See If You Remember This One!

Memories of Rochester in the 1960’s and 1970’s form a patchwork of images. Think you’ve been around a while? See what this list conjures up....and feel free to add a few of your own in the comments section!

1. You stood on squeaky wood floors to choose a dime’s worth of candy at the D&C
2. Main Street had two hardware stores - Case’s and Gebert’s
3. Everyone did their banking at NBD, First Federal Savings, or later on, National Bank of Rochester
4. The neon “Jesus Saves” sign from First Baptist Church lit the corner of 4th and Walnut
5. You read the Rochester Clarion on Thursdays
6. A child’s admission ticket to the Hills Theater was 35 cents
7. North Hill Shopping Center offered the choice of two soda fountains, Kresge’s or Cunningham’s
8. You bought your first makeup or favorite 45 at Morley Drugs
9. Dr. Hendershott pierced your ears for $5
10. School was dismissed early for the annual Homecoming Parade along University Drive
11. You bought fabric and patterns for your home ec sewing projects at Mitzelfeld’s
12. Main Street was home to 4 bars; You know which bar was the site of a murder
13. You traded in old lightbulbs at Detroit Edison 
14. Dillman and Upton sat next to the railroad track downtown
15. Gas was 19.9 cents a gallon at the Oak station
16. You swam at Avon Park
17. You had family reunions at “The Pavillion” 
18. You had braces with Dr. Gursin and got your eyes examined across the street at Dr. Weisman’s. 
19. Junior High football games were played at Halbach Field
20. You walked barefoot to Paul’s Market, Alward’s, Sherman’s Grocery, or Shorty’s in the summer to get a popsicle
21. Downtown drugstores alternated Sunday hours, and a local pharmacist was on call 24/7 
22. A trip downtown wasn’t complete without checking out the wrecked cars at Byer’s Shell
23. You watched fireworks from Livernois Rd., just south of the RHS football field
24. Cattle grazed at the Great Oaks Stock Farm
25. The community was stunned at the announcement of a new high school out in the middle of nowhere, at Adams and Tienken Roads
26. Avon Rd. was unpaved west of Rochester Rd.
27. Oakland University was called MSU-O
28. You know who Al Musson was
29. Ferry Morse Seed Farm was a landmark along Rochester Rd.
30. The Turkey Farm next to Leader Dog School For The Blind went up in flames
31. The train coming through town caused gridlock
32. McDonald’s was banned from opening a restaurant in Rochester
33. Slaughterhouse Five was banned from high school reading lists
34. You know what Avon Township was
35. You stood on the front steps of Hamlin Elementary, and could see traffic passing a mile away on Auburn Rd.
36. You sat in traffic to get to the beach at the new Stony Creek Park
37. You bought chocolate milk at Hutchins’ Farm, where the cows grazed out back
38. A ride down the “Snake Trail” jarred your teeth
39. You got baseball cards and a 6 1/2 oz Coke at Davey’s Market
40. You remember Rochester Junction
41. Getting pizza meant going to DeLisa’s on Tienken Rd., or Minchella’s on Auburn
42. The doors of the A&P store swung open to greet you with the smell of fresh ground 8 O’Clock Coffee
43. Someone in your family worked at “The Twist Drill.”
44. The pool hall was the place where “hoods” hung out
45. You remember the Carmichael Bus Depot
46. You went to square dances at Hayride Lodge
47. You slept in a tent at a Girl Scout “district encampment” at Waterworks Park
48. Your school shoes came from Stapp’s, Zimmerman’s, or George Ennis’ Shoes.
49. Bordine’s was a tiny greenhouse at the corner of Hamlin and Rochester Rd.
50. You know what RHS looked like before “the bridge” was built
51. Van Hoosen farm was an actual farm with black and white cows
52. Walton was a two lane road all the way to Five Points
53. You learned to drive in the lower lot at RHS, and practiced at Mt. Avon Cemetery
54. Main Feed and Seed was a fixture of the downtown shopping area
55. The front wall of K-Mart blew down during construction
56. You visited someone at Avon Center Hospital
57. You realize now how how progressive Rochester was to have a husband and wife pediatrics practice (“Dr. Carl” and “Dr. Eve” Schlecte)
58. You burned half a tank of gas cruising Main Street from the A&W to the Big Boy and back
59. You entered the Floatable Boatable
60. You got ice cream at Avon Dairy
61. You drove downtown on Wednesday to see what the new feature was on the Hills Theater marquis
62. You were lucky enough to get your homecoming hairdo at David’s of Rochester
63. You made lunchtime runs from RHS to McDonald’s on Perry Street in Pontiac
64.   Miss Gillaume presided over girls’ PE classes at RHS
65.   Local funeral homes offered their hearses as makeshift ambulances