a big extension cord out of his basement window over to our house, supplying us with power until ours came on. Now that's a good neighbor! What's really cool is that Steve (and his sisters Caroline and Bev) remember A LOT of details from our days on Magoun, so we decided to start this thread and share some of the memories and photos with Sheptalk---sort of a chronicle of those fabulous times. I assume Steve will be signing up soon, and we'll see where it goes. Here's a pic of my late brother Mike (L) and I in front of our house in the summer of 1955 (this pic has been posted elsewhere on Sheptalk for a few years). Life was good. [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/55Summer.jpg[/IMG] And here he is --"Little Stevie" Kush, in THE CHAIR-- barber chair, that is...right up the block at Floyd Darnell's Barber Shop, on the corner of 169th and Magoun; can't be sure from this pic if Steve was enjoying the experience or not... [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af12/HassoBenSoba/KushBarberShop2.jpg[/IMG]	861
9/11 Ten Years Ago.... Date: 09-11-2011 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 711 )	Where were you ten years ago today?	6
Reposted Date: 09-12-2011 By: digger ( Topic#: 714 )	While digging a new garden spot in my yard on the 7300 block or Monroe Avenue my shovel hit a glass bottle marked Hammond Dairy Co. It suffered a small fracture, but is otherwise in perfect condition. Our house was the first on the block from what I understand. It was built in 1930. I was looking for information on the Hammond Dairy Co. and came to this forum. Like many people I like things that are old. I was born in Hammond at St. Margaret Hospital in 1959 and grew up in Munster. I remember Christmas shopping downtown Hammond, the snow falling, the store windows displays, riding the elevators, my parents complaining about the trains holding us up... I loved all of it. That had to be the most exciting part of Christmas for me besides decorating the tree with lead tinsel and big bulb lights. I also remember my first trip via bus from Munster to Hammond. I was about three and the thrill of the downtown shopping area never left me. The place that impressed me the most, I think it was Woolworths, a five and ten store on Hohman Avenue. It had ceiling fans, wood floors, and lunch counter grill in the front. As a teen I was allowed to ride the bus with a friend and go to my favorite hangouts like Teen Bears, JC Penny, the Golden Eagle, Walgreen's diner, Gean's restaurant, and one of those shiny trailer grills on one of the streets off of Hohman were you could get a great grilled cheese sandwiches and a coke for under a dollar. I often dream of the sights and smells of that time. The bolts of fabrics in Minas sewing department, the ladies hats and gloves displays in the small windows on the stairway landings, and the bins of ribbons, kitchen towels, and assorted accessories. I often wonder if there is any merchandise or displays left, perhaps forgotten in some dark corner of a basement or attic storage space in the buildings that remain. If there is, I would love to see it, touch it, smell it. My mother grew up in East Chicago. One of my favorite story she would tell was when she and her friend would go to Queen Ann Candy factory and get a whole bag of broken candy pieces for a nickel. My father born in 1923 is now 88 years old. He lived in East Chicago and Hessville and is a Graduate of Hammond Highschool. He was neighbors with Jean and Randy Shepard. I guess it was Randy he hung with. I love to pick dad's brain about the Shepherd's. I like to joke with him and tell him he was probably one of the boys in Jean's stories. He told me last year he was at Jewel in Munster on his weekly grocery run when he ran into Randy. I don't know how they recognized each other, but it is so nice that they did. Dad's one of those guys that kind of keeps to himself, but for a few people and family, he doesn't socialize much. He seemed very pleased to have seem Randy. I can tell by the smile on his face when we talk about it. I think dad would love to see him again if he could. digger USA 4 Posts Posted - 09/11/2011 : 22:25:08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just talked to my dad today about the Hammond Dairy Co. and coming to this site. He told me Jean and Randy Shepherd's father worked at that dairy when Borden took it over.	14
TOM J's 1,000th POST! Date: 09-26-2011 By: HassoBenSoba ( Topic#: 718 )	TO ALL SHEP-TALKERS... TOM J (our beloved "Tomster") is ONE POST AWAY FROM HIS BIG 1,000! I want to congratulate him for his amazing committment to this project! What say you all? Larry r	12
6234 Calumet Avenue Date: 10-22-2011 By: BobK ( Topic#: 734 )	The first house I remember living in was at 6234 Calumet Ave. It was my Grandparent's house and when my Dad went into the Army for WW II my Mother and I moved in with them. My Mother's younger sister was still living at home and attending HHS. Her name was Barbara but she was called Bobbie. Since I was also called Bobby they called me Bobby K so that everyone knew which Bobbie/Bobby was being referred to. I can only think of one person still living that calls me that. When I became an adult I tried in vain to get the relatives to stop calling me that but they didn't and I gave up. I started posting on the Magoun Avenue Memories Topic but that wasn't right so here's some of my early life. Unlike the guys on Magoun, my memory isn't near as good as their's. Bob	49
Thurston's House Date: 11-23-2011 By: silentshep ( Topic#: 741 )	So,, Shep told stories about Thurston the Magician living in the neighborhood.. having animals on his property,,Camel, Manatee.. Shep said the house was a block and a half away from his. A large Victorian House with back buildings along an alley..Anybody know it's location?? Hard to see any such structure on the Google Earth Stuff.... Maybe it was just a story about the Minas Mansion or close to it,,,..where is that located?? I reference to my UTube story about Thurston's Property,.,., http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=6p9AqRLnQqAer gary in California	8
older than dirt Date: 11-28-2011 By: tom w ( Topic#: 743 )	There was a little book store kitty-corner from the Yale building on Hohman Ave. They carried a series of Navy training books on electricity and electronics that I bought. Also there was an electronics supply store in East Chicago on Chicago Ave, called EDS I think. Anyway they made schematics for all TVs and radios from SAMS Publishing available. So I would go find a junk radio or TV, haul it home and take it apart and study it. I bought electronic kits from a company called Tandy that is now two companies. Tandy Leather and Radio Shack. I would put the kits together then give them away for fun. The book store also had all of the Audels books so I could find out anything about any trade that I was interested in. I never read a fictional book until I joined the Merchant Marined for Inland Steel. That was when I was about 14-15 years old that I messed with the books and kits and to this day I still can't sit thru a movie or read a fiction book. Does anyone remember these books? Tom W	12
Hammond historical timeline Date: 11-30-2011 By: Jay ( Topic#: 746 )	While doing some research, I found an interesting web site that briefly lists important historical facts about Hammond. The timeline begins in 1850 and covers up through 1998. [url]http://www.hammondindiana.com/history2.htm[/url]	7
When we were kids Date: 12-10-2011 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 749 )	On the Downtown Hammond thread, we shared our thoughts about why our treasured downtown withered and died. As a Hammond kid who was raised in in the 40's and 50's, I want to comment on something else that dissappeared in Hammond and elsewhere since those times. I am talking about the freedom that we had a kids to explore without worry. Back then, we could roam our neighborhoods without concern for our safety. I was reminded of this when I recently found a childhood playmate while doing family history research. Doris McNeil and I were born in 1941 and lived two doors apart on Beech Street. She reminded me that we didn't need the playdates of today, where parents phone or email neighbors to arrange playtimes. Back then, a neighbor kid would simply knock on our door and ask, "Can Bobby/Danny/Doris/Pat etc., come out to play?" Our playground covered several blocks around Beech Street, where excavations for new homes became our very own sand dunes, or where we spent hours catching tadpoles and snakes in the swamp along Hoffman Street. My last memory of Doris is the two of us taking a bus downtown to see a movie at the Paramount. In today's environment, I can't imagine kids like me, Doris and our neighbor kids having the freedom to be on our own like we were back then.	13
It's 2012! Date: 01-01-2012 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 752 )	Here's to a Happy, Healthy, Mindful, Grateful 2012!	3
Alleys Date: 02-29-2012 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 754 )	Who else is a fan of alleys? Did you have an alley behind your house as you were growing up? I really liked the alley between my street, Woodward Avenue, and Euclid Avenue. I used it for a short cut as I walked to Wallace School. I even walked my fourth grade teacher up that alley when we had her come over to our house for lunch one day. My mom was embarrassed that I walked Miss Conrad up the alley. [:I] It was fun to see the stuff people had thrown away, but I really wasn't much of a garbage picker. I walked my dog, Pepper, up and down the alley so he could do his business. I had Pepper for 13 years. What did they put down on those alleys back then to keep the dust down. It was oily stuff, maybe it was really oil. Whatever it was mixed with the sandy soil and became hard packed. I remember sticker bushes and snot flowers growing along the edges of the alley. Tom	22
#1 Song on this date Date: 03-06-2012 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 755 )	I think this has been posted before in Sheptalk but it might be buried in some thread rather than being a topic itself. I scrolled through the five pages of topics and did not see one on this subject. Anyway, there is a really cool website where you can select a month and a day of the month and it will show you the #1 Billboard song for that date for every year. Look up your birthday, your graduation date, your anniversary or whatever and you can see the number one song for that date. Here's the link. Tomster http://www.joshhosler.biz/	11
Double Date Date: 03-10-2012 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 756 )	Roger D and his wife, Ann, are supposed to hook up with Georgeann and me for a double date tonight. Roger and I have breakfast together fairly often but we have only double dated once before. We are going to meet at Philly's Restaurant in Greenville where they have rib eyes to kill for. It's great to have a fellow Region Rat living so near me. Roger knew my dad very well and hunted with him a few times. Roger's mom and my mom were in the same birthday club for many years. We really didn't know each other when we both lived in Hammond since he is five years (to the day) older than I, but we have become good friends down here in KY. Tomster	1
The Huddle Resturant Date: 03-24-2012 By: Thawk9632 ( Topic#: 757 )	Does anyone remember the Huddle resturant on Janet-Kennedy avenue,i had been there a few times,before it became The Nook,also Dudeks car wash,back in the 50's,would love to hear from anyone about this!!	0
Fruit stand Date: 03-29-2012 By: Thawk9632 ( Topic#: 758 )	Does anyone remember the Fruit Market on Kennedy ave.Between Janet,and Kenwood on the Eastside of Kennedy ave.my mind has just drawn a blank [?] I hope someone can bail me out,just wish the Sip and Bite would return,them where the good old days.	3
Gibson Woods!! Date: 03-29-2012 By: Thawk9632 ( Topic#: 759 )	I remember the sand hills,the swamps and all the trails and the old swimming hole,all the rabbit traps I used to have,I lived on Parkway N.across the street from Gibson Park shelter house where I used to ice skate(the good old days).	2
1940 Census Date: 04-06-2012 By: S C Jones ( Topic#: 760 )	Have you guys perused the 1940 Census that is online now? see it at 1940 Census National Archives-- It is a bit wacky, but I found my parents and several neighbors all who lived at different addresses than when I knew them..... Check it out. I found the Artims of trucking fame, the Ferris' of Standard Oil Station on Kennedy & 169th fame.....Lots of Luchenes, Dedelows, Loshes..... Ken, you may be able to find Judy's family.	4
Our bikes Date: 04-16-2012 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 761 )	Besides the bus line, bicycling was my mode of transportation before I got a drivers license. I learned how to ride on a bike that my three older sisters shared. I was too young to think about how it looked for a boy to be riding a girls bike. My Dad then surprised me with a used bike that he bought from a fellow employee at the Socony refinery, and that began years of adventures (and misadventures) while biking in Hammond. The bike was stripped down. No fenders, no chain guard. But it was a "boys" bike. It also marked the time that I expanded my world of exploration way beyond Beech Street. I went on to other bikes and adventures, memories that I will be happy to share. What are your memories of biking in Hammond?	14
Favorite kitchen smells Date: 05-12-2012 By: Paddy ( Topic#: 767 )	Every once in a while, I catch a wift of a smell that reminds me of home. One reminder is cherry pie. The cherries on the tree in our back yard on Breech Street were sour, but my mother used them to make amazing cherry pies. When she baked, the kitchen filled with wonderful scents that filled our house. The smells also alerted us to another treat, the cinnamon rolls that she made from the pie dough that she trimmed off. What are your scents of home?	24
Birthdays and Anniversaries Here Date: 06-05-2012 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 768 )	Let's have a separate thread where we send birthday greetings and anniversary congratulations to one another. I already had been thinking about this and then Larry suggested it. Brilliant minds think alike! :) So, if you want to wish someone a happy birthday or congratulate them on an anniversary, this is the place to do it. Tomster	9
Boy! Time Really Flies! Date: 06-07-2012 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 769 )	Forty years ago on this date, June 7th, 1972, I attended my last day at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. When one asks me, does it seem like forty years has passed by? All I can reply is, yes, yes it has.	9
Sheptalk Email down Date: 06-11-2012 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 770 )	It looks like the Email function is down. I informed Jim Clavin and he is working on the problem. He has been aware of the problem for a few days now so he must be having a hard time getting it fixed. Tomster	9
Jacks carry out Date: 06-15-2012 By: Thawk9632 ( Topic#: 771 )	Iam in Hessville this weekend,and just noticed Jacks carry out shrimp and seafood is not there,it is now a pizza place I will miss Jacks shrimp and sea food !!	0
Ken wood Tap Date: 07-22-2012 By: Thawk9632 ( Topic#: 772 )	I had heard from my nephew he said that it moved from the bowling alley to a building across from Chuck&Irenes on Kennedy avenue.if anyone knows for sure, would like to hear from you!![?]	1
Riverview Date: 07-28-2012 By: seejay2 ( Topic#: 773 )	This is probably the best Riverview throwback I've seen yet. Copy & paste the address below...Cj www.chicagotribune.com/videogallery/67285677/News/Remembering-Riverview#gl-5	10
Legends Of Hessville Park Date: 09-03-2012 By: LegulusQ ( Topic#: 775 )	[IMG]http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz230/LegulusQ/HessvilleParkFashionShow1957_300dpi.jpg[/IMG] This is an item from the August 15, 1957 edition of The Hessvillite. I'm not sure if the text will be readable, so I'll include a key to the Rogues' Gallery! Check out David Hiduke in the front row, he looks like Sinatra right off the "Ring-A-Ding-Ding" album cover! Front row: Lorri Grenda, David Hiduke. Middle row: Terry Hiduke, Rita Sansone, Connie Lannin, Kathy Grenda, & Phil Harris. Back row: Carol Groot, The Immortal Clem Wiechecki, Leandra Huber, Judy Wilson, Carolyn Lannin, Joan Wilson, Tom Wilson, & Lucy Baker. This is truly a rare photo of Hessville/Morton legend Clem Wiechecki in the prime of youth! Leandra Huber is from the Huber Funeral Home family. The Wilson family lived on Black Oak Road (aka Orchard Drive) between Kennedy and Arizona across from the park. The Hidukes lived down near the apex of Hessville Park at the junction of Black Oak Road and 173rd. Phil Harris is another Hessville Park icon to whom the little kids (like me) would have to offer their respects, as he was one of the local kingpins. And all the kids who spent summers in and around the Hessville Park shelter house knew and revered Lucy Baker, who ran the show for years. I went to school with members of the Grenda family. Carolyn and Connie are my sisters. I have fond memories of countless hours devoted to box hockey, washers, loop tennis, and wood cutting and similar "crafts" offered during the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer in Hessville Park! LegulusQ	11
OUR FIRST CARS Date: 09-11-2012 By: Roger D ( Topic#: 776 )	Okay gang, we have taken a look at our bikes, our first kiss, etc. Let us now take a look at our first cars! My first car to drive after getting my license was my dad's '59 Ford Galaxie, it was a white two door hard top. The first car I owned was a green 4 door '50 Plymouth Deluxe. It even had a push botton radio. It was bought from a guy my dad worked with for $70. This was in '63. It wasn't much but it got me from point A to point B.	21
Harding Elementary School Date: 09-26-2012 By: curtgreeneyes ( Topic#: 777 )	I remember harding	0
Hurricane Sandy Date: 10-30-2012 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 778 )	Were any of our members affected by Sandy? Ken O'Neal, did you get snow at Hurricane, WV? Tom	6
Region Rat Rendezvous Date: 11-03-2012 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 779 )	I'm looking forward to next Saturday evening. We are going to have a Region Rat Rendezvous at Barkley Lodge State Resort Park. They have a killer smorgasbord at the lodge. Chris (seejay2)and his wife Donna, Roger (Roger D) and his wife Ann, and yours truly and my wife Georgeann are supposed to meet at the lodge and do some serious pigging out. Both Chris and Roger are from Hessville, so I know I am going hear lots about life in that part of Hammond. Tom P.S. If there are any other Region Rats in the area, you are most welcome to join us.	28
Region Rat Reunion in Da Region Date: 11-21-2012 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 781 )	OK, this may never happen but at least we can have some fun in trying to plan something. Who would be interested in having a Sheptalk Region Rat Reunion at House of Pizza or some other eatery in the Region? Some of us live quite a long ways from the Region but all are welcome if they can make the trip. It might be best to wait until spring since winter is coming on and there is a potential for bad roads. That would give everyone time to plan ahead. Let's hear some ideas. Who would be interested? Tomster	17
Edward C. Minas Book Finished! Date: 11-23-2012 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 782 )	I posted this on the Edward C. Minas Store Family page on Facebook and I wanted to share it here with my Sheptalk friends. "The book is finished! Dave Minas said that his dad, Edward C. Minas III, finished the book the day before he died. Now the book is ready to go to the publisher but Dave doesn't know what size the book should be or whether it should be hard bound or paper back. Obviously the cost will depend on these factors. He doesn't know how many copies should be printed or how much people will be willing to pay for a copy. He is not interested in making money on the book but he would like to at least cover the publishing and distribution costs. That's only fair. Many of us have said that we are very anxious to get a copy of this book when it is published so now is the time to speak up. Dave needs some idea of how many books he can count on being sold and what price people would be willing to pay. Once again, he is only interested in recovering his costs. Would you please post how many copies you would want and what you would be willing to pay for a soft back copy and how much you would be willing to pay for a hard bound copy? I would like one copy and would pay $25 for soft back or $50 for a hard bound copy. Now, please help get the word out about the book!" So, my friends, please post in this thread how many copies you would want and what price you would be willing to pay for softback copy and what price you would pay for a hard bound copy. Tom	7
The Cast of Christmas Story; Where Are They Now? Date: 12-01-2012 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 783 )	TVGN 12:00 PM CST tomorrow, 12/2/12 I only caught the last little bit of it today but it will be on again tomorrow. Tom	4
2012/2013 Christmas and New Year Greetings Date: 12-24-2012 By: S C Jones ( Topic#: 785 )	to all Da Region Rats of Shep Talk. May you each enjoy a peaceful and warm family/friends time. I'll be with family--dwindling in number, but no less dear. S C	3
Some help for our host Date: 01-02-2013 By: Tom J ( Topic#: 786 )	Our host, Mr. Jim Clavin, sent me an Email with some questions that he would like some help with. Here's a copy of the text of his Email. I'm doing some research into some facts that came to me re one of Shep's teachers - Miss Fife Some questions that you or some of the others on Sheptalk could answer: 1) When did Warren G. Harding get its name and what was it called before 2) What Grades did it cover 3) What was Morton school? Junior High? 4) Was there a Miss or Mrs Fife in the system? Thanks for any help, Jim I don't have any information for Jim but I hope some of you can help out. Please post any info you might have. We owe Jim a lot for his kindness in providing us this great place to reminisce. Tom	9
What ever happened to Date: 01-31-2013 By: BobK ( Topic#: 787 )	Susan Levin, Hammond High School class of 1960, was Betsy on the Mr Wizzard Show 1951. Bob	0
Max-Ed's Drive-In (Griffith) Date: 02-11-2013 By: Highway66 ( Topic#: 789 )	I was wondering if anyone but myself still remembers a great hamburger place called Max-Ed's Drive-In. It was located directly across from the Ridge Road Drive-In in Griffith. A couple of years ago, two pictures of Fat Boy Restaurants were uploaded on this site but I could swear that the small restaurant shown is what later became Max-Ed's. You can see the "Fat Boy" name on the original picture but it's identical in shape and size to the Max-Ed sign that I scanned from my yearbook (not a good picture). The small building is identical to the building I remember as Max-Ed's and even the poles, supporting the sign, are identical in both pictures. I'm assuming that it was originally a Fat Boy Restaurant but it was eventually sold and became Max-Ed's. My wife still says they had the best onion rings she's ever tasted. Me and my girlfriend used to always stop at Max-Ed's before going to the Ridge Road Drive-In Theater. Does anyone else remember Max-Ed's? Kerry [URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/210/sdrivein.jpg/][IMG]http://imageshack.us/scaled/large/210/sdrivein.jpg[/IMG][/URL [URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/9/74466901.jpg/][IMG]http://imageshack.us/scaled/large/9/74466901.jpg[/IMG][/URL]	3
River Oaks Sears Closing in June Date: 03-01-2013 By: cartoonguy ( Topic#: 790 )	Calumet City Sears store slated for June closure http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/calumet-city-sears-Store-Slated-for-june-Closure/article_66a7af6e-369f-5e97-85ab-c87ab0e7b1cd.html	0
Loss of TestPattern Date: 03-08-2013 By: LegulusQ ( Topic#: 791 )	It is with a heavy heart that I must notify the Sheptalk community of the death of Mark S., known on the forum as TestPattern. Like me, he was a sporadic poster here, but always with something useful to add to the ongoing dialogue, particularly regarding Hessville history and lore. He is survived by his loving wife Mary. He was part of a group of friends attending Morton from the 1965-71 era who stayed in touch and would have informal reunions during years between the official reunions. Even though Mark was a 1969 grad along with Larry, he always attended our 1970 reunions as well, because he had so many friends in our class. He will be missed by all of us who had the privilege to know him. Goodbye, my friend! LegulusQ	5
TOM: Can't correct/update email address Date: 10-04-2013 By: S C Jones ( Topic#: 798 )	TOM: Can you help? Here is the message I get: There Was A Problem With Your Details Your request was not sent due to the following error: 504 Authenticate first (#5.5.0) (My question is, if my request won't send, how do I get it authenticated?) Do we still have a viable site, here? I hate to keep sending messages through the site that are of no interest to anyone other than me and the (hopefully) the one addressed.	5
Does anyone remember... Date: 10-23-2013 By: seejay2 ( Topic#: 799 )	Some time back in the 60's, there was a recording of a high school band played on the radio that became a hit. It was the worst recording of a song imaginable, off key, missed notes, bad timing and such. Yet it went on to become a hit. I think it may have been a Melrose Park marching band or something. Does anyone remember this? Or the name of the song? I don't. I have the tune haunting me, but I can't remember the name of it. I have a feeling Ken O'Neal will come up with the answer to this one...Cj	6
Happy Thanksgiving Region Rats Date: 11-28-2013 By: S C Jones ( Topic#: 802 )	Hey all you NWI Region Rats--displaced or in place, I hope all have a happy thanksgiving whatever your state. We here in the southland were colder than Chicago and New York this morning and the temperature dropped from 17 to 16 while I had my first cuppa coffee. Ken, I hope you are feeling better after your hospital stays last month.	3
Our Lady of the Angels Fire Date: 12-01-2013 By: MrRazz ( Topic#: 803 )	Today is the 55th anniversary of the Our Lady of the Angels School fire which occurred on Dec 1, 1958 claiming the lives of 92 children and 3 nuns and injuring so many others. Although it didn't happen in the Region, it was not far away in a close knit neighborhood on the west side of Chicago,like many of ours. I remember coming home from school that day to find my mother ironing and crying uncontrollably as she watched the news on TV. She told me what had happened, and I too watched and cried as this tragedy unfolded. It left a lasting effect on me, as I was the same age as many of the children. About 3 years ago, I was thinking about the fire and started researching it on the internet and read a couple of books about it. For those of you who are interested, there is a comprehensive website that has been dedicated to this event and is very informative: http://www.olafire.com/home.asp If anything good can come out of such a horrific tragedy, our school fire codes and policies were strengthened, and counseling for survivors of such events is now made available and encouraged. I am sure many of you have similar memories of this tragic event, which took so many innocent lives and forever affected the survivors, families, friends, rescuers, and caregivers of those who were lost or injured and rocked the world...I will be saying a prayer for them today.	6
Did everyone die? Date: 08-28-2014 By: BobK ( Topic#: 891 )	It's been over a month since anyone has posted anything on any of the forums. Bob	12
Jean Shepherd's 1st wife was from Hammond Date: 10-13-2014 By: Colonel ( Topic#: 895 )	I have determined that Shep's 1st wife was Barbara Mattoon from Hammond. In 1940, she was on a 10th-grade graduation committee at Edison School. We are trying to locate a picture of her. I believe she does not appear in the Hammond High yearbooks between 1940 and 1943. Barbara was married to Shep in 1947 by the minister of the (then) First United Presbyterian Church in Hessville. According to wartime accounts in the Hammond Times, Barbara was quite pretty and carried on frequent correspondence with 31 different servicemen, signing each letter "with love." Anyone have any thoughts on locating a picture of Barbara? Or know what became of her after her brief marriage to Shep?	0

Downtown Hammond of the 1960's