Here's a popular street in Mishawaka. It's called Memory Lane.
Sitting in the original Bonnie Doon's on 4th St. having a "real" milkshake.
Sunday concerts at the Battell Park Bandshell.
French fries that I thought were the absolute best from Sandy's Drive-in.
A Saturday trip to Tower Hill.
Passing Shula's U.S. 31 North and wondering what waited inside there when I got older.
Hanging out at the Greyhound bus station downtown and "making out" in those really cool wooden phone booths.
Participating in a homecoming parade that actually went through town!
Taking that Saturday morning drive with my dad down to Kuss's Bakery to get our bread for the week. And if I was especially well behaved, getting a warm, freshly chocolate - iced doughnut. I swear there were times when the aroma alone would take me to the brink of a "pastry high".
Walking along the train trestle and across the dam to Central Park knowing I was tempting fate yet never letting my mom find out for fear of sending her into coronary arrest.
Seeing Mary Poppins at the River Park Theatre.
Eakins Hardware.
The slot car track place next door to Eakins Hardware.
Having a paper route with my two brothers and delivering newspapers on bicycles to over 300 customers.
A Friday night football game with a chill in the air, a hotdog in hand and hopefully a date to huddle with under a blanket in the bleachers.
Meth dances. Had nothing to do with the drug. A dance sponsored by the First Methodist Church.
Playland Amusement Park and Race Track
Diltz Record Shop
Blairs Hills - when it really was just hills Legend had it that 'ol man Blair would shoot at young kids riding bikes on the trails up there.
Sledding at Wilson Park
My first Dairy Queen experience at the one located on Mishawaka Ave. just west of Logan St.
Going with my family to a red and white block building with a huge yellow curve on each side which was located just east of Ironwood on Lincolnway. We would order hamburgers, fries and a Coke. My dad muttering something to the effect, "This isn't going to last. It's just a fad." Hmmm. McDonald's - think it'll catch on?
The South Shore line
Studebakers - before it was a museum or the name of a bar.
Saturday afternoon neighborhood football games in my parents side yard that included Jim and Joe Jasiewicz, Mike and Ron Owens, Mike Durbin, John, Eddie and Kurt DeBroka, Chuck Rospopo to name a few.
Lee's Market on Laurel St. - home of the "lucky" gumballs which could be traded in for a candy bar.
Burn's Costume Shop and Rent-All on Mishawaka Ave.
Irma's on Union St. Sometimes on Friday night you could go there and she would bring out her telescope so we could look at constellations or the moon.
If memory has served me correctly - Keith Hoffman
Other memories from alumni around the 'Net
There are so many wonderful high school memories. Does anyone remember the jacket clubs? We DEBS had 18 members - our best friends were THE MATADORS. We all got together on Sundays and played ping pong at someone's house or in the summer we played softball or football. Then our cheerful happy principal Mr. Myers forbade us to wear our jackets to school - what a blow!! We had dances after every football game at The Rose Ballroom. None of us ever had rides so we walked from the stadium downtown, then back home again after the dance. There were soda fountains at all the drug stores. If we had some extra change, we might go to Kline's at noon for a hot dog or we stopped at Tribe-O-Rea after school for a cherry coke. Luckily, some of us girls still get together after 50 years and quite a few of our class go to the alumni luncheons. Its so great to see so many Mishawaka alumni getting together once a month. We had our 50th reunion in September 2004 and 10 of the DEBS got together for lunch the day before - it was wonderful!
Does anyone remember Playland Park? The race
track in Playland Park and Wrestling Matches back in the 50's and golf
course behind Shopper Fair after they tore down Playland Park. What was the
name of the little sandwich shop on the other side of the drugstore, served
great BBQ and cheeseburgers with fries. (Sandy's was build on the same spot
next to the cleaners) Most of us went to the grocery store called Rambler's,
great chili and bbq. Living away for 20 years and finding this website made
me a little home sick for Mishawaka. Best child hood memories and old
friends missed. Class of 67 reunion this year and I am attending and
contacted couple of friends which I haven't seen in 18 years to 25 and we
are to meet up then.
Tom Graham Class of 67'
Remember crossing the old railroad trestle spanning the St. Joseph River to take a short cut to town and worrying being caught in the middle when a train approached and nowhere to get out of its way? Fear never stopped us however from our appointed short cut to town.
The Rose Ballroom upstairs (located not too far from to the Tivoli Theatre but before the Ball Band Plant) after ball games (I think mainly after football games as I remember walking there and it was cool/cold) where so many dances were held on Friday nights. This is where the class of 1964 had a reunion 15? or more years ago. Many memories. Very crowded dances. Free, if I remember correctly.
Marlene DiFiori Locke, 1964
How about the Mistletoe Ball-often at the Indiana Club or Erskine Country Club--all the girls in their gowns and corsages.
Dave Spaulding as MC at some of the after game sock hops.
Pizza on Sat. night at the Volcano.
Tower Hill after the prom.
The Lariat Drive-In on Lincolnway.
Summer FOP baseball leagues at all the Mishawaka Parks.
Summer dances at the Playland Park ballroom.
Playland rides
The 4H Fair
The Blue Sox women's baseball team. Time to stop - too many memories, happy ones, sad ones and in between ones.
Did anyone mention the Melrose Soda Shop?????? Cherry Cokes, black and white square floors, booths with a record machine. I remember when a friend and I would cross the bridge, (we lived on the north side) put on lipstick and go hang out at the Melrose. I didn't graduate from MHS, I moved to Eagle Lake and graduated from Edwardsburg High. I think there were less then 50 in my class. It was great fun living there. Oh! How about the dances upstairs near the Tivoli theater, I can't think of the name, was it the Mishawaka Hotel?. My dad was the one who got the dances started at that place and the Battell Park band shell also. How about ice skating at Battell Park.
A little reminiscing with Janet Souders Hogan - Class of 1956
What about the White Spot Drive-In located ' out in the country" at the corner of Hwy 20 and Liberty Dr.? Had the best pork tenderloin sandwich around, my mouth still waters for one.
Also the miniature golf course across the hwy.
And one can't forget George's Chili Parlor on Main St. in front of Bock's Roller Rink. The best grease chili and hot dogs in Mishawaka. Yeah for the good old memories!!
Shopper's Fair - where I got my first catcher's mitt.
McKee's Drug Store on Milburn and Ironwood.
Merrifield Park - ice skating on the flooded tennis court and sitting around the bonfire afterwards in the winter; fishing under the bridge.
Mark Greenwood wrote in about the old museum next to the YMCA. That was the Children's Museum. At the same time, School City of Mishawaka used the museum basement as a storeroom for school supplies. I remember seeing the brown grade books the teachers used, and stacks and stacks of the terrifying "pink cards"
from Mark Stephens - Class of '67 (To view complete list of Mark's memories, click here.)
How about the YMCA dances for the three junior highs on Friday nights. Everyone walked en masse to Bonnie Doon's on 4th Street for cones afterward. If you liked someone, this was your chance to hold hands. Those with more experience stopped by the sunken garden behind my church (dubbed "the Hole") for some making out. I still have my Main Junior High cheerleading uniform - we were the last 8th grade class before John J. Young Middle School was built.
When MHS and South Bend's Central High School were the only rivals and they drew so many fans that the games were held at Notre Dame's football stadium
. - courtesy of Marge Boehnlein , whose husband Al graduated in 1939 and also had two sons, Allen & Mike, who also graduated from MHS in 1959 and 1969.
How about cream-filled cup cakes from Kuss's.
Buying gym uniforms from Gerard's.
Cherry phosphates from Kline's?
How about the colored lights on the snow at the stones, steps, & waterfalls at Battell Park, leading down to the river?
- courtesy of Alice Marie Beard . Class of '68 Webmistress
Bock's Roller Rink a.k.a. "The Box"
The Blue Bell Diner
Golden 8 Pool Hall
Mishawaka Hotel
The Mustang restaurant (formerly Hook's Drug Store)
Labor Day parties at BK Club, ( the best polish sausage-yummy!)
Woolworth's
Vita Frost (by Kuss's - where you got your meat)
Christensen's Furniture
Bubb's Funeral Home
Tivoli
The big smokestack of Ball Band, and their clock, and the red dot tennis shoes. Also there used to be a Santa Claus decoration that they used to put up every year.
- courtesy of Lydia DeGeyter - rink guard and played records at "The Box" - who even though she graduated from John Adams High School (1975), had the good sense to hang around people from Mishawaka! (smile)
A place called Bob's Hobby Shop. (Located at Main and Lawrence - I believe)
That museum next to the YMCA (can't remember the name) we were expected to go to on occasion?
Kamm's Brewery.
- courtesy of Mark Greenwood Great to hear from Mark.
Kraft's Drug Store at Mishawaka Ave. and Main where I could get 6 boxes of Good & Plenty's for 25 cents to study with every night.
The Blue Flame Tavern across from Kraft's where they left the side door open at night so you could see the country bands with their white shirts under blue lights.
Luigi's Pizza.
Battell Park tennis courts when they were clay.
- courtesy of Kevin Tansey Class of '66. Our thanks for his stopping by and visiting with us.
What about the old root beer stand next to the high school? That had to be the best root beer on the planet. Or how about the corner grocery stores - on the east end there was a Mauries (at LWE and Home St) and several others, and of course Sara's Market across from Beiger. I also seem to remember slow dancing at the Y sock hops, and maybe a little fooling around behind the Y bldg next to the river. I also spent a lot of my younger years in Little League at a field just east of the LH Inn, built mainly by Mr. DeCloedt with some help from Mr. Creevy and Tom Baiz and several parents. I remember no one wanting to even get in the batter's box when Frank Firmani was pitching (the Ryne Duren of our league - lots of speed, but little control).
- thanks to Jon Groth for this email memory.
It's amazing how many of us have memories of Kuss's Bakery - I'd forgotten the name - but will never forget the glazed donuts that melted in your mouth. Also Sadie's hamburger joint on Main Street. And the beautiful old library across from Main Jr High. And those of us in orchestra will never forget our beloved Madelin Hackett and her polka dot dress!
St. Joseph Hospital and the nuns (I was scared of them as a little girl, we weren't Catholic)
Open lunches at MHS (how cool was that) The ala carte line
Some names that I want to throw out there; I would love to be in touch with Lisa Bevan, Laura Bowman, Jill Hess, Catarina Adamo, Patty and Peggy Favorite, Heidi Reynolds, Jill Sawyer, Randy Jenkins, John Smith, and many more members of the Class of '76.
Bonnie (Hacker) LewisTHE1BONNIE 'at' aol.com - Battell Elementary, Main Jr. High and MHS Class of 1976 and currently an editor for The Moore County News in Lynchburg, TN.
How about shopping at Mclellan's and Gerards?
Remember the downtown stores staying open later during Christmas season?
Princess bakery made the best everything! Especially their gingerbread men at Christmas, Chocolate chip buttons and eyes instead of yucky raisins!
The smell of Kuss bakery.
The circus was always held at Dodge's parking lot.
Sandy's or Kline's drug store for lunch.
Halloween parties downtown and bats circling the belfry at First Methodist Church
Pier 1 opening at The 100 center, Wow was that exotic!
A special Hello to Lydia DeGeyter.... Indian guides at the YMCA.. Your mom was soooo cool!
Robin Lee - Class of '74
Hanging out at Hardees before and after school.
Seeing the new addition and swimming pool added to the school.
Cheryl Oles - Class of '90
Have a few memories you'd like to share? Email Keith so they can be added. Also feel free to use the Miskodeed to share memories
Last updated
03/26/07
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