Monday, July 7, 2008

The Best "Sitting Spots" around Town


There were a lot of good "sitting spots" around Baldwyn when we were growing up. A good sitting spot offered coolness or warmth, girls passing by to see, friends that stopped and sat with you, and entertainment of any sort. Some I remember:

Both the drugstores, of course, reading comics and having a soda or cola.

The Palmer poolroom windows and long benches (#1 spot in the summer).

The window in front of the bank (the photo in the blog header reminded me of these). Also, the stairs going to Dr. Christian's office usually had a good cool breeze blowing upward if windows were open.

The long steps at the corner in front of old Gentry's cafe and near Howard Hopkins' store.

The nail kegs in front of Buster McElroy's, if I could catch my uncle Cliff Tapp busy away from his.

The windows in the tabernacle.

Jack Junior and Mort's Sinclair station bench; Harliss Rutherford's Standard station bench.

The Ritz Grill stools while watching Maureen at work.

The one holer behind Red Cunningham's grocery (a must)!

The old mule barn railing out back.

The long bench in front of Prather's Ford (in the summer) and the chairs around the pot bellied stove inside (in the winter).

Ozelle's Cafe, Al's Cafe, Orr's Cafe, Gentry's Cafe, McGee's Cafe, Lindsey's Cafe.

All the cool banks and wash holes and rocky rapids in Twenty Mile Creek, especially Blue Mars.

Our own porch swing at home, reading the Alley Oop and Doc Wonmug comic strip in the afternoon Memphis Press-Scimitar.
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I could go on and on. Anyone else recall their favorites?

7 comments:

  1. I have some... The porch on the old Hotel and the bandstand pergola.

    The depot waiting room (white not colored).

    Anybody's car on a back street on Saturday night with your girl.

    Bobby

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  2. A couple of times, the barn at the Young's, where we saw a live "floor show"!

    Hmmmm....

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  3. The old ice plant always had a stream of ice cold water running between the building and the sidewalk. Guess this was more of a "wading" spot.

    Cyn

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  4. We used to play for hours climbing and just sitting on top of new cut lumber stacks at a couple of places, one near the Carnation plant and another one behind Cunningham's store, I guess that was Davis' lumber.

    Another place to sit and enjoy was the goldfish pond at the Waters Funeral Home. Put your feet in it and cool off quick!

    RC

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  5. Cunningham's frozen food locker on Main street.

    HEO

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  6. You covered most every corner. I remember hiding behind the cotton bales in the gin next door to Davis Lumber Co. One of us was careless with our Pall Mall and escaped being caught.

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  7. GOT TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS ON THIS... I AND ABOUT 5 MORE GUYS CLIMBED TO THE TOP OF THE WATER TOWER JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT ONCE AND IT GOT TOO DARK TO COME BACK DOWN SAFELY BECAUSE THEY TURNED OFF THE TOWN LIGHTS AND ROLLED UP THE SIDEWALKS. WE SAT THERE TILL FIRST LIGHT THE NEXT MORNING BEFORE COMING BACK DOWN!

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