Page 58 - People & Places In Time

Growing Up In Exeter
Woodlake or Visalia were much the same from one town to the next, much the same as Exeter. As children our parents had played together, started school together, played sports and shared a first kiss. There is a closeness and predictability built into a town like this. There’s an intimacy that allows family’s to become part of the larger shared community, yet they would always remain involved in each other’s lives.
Our parents settled into their new role by building new homes and start- ing new businesses. However, the small town they had returned too was about to change; not overnight, but slowly, change was coming. They lived next door, or just down the street from each other. The new families grew into new neighborhoods with sidewalks filed with children who played together, just as their parents had. We were the baby boomers.
We started school together in the same school buildings that our parents had attended. We began kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary in the east side of town. It’s bounded by ‘C’ and ‘D’ Streets, across from the city park. The other and newer grammar school was Wilson, located on the west side of town, but this was also
the other side of the railroad tracks. Even small towns can be divided, a reality that young minds don’t always grasp, even though they may notice that things are dif- ferent from one side of town to the other, it isn’t important to a young boy or girl; it’s just the way things are. These issues will soon enough become the realities we confront as our protected innocence falls prey to the new and expanding world lay- ing before us.
For the first twelve years, my world exists in this east side of town, there was no reason to venture west of the tracks. More importantly here is where the busi- nesses that defined Main Street in Exeter were located. Two hardware stores, gro- cery stores, Warner Walkers photography, Woolworths 5 & 10 and Carl’s Dinner the place I so looked forward to having lunch with dad while sitting at the counter. It was here at Carl’s where the farmers met at mid-morning for coffee, as well. Down- town provided whatever a small town needed to thrive and grow. Here was found at the center of activity, two banks, the Bank of America and Security First, and two drug stores, Mixtures and Exeter Drug that had the best soda fountain of the two. Each sitting catty corner from the other at the intersection of Main and ‘E’ Street. Now that’s all changed; the two banks and two drug stores no longer occupy that familiar location serving as anchors for this hub in downtown Exeter. Change hap- pens of course, and sadly this is not so very different from many other small towns in America. There were two men’s clothing stores, Schillings and Bob Myers where Mom bought my first pair of Levi’s. Two barbershops, the one I went to, between Warner Walkers and the Nite Spot tavern, and the other on ‘E’ next to the Exeter
Sun newspaper office. Also, on ‘E’ Street next to the movie theater was The Exeter Music Store, where you could listen to 45 rpm and LP vinyl records before decid- ing to buy. Some afternoons after school when in junior high, I spent time here with a friend, Jim Douglas while we listened to a popular new sound, that was rock and roll. The first 45 rpm record I ever bought was here, it was “At the Hop” by Danny and the Juniors, and I still have it. You could also buy a stereo record player or radio from Ray Rivers, and eventually a TV. You could do all this as well at the Radio Doctor on ‘F street, next to Exeter Feed. If something went wrong with your TV or radio, Dave Turner would come to your house and fix it. Not so very different than
Dad and Mom following their wedding ceremony at Saint Johns Catholic church in Fresno.
42