Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Wednesday, November 23, 2022

That Place

Charlie's. The dive formerly known as Danny's.
But, in reality, the Canadian Cafe.
All the teenagers in Milk River went there. The little, dark, hole-in-the-wall storefront with the half-dozen booths, a couple of pinball machines, dusty dingy floors, dim lighting and the long glass-fronted counter on the north wall.
It was the 'after-school and sometimes Saturdays' place to be.
To just hang out and be cool.
Maybe get a snack. A bottle of pop. Fudgecicle. Chocolate bar.
Play pinball. I should mention here that this was where I learned there is a fine line between 'encouraging' the pinball game and making it 'tilt'. There's a dime I'll never get back.
Moving on . . .
One could listen to the latest hits on the giant jukebox that greeted you as you stepped in the front door. Those fresh and new and those that instigated a store-wide groan because they had been played a little too much. *cough-Honey!*
It was to Charlie's I went to meet my friends whenever I had a loose nickel.
Or--more often--when I didn't have any money at all.
Of course, at those times, we were at the mercy of the moneyed because they got to choose all the music. *cough-Honey!*
Charlie's was the place to let it all hang out.
The first place I saw someone my age smoking.
Gasp.
Where you snuggled into one of the booths on a vinyl-covered bench with your sweetie-of-the-moment.
Okay, I never got to do that, but I dreamed . . .
It was also the place my friends and I discovered that one could actually square dance to 'Ode To Joy'.
True story.
Also my brother tells me it was the place for the finest chop suey known to man.
Who knew?
What was your Charlie's?

One more time. Honey.

5 comments:

  1. This is one of the songs of my youth as well, one calling for tears still. When we were younger, we hung out in the streets - peacefully playing - only after turning old enough for beers and such did we hang out in dingy places in town.
    Square dancing to Ode to Joy - I'd like to see that done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I still pull this song out. It brings goose bumps every time. Great memories!!! Love your writing, Diane! Love, Chris

    ReplyDelete
  3. We had several places in our neighborhood. When you grow up in a city of eight million, you have choices. One was simply called by us "The Sweet Shop" and you could get the best eggcreams there. Another was a bus ride away, called Jahns (you can google that although it has been closed for years). Sigh...

    ReplyDelete
  4. You have so many fond memories.

    We hung out at our house with our friends there, or went to their homes.

    Of course you can square dance to Ode to Joy, if you want to square dance badly enough.

    ReplyDelete
  5.  Hello Blog Admin and anyone reading this , I was diagnosed of herpes and Hiv at the age of 24, and it runs my life until I came to know of Dr Itua herbal center- thankfully after drinking Dr itua herbal medicines for two weeks I'm completely cured which really helped me now I've had no limit how much I do massively. I had two jobs, one full time and one part time, have my horse to care for and would also help friends with their horses. Have since had to accept that I only have one job (to take care of my health) and still care for my horse with help... Dr Itua also cures all sorts of chronic illness and diseases like Herpes,Hiv/Aids,Cancer,Kidney Disease,Liver Diseases,Hepatitis,Lupus,HPV,Diabetes,COPD, And other health conditions anyone may have in their body. Dr Itua uses his herbal medicineTo cure those diseases.
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    ReplyDelete

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