Page 38 - 2005 DT 12 Issues

M AY Growing Up, continued from p. 1 summer breezes rustling the leaves. No
people; just two sedans parked at the
D e s k S c h e d u l e Cemetery (now the site of the Grant curb. It’s summer and everyone is nap-
Sawyer building). Kids from there went
ping. What street is this? No! Can’t be!
to school barefoot, even in the winter. We Fremont Street.
Sun/1 N. Kresge T./N. Hughes mostly were barefoot only in the sum- Another photo shows kids swim-
Mon/2 S. Stenzel P. Kepner mer. Everybody wore cardboard in their ming in a pool created by dammed spring
R. Linsmeier shoes because the soles had holes.”
Tues/3 J. Frank V. Sperry Loretta agrees. “I still remember the water and sheltered by long reaching
Wed/4 P. Oleson C. Gilmore arms of the cottonwoods. “That’s be-
J. Helpin boy who sat next to me in grade school. fore my time,” says Hank. “We had the
Thur/5 J. Botsford I. Grieco He smelled so. That was because his Mermaid pool. For a quarter you could
M. Andrews J. Barrett home had no hot water. It was too cold swim all day.” A photo of the Mermaid
Fri/6 R. Kinn D. Powers to take off your clothes. Our family went shows a complex of ugly whitewashed
J. Fazio to Salt Lake City every summer to live
Sat/7 M. Lolich M. Lolich on property we had there. That saved us frame buildings. Las Vegas grew uglier
W. Barbuck W. Barbuck as it grew in size, but not in the nostalgic
Sun/8 N. Hanson T./N. Hughes the exorbitant rent in Las Vegas—$40 eyes of these old-timers.
P. Kepner a month!” Hank recalled the hot summer days
Mon/9 S. Stenzel R. Kinn The conversation turned to Depres- before air conditioning. “In the summer,
R. Linsmeier sion prices. “I lived too far from school my dad would put out the beds on the
Tues/10 M. Slagle J. Geier to go home for lunch as most kids did,”
C. Cambum says Hank, “but my grandmother would front lawn to keep cool while we slept.
Wed/11 P. Oleson C. Gilmore He’d put mason jars of water under
Thur/12 J. Botsford J. Barrett give me 15¢ for lunch.” That
V. Sperry D. Powers didn’t buy much even in the
Fri/13 M. Andrews T./N. Hughes 1930s: A beanery menu from
Sat/14 P. VanDooremaal L. Landry those days lists hamburger steaks
N. Hanson H. Corda at 25¢ and pork chops at 30¢.
Sun/15 J. Helpin I. Hyman But Hank was resourceful. “I
L. Eaton
Mon/16 S. Stenzel F. Rhea got a .22 rifle for Christmas and
Tues/17 J. Fazio J. Geier I could walk out my back door
J. Barrett Willie/Inga and there was the desert, packed
Wed/18 E. Schliepp C. Gilmore with jackrabbits. I’d get a few,
J. Geier skin them and sell them to the
Thur/19 I. Gireco J. Barrett
J. Botsford D. Powers butcher for 50¢.”
Fri/20 L. Landry L. Landry Picture shows—we call 1929 Durant - Courtesy of Nevada State
Museum & Historical Society Collections
H. Corda H. Corda them, “films” nowadays—were
Sat/21 J. Kissosondi R. Conductor popular entertainment. The old-timers each leg of the bed.” “How did that
L. Eaton recall fondly the outdoor theater, the keep it cool?” an interviewer asks. Hank
Sun/22 N. Hanson Open Air Dome (get it?), and its Westerns and
B. Saperstein looks surprised. “It didn’t. The jars kept
Mon/23 A. Berg N. Kresge cartoons or two-reelers—all for a dime. scorpions and other creepy things from
S. Stenzel If you didn’t have that much money, climbing into bed with me.”
Tues/24 J. Frank J. Geier you could climb the big shade trees just The Las Vegas High School Year-
M. Slagle Willie/Inga outside the fence to watch for free. Could book of 1936 was also displayed. “Yes,”
Wed/25 J. Barrett C. Gilmore you hear the actors? Of course not! Until says Hank. “Ely was always the grudge
V. Sperry the late ‘20s the movies were silent!
Thur/26 J. Botsford J. Barrett game for us.” He’s referring to the
J. Fazio The museum had archival photos yearbook’s account of the Oct. 13, 1934
Fri/27 M. Andrews E. Schliepp displayed (they’re on exhibit now at the “big game.” Ely had vowed to stop the
Sat/28 N. Hanson N. Kresge museum in Lorenzi Park), and scenes Wildcats’ march to a fifth straight state
R. Linsmeier of old Las Vegas’ pastoral shade trees championship, and at the half it seemed
Sun/29 J. Helpin Open brought a flood of memories. One photo as if they would make good on the vow;
Mon/30 S. Stenzel R. Linsmeier
Tues/31 M. Slagle J. Geier of a residential street presented a scene Ely 6, LV 2. Then the Wildcats came
Willie/Inga out of an Andy Hardy movie—towering out of their hole and won 40-9. Marge
cottonwoods shading homes along the remembers the Ely rivalry with sadness.
Changes/fill-ins? Call Gina Mele, 515-5355 broad thoroughfare. You could sense “My mother wouldn’t let me travel with
Page 6 FORRC/May 2005