 | Faye Graves, a native Wichitan, attended school at Friends and Wichita State, concluding at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He has been active in media for many years with Channel 12, KIRL, KFDI, KOOO AM & FM (Omaha), KFRM & KICT 95, as an owner, manager, producer, director and announcer. He has served as President of the Haysville Board of Education. He has also served on several national boards of the Southern Baptist Convention. Faye currently serves as Executive Pastor and Director of Administration and Education at Immanuel Baptist Church, 1415 S. Topeka, Wichita. You may contact Faye by e-mail fmgraves@amenibc.org, or by phone at (316) 262-1452. |
Nostalgia
2003-08-01 11:28:00
Do you remember?
: Did teenagers always drag Douglas? What were some other ‘hot spots’ they frequented while they were out ‘cruising’?
ANSWER: I was wat-ching the movie American Graffiti the other day and it reminded me of Wichita back in the Cruisin' days. The straight pipes, Hollywood hubcaps, fender skirts, Pack-ard Birds with wings that lit up, a knob spinner on your steering wheel, chrome tail pipe extensions, and the bumper to bumper traffic each night on Douglas which was irritating to older motorists…but a whole lot of fun for all of us involved! Again, I am taking you back to the late 40's, 50's and 60's. Remember the drive-ins that were a must stop each night? They were all over town. The ones I am referring to are the ones with curb hops. There was Bauer's at Harry and George Washington, a circle building with parking all around. Also, Kenny's on North Broadway, The Town and Country on East Central, the OK Drive-in at Second and Seneca, and Kings X at Kellogg and Bluff. There were various ice cream malt shops, Moo-to-You on the East side, The Candy Kitchen on Broadway, Bill's BBQ on East First Street (and I am sure that you can think of many more). The two main intersections were, Sandy's at Grove and Douglas, and the Continental Grill on West Douglas just a block west of Seneca, both of these were where the traffic would circle to make the U-turn and head back the other way. Remember the police motorcycles back then? Some were three-wheelers and were an important part of this time. These hot spots are forever engraved in our memories, as the traffic has now moved to Seneca, and the drive-ins have been replaced by the many Sonic locations. Thanks to those of you who reminded me of some of the specialty food places that I did not mention last month in our article. I am always glad to hear from you. Give me a call and remind me of your favorite hangout that we may not have covered.
