Brewer Chronocles - Saturdays in Salem



Saturdays were very special to us. We attached the trailer to our 1940 Dodge and filled it with corn. Our first stop was to back the trailer up the ramp at Farmers Produce on Water Street to dump it into the fascinating hole with the rotating augers that take it to the corn sheller. Mom and my sisters would go inside to select the printed sacks that would eventually become centers of their wardrobes.

 Each of us kids (initially 4) would split a dollar for allowance (we were happy for one of them to leave the nest since the denominator became smaller!). We would walk to the Square for our first decision to buy some penny candy: Miss Dennis (a wonderful woman) where we could sit in the dimly lit back, sit on those chairs with the wire loop backs, drink a Nehi Grape (if we could talk Mom into paying for it), and select some candy (candy cigarettes or liquid filled paraffin items usually). OR, we could go to Neal's (they had a different selection) for some candy and maybe an ice cream cone. It was always great to see Mr. Neal at the Washington County Fair in his boater straw hat playing music.

We usually ended up at the ‘5 and 10’ (‘Dime’) store (later ‘Murphys’) at the NE corner to ogle the toys. When Mr. Settles wasn't nearby, we sat near the front and got some free comic book reads.

If we had 12 cents left, we would go to the theater (it seemed so large then). After the patriotic shorts and a cartoon, we usually watched a cowboy movie (whatever happened to Durango Kid?). Toto Bates would often shout encouragement and narratives to the stars and offer to close the gates for the cowboys.

After the show, it would be dark. We would walk to the Square to find our car (usually near the lion next to the Salem Bank). Sometimes, we would have to wait a while for Dad to finish socializing at Ratt's Tavern (now Slimo's) before getting the trailer and going home.

I don't know how I slept so well in the back seat of that car. Good times.

 

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