Orion, I bet you have just been waiting for a chance to say that, right?? :D

Generation XXXXXX Plus
 

WinnDixie:

I remember it all. Guess we must be of the same vintage. I, too, was a member of the Tom Mix Straight Shooters Club and there wasn't a premium I didn’t send for. Let me see, there was the Look Around Ring, the Whistling Ring and who can ever forget the Indian arrowhead that glowed in the dark? It had a magnifying glass and compass built right in. Does it get any better than that? Once on a roll with the glow-in-the-dark items, along came the spurs with the same marvelous properties. Amazing!

I believe the cost of the rings was 10 cents, but then inflation began to set in and the arrowhead and spurs were a quarter. Junk, you say? What do you expect for a dime, the Hope Diamond? To purchase all of these “can’t do without gems”, you needed a box top from Ralston cereal. Oh, how I hated that stuff, but always promised my Mom I would eat it if she would only purchase a box. Once I got my grubby little hands on the box top, the promises usually went out the window. Needless to say, it had a very long shelf life at our house. The first child at school to receive their long awaited prize was surely the most popular kid of the day and all gathered ‘round to marvel at the wonders of it all.

Thanks for the memories

Cracker Jack anyone ?
 

I guess we in the following "Cracker JacK" generation got your leftovers ... the trinkets they couldn't sell ..... :D

Back when the only service was full service. (self service, what's that ?)
Back when air for your tires was free and they were checked while you filled up .... for $7.25 ... in the station wagon.
Back when the best gas station was the one that gave out the most S&H Green stamps.
Back when Dad went "through town" to avoid the toll on the highway ... saving $0.25.

And I'm a youngun .... relatively speaking. ;)

Thanks, Chickie!
 

For awhile there I was afraid nobody would remember those "way back" days.
I apologize for the "junk" comment, but I guess, when you are seven, you do expect The Hope Diamond...especially when you've waited so long for that wonderful thing to arrive! I will admit, too, that the glow-in-the-dark items were a little classier than the ring which sported that "tin can-ish" material so "one size fit all". My husband, on his lunch break at home from Mechanic Street School in Lakeport, was fortunate to discover his Whistling Ring had arrived...after waiting for the better part of forever. You are right--when he went back that afternoon he was--indeed--the Man of the Hour (for about two minutes), until the ring accidently dropped down the register! He said he threw a spectacular fit ,and all possibilities for learning ceased until the custodian somehow retrieved the ring. Yes, those were the days!

I turned 40 this year and have been on the lake for 40 summers.....(except the summer of 1994 - was in Korea serving in the Army that year. Couldn't afford a flight home.)

I am on the upper end of the 40-60 group. I have been lucky enough to have spent all of those years on the lake and still own the family place with siblings, and also our own places. I think I belong with riverrat and Joe Kerr.

When Lakes Region was great
 

I grew up in the 60's & early 70's, and remember spending summers at the Margate riding in John's cruiser, I also remember the White Owl Hotel that was across the street from the Margate and had the outdoor pool, traffic was going so slow it was no problem running across the street to swim in the unheated pool.

I also remember when Caramel Corn was available in several places on Weirs and the Ballroom was at the end of the warf. Another memory was watching David Cassidy's father and James Whitemore at the Playhouse in Gilford. Oh those memories, ones that can never be taken away with development and change.

Rings and Things from Generations Past
 

WinnDixie - Losing that precious ring down the register can only be described as a near catastrophe, but luckily it was retrievable and life-long trauma was prevented. I must admit that the rings were not 24-carat gold, but the arrowheads and spurs were of a better quality material and workmanship. I have most of those items tucked away in a box of childhood souvenirs somewhere, and the last time I checked, the whistling ring was still operational, although a bit tarnished. I wonder how many toys of today will still be whistling along in 60 years? It was actually a good investment, as I probably could more than double my investment if I were willing to part with it and offer it for sale to a collector.

Mechanic Street School? Ah, yes I remember it well. Who can ever forget the beautiful artwork we created with love and a gob of paste? The paste incidentally came in a huge jar and was distributed to each child on a piece of arithmetic paper. It had the distinctive aroma of teaberry gum and many a student was seen licking his or her fingers after applying it to paper. The inkwells were filled from a large jug and often leaked down into our desks, ruining everything it came in contact with, including the beautiful art we had worked so hard to complete. Music class was my favorite and I still can remember many of the songs we learned. As with all things in life, there are good and bad memories associated with school days, but we survived and can now look back upon them with fondness (for the most part).

On the High end of everyone
 

Since I just celebrated my 70th this summer with a party at the lake, I guess I'm at the high end of this rating and I'm still boating. ;)

Walking Down Memory Lane
 

Remember when there was no Grocery Store in the Gilford area - then Dan's Star Market came with its directional arrows on the floor?
How about when the Kellerhaus was not up the hill from the Wiers?
How about when Gunstock ran the chairlifts in the summer so you could walk down the moutians?
Remember when there was no Patricks Pub?
Silver Sands Motel and White Sands Motel right next to each other?
No St Helenas Church?
The Big Banana?
No Laconia By-Pass?
No Tilton Outlets?
Saunders Bay Motel and Cottages?
The Kings Grant Inn and the cruise boat that went out twice a day from its' dock on Dockham Shore Road?
The Saturday Night Dances at the Winnipesaukee Yacht Club?
The Mart?
Fireworks every Sunday Night at the Weirs?
Hickory Stick Farm?
Wendys on Paugus Bay (where you could get to by boat?)

I could go on and on - thanks for letting me take a storll down memory lane

Fun memories!
 

The more I hear, the better it gets! Thanks, again, Chickie! Now I can admit I, too, licked my fingers when using that slippery, icky pale white glue!! Some time I wish you would post a picture of some of those bygone treasures...I am in awe that you actually still have them.

mrportjeff: I remember when Dan's Star Market was pretty much the "go to" supermarket( I shopped there for years, even after it became Jackson's Star Market)...but I most of all missed The Big Banana when it left...and why did it?? It was always mobbed.

Flboater...I am right there..turned 71 this summer ( I can't imagine how this has happened!!). I would say that I still golf, but that would be a stretch, considering how I bash the ball around...but...to everyone...isn't it great we are all on the correct side of the ground and having this much fun! A great thread, esp. considering all the "downer" news we contend with!

Yeaah!
 

Amen, WinnDixie.....and thanks for reminding us all to take the proper perspective!:)

When my grandparents were my present age, they were OLD. Hard to believe. We were the last family on the block to get T.V. There was Milton Berle on Tuesday nights along with "professional" wrestling as well as Howdy Doody and I Love Lucy. My favorite was "Winky Dink." The deal was you sent in for a sheet of clear plastic to put over the T.V. screen so you could draw directly on the TV along with Winky Dink.

This year, the big excitement was that I am now on Medicare.:):)Now if I can only figure out Part D.

I had that!!!! I think it lasted about a week before my evil older brother used regular crayons on the plastic which wouldn't come off. I'd forgotten the name...thanks for the reminder.

I remember..
 

Some people are discussing the Gilford/Laconia town line area on Rt 3. The Big Banana I remember, but what was the ice cream store to the left of the building? I remember McIntyre Circle as it was called back then in the late 60's early70's( and I think into the early 80's?) I remember if you wanted soft serve icecream, it was DQ on the Ave, but if you wanted hard ice cream with more flavors in the sugar cone you had to go to McIntyre Circle. Also, if you kept on the road headed toward home, Meredith, there was a KFC almost across the street from the Margate. AND if Dad didn't stop for ice cream at DQ or the circle, we would cross our fingers and hope for the Tamarack with all of their flavors. Sometimes we would get our icecream there and Mom would shop in BasketWorld while we sat in the car savoring every lick. To be so young and innocent again. Thanks to whoever started this thread!:):):)

I have a few 1980s memories as well

1. Staying at Bmae's then going to the buffett in the AM

2. going to Frankensundae at nite for my ice cream fix

3. going to Sawyers the original for 830m Fries lol

4. I used to never like the train rides back until 2001 cause it took too long

5. spending the day with my dad as my Mom and Grandparents antiqued shopping

6. going to dinner with Dad while my Mom and Grandparents went to William Tell Inn

7. spending the day at Funspot ( i still go there but for not as long as I used to)

8. I also remembered when we used to get off at exit 20 and when we saw the Bmae's and Funspot billboards my grandmother would turn around in the car in front of me and my Dad and wave that we made it

The Red Barn
 

Penny,Penny - The restaurant next to the Big Banana was called the Red Barn in more recent years, but had been Foster's Restaurant when first built in the late 1940's. They had a good variety of ice cream flavors and a take-out window. For a short time there was a soft serve place on the other side of the Big Banana, as well. It looked like a small chalet and was better than DQ in my estimation. They had more than just the usual two flavors and their orange-pineapple was to die for. The first soft serve I ever had was called frozen pudding. Remember?

The Red Barn and Foster's Drive In
 

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...cansawyers.jpg

anyone remember the short-lived Road Kill Cafe in this same general vicinity?

Road Kill Cafe
 

Sure do remember the Road Kill Restaurant. I thought it was around for a few seasons. Somewhere in my "well organized" :( file system is an old menu from the place. Item names on the menu that Granny Clampett would probably cook for the Beverly Hillbillies crew.

Hi
 

Been reading this forum for awhile and finally decided to register! I'm right smack in the middle of the 40-60 age group! Some days I feel like closer to the next group up!:eek:

1980's
 

Yup, Big Banana was one of my favorite places. And, remember Zayre's at the Belknap Mall and The Globe where the Gilford 8 cinema is now?

Remembering....mid to late 70's
 

Staying at the "Holiday Bungalows" on Paugus Bay every summer.
Bowling on the Weirs strip.
Waiting in lines that took forever at The Kellerhaus.
Dinners with the family at The Windmill. (I think it is a furniture store now???)
And, hitting golf balls at a driving range that is on the left hand side of the street, heading toward the Weirs, a short while after Funspot. The remains are still there. The old lights, and the land was never used for anything. It still looks very much like a driving range that was simply abandoned. I give it a look every time I drive by, and think back 30 years, of my dad sitting there, watch me hit golf balls.
How does the Eddie Money song go? "I wanna go back, go back, and do it all over, but I can't go back, I know...."

Now come on, are you saying that there is something wrong with the next group up never mind 2 groups up???? You will be there some day and you will wish you never had said that.:coolsm:

Angela I think it was Mammoth Mart at the Gilford 8 the Globe was at the beginning of the boulavard where those condos are now if I remember correctly and I think there was an ice cream place on the boulevard kind of by the doll house cottages, actually I'm pretty sure it was called the Boulevard drive inn anybody remember that?

I remember the Globe actually being in both locations, the condo area and the Cinema 8 building. I don't remember which one first but I think it was the condo location. Remember Grants that was in the same mall as Osco Drug and Dans Star Market before K-Mart was there? Are you talking about the Drive-In ice cream place that was Bakers Drive-IN at one point and now it is a realestate office(i think) It was headed north past the gun shop.

Holiday Bungalows
 

Ahh the Roadkill Cafe, i remember that place in the mid 1990's with their sound effects and funny signs another place I miss.

Red Barn /Foster's Restaurant
 

Great photo mcdude. Thanks for posting it. Did you know that before Foster’s Restaurant was built, there was a Howard Johnson’s at that location? It was moved to the Weirs in the mid to late ‘40s and burned to the ground a number of years later. Prior to Howard Johnson’s, there had been another restaurant there called “Dutch Land”, which was probably the first restaurant in this area to offer curb service. The waitresses were dressed in Dutch costumes and took and delivered orders right to the cars. I remember my mother speaking of it, as it was quite a novelty. I believe it was operating there in the late 1930’s to early ‘40s, when Howard Johnson purchased and renovated it.

I remember the big banana before the Road Kill Cafe was there. And the trip Frankensunday by boat (Town Docks now), I also remember being able to waterski during the weekend on Paugus Bay, too crowded now ahhh the memories :)

HEY! I'm on a roll!
 

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/photopo...andrivein2.JPG
This postcard shows the distinctive orange roof of HoJo's along side the drive-in entrance at the Weirs before it burned.

Oak Birch Inn
 

Anyone remember OBIs in Alton Bay? The Oak Birch Inn on Route 28A heading toward Wolfboro. Had docks and full movie theatre in the back with bar, restaurant and rocking chairs spread throughout the porch areas. I believe burned to the ground in the 90s?

Yes, on a roll!
 

I keep thinking "be quiet,you're done, now"...and then another memory looms! Chickie, help me out with this one, I know you'll recall this, because you remember everything...and save all that old, precious stuff. How good is that!! In the 60's there was a HUGE statue of (??) Paul Bunyon (??)on Union Ave., pretty near Cantin's. We lived in CT at the time, and our little girls would wait anxiously to spot that statue, knowing they were almost at their grandparents, for a weekend visit, AKA "Anything your little hearts desire will be yours"! Also, during the visit they'd look for the huge chimpanzee, with the banana, atop The Big Banana. Did that sign last the whole time BB was in business??

BTW, I ate at the Howard Johnson's in the Weirs, quite a few times....ah, the "28 flavors"!

Obi
 

I tryed to post a link but I can't.
There are a lot of pictures on photo post of the Oak Birch Inn and of the fire on 4/3/89;

Memories of Childhood Days
 

WinnDixie,

The Paul Bunyan statue was in the parking lot of the Time Out Pub on the corner of Bridge Street. It was later the Backwater Grille (or something like that). It burned a few years ago and was finally torn down after several years of being boarded up following the fire. It never reopened. The Chimp sign at the Big Banana was repainted several times and remained to the end.

I will definitely hold on to my Tom Mix memorabilia, as I fully intend to enter the pearly gates wearing my whistling ring and glow-in-the-dark spurs, with the Indian arrowhead hanging from my neck. The built-in compass should prove most useful for the journey.

Re HoJo’s: After it was moved to the Weirs, the lot remained vacant until Foster’s Restaurant was built. Around 1946-47 a circus came to town by rail and was unloaded in Lakeport. The animals were walked from the station to McIntyre Circle where the tents were erected. Every kid around turned out to watch. Needless to say, it was a very big deal and so exciting. Seeing the huge elephants coming down Union Avenue was quite a sight to behold. What a day! What a day! Anyone remember that?

Road Kill Cafe and other ramblings
 

My son loved that place - he was young and the put gummie worms in his ice cream sundae - I know the chicken place that was near the Marget , but I do not think it was KFC - as I recall they speciallized in Broasted Chicken - how 'bout the Boulevard - they had great hot dogs.

Remember the animal petting zoo that used to be accross from funspot?

Remember when B Maes was called B Mae Dennys but they had to change the name because of the Dennys Restuarant chain?

Howard Johnsons across the street from the Weirs sign? - Mow the Lobster Place

I could go on and on - and I may in my next post!

30-40 y/o................................................. ................

Well, I am 2nd generation at the lake. My dad was at the lake in the 20's. and early 30's returning in the 50's. He spent time at the Y camp on Bear Island in his youth and he had a boat on the lake back then too.

I have been coming here since 1957. Next year I will be in the top age category :eek:!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Captain's Table
 

Does anyone remember the Captain's Table that used to be around the corner from the Margate, they had a trout tank outside and as kids we would feed the trout while waiting in line for dinner. I also remember the White Owl motel that was where the Shaws is today, there was also a KFC there with the huge bucket sign, they moved down the street I noticed today.

Also does anyone remember when Mamouth Mart was across from the airport?

Which Generation?
 

I am the 5th generation on the lake. Although my great, great, great, grandfather is buried in the Quaker cemetery (Friends Cemetery) in Center Sandwich. Uriah Hoag. A real smart guy, as far I am concerned.:laugh: