Jackson Mi Memories

Born there wrote:

I went to school at Sharp Park Ele. Hunt and Parkside.
My first job was at the root beer stand.
Does anyone remember the Chinse Rest. atop of Woolworths, maybe it was above the store on the corner. Loved to eat there.
I left in 1980 and came home in 2001. Cryed the whole time I was there. It was weard to know where you were and yet not. I found a few places just by letting my mind drift. then turring with out knowing where I was then...there it was something that had ment a lot to me. I miss you all

The Fairy Garden Chinese restaurant.

The Dome, Beas Drive In, Dog 'N' Suds, Devils Lake Pavilion, Bartletts resort, Rose City, Dance, Dance , Dance. Drag racing up and down Michigan Ave., Fields, Jacobsons, Lerners, Big Boy, Woolworths, W. T. Grants at the Paka Plaza, Ice skating at Cascades. Sure had good times back then. Onadaga races, Christmas aniamated characters in the windows of Fields and Jacobsons. Motorcycle riding in bikinis, barefoot no helmets (not too smart) Mathews Ice Cream Parlor, St. Marys, roller skating. Last call at PJ's bar.

Hi 29 hand. In reading your comment I see that you attended Jackson High school in the 40's. Would that have been the early or late forties? The reason I am asking is because my Mother attended Jackson High in the late forties. She past away nearly three years ago and reading all of these comments really brings me back to my childhood and vacationing in Jackson every year once or twice a year to visit my grandparents. It is actually rather funny that being born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago I found Jackson quite boring and not child/teen friendly. Now as I have grown up I have realized that being there and all of the memories there were probably some of the best times of my life. If I only knew then what I know now.

29hand wrote:

I remember for five years, walking a paper route,105 customers.
Playing baseball every day at a field on Hamilton st, Sparks Witington property.
the 1052 Bar ,Philbrich & Davis Market, & Mrs. Kames Rest. on Cooper st.
The prison farms along Cooper St. where St.John's school is now.
Climbing that old prison wall, fun indeed.
Walking to Jackson High over 3 miles every day, not missing a day in 3 years.
No snow days back in the 40's.
Hamburgers at Pat's on Cooper st.
Hunting the prison property, with permit, where all deer,birds,& rabbits hid.

Todoroff's Coney Islands were the best!! I would probably never eat anything that was made with beef heart if I knew it ahead of time but seeing as I started eating Todoroff's when I was just a small child it never bothered me once my Grandpa finally told me what it was.
Louden Jackson's Dare To Be Great was a Saturday evening dinner event for the entire family.
Going to Meijer was an all day shopping trip and it was the most incredible store in the world because they had everything there! When you are only a annual or bi-annual visitor to Jackson and you do not have those amenities where you are from it is fascinating.
While not Jackson but Michigan Center... I remember how cool I thought it was that they had a drive-thru liquor store at the corner of Page Ave and Sager Rd. LOL, wonder if it is still there now days with the drinking and driving laws being so tough.
As I posted in a reply to another post -
It is actually rather funny that being born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago I found Jackson quite boring and not child/teen friendly. Now as I have grown up I have realized that being there and all of the memories there were probably some of the best times of my life. If I only knew then what I know now.

location clarification wrote:

<quoted text>
Where was Tubbs located?

It was on e. Mich ave between francis and mechanic

WOW wrote:

Exjacksonian I was born at West Foote also. I used to skate at the rollertoriam too. I wished they had a big ice skating arena here in Tennessee where I live. My father went to Parkside when he was a kid. Cascades and Ellasharpe park was awesome also. Especially when we had alot of snow or during the summer at the small lake in Cascades paddle boat riding. Paka Plaza was a great place to shop too.

I too moved from jackson to tennessee! Times sure have changed up there in jackson haven't they?

Fairy Gardens was a good place for Chinese then changed name to Famosa Inn

Trying to get any history on:

Bonny Ware,plastic biscuit cutter, frm a Reynolds Spring Co., Jackson. Maybe from around 1960

Russ Frazier wrote:

Trying to get any history on:
Bonny Ware,plastic biscuit cutter, frm a Reynolds Spring Co., Jackson. Maybe from around 1960

Take a look at this story from the Jackson Citizen Patriot. It may help.
http://www.mlive.com/living/jackson/index.ssf...

Does any one remember the fairy/castle like miniature village construction behind what used to be a music store on Wildwood and Wisner? What was the music store name? Does anyone know who made it? What has happened to that fantasy village?

billy byrd wrote:

Does any one remember the fairy/castle like miniature village construction behind what used to be a music store on Wildwood and Wisner? What was the music store name? Does anyone know who made it? What has happened to that fantasy village?

What years are you talking about?

I am a Michigander wrote:

<quoted text>
What years are you talking about?

I'm talking about before 1972. How long they'd been there I don't know.- BB

Born in Jackson in the late 1940s. Went to Griswold Elementary School. Graduated from Parkside High School. Spent Saturday nights cruising Michigan Avenue. Would start at the A&W on West St and end up at the Dome Drive In on the east side of town. Had my dad's '63 Riviera Great fun, like the first part of American Graffiti.

billy byrd wrote:

<quoted text>
I'm talking about before 1972. How long they'd been there I don't know.- BB

Well I don't know. I have asked around and have got no responce yet. I'll let you know if I find out anything. I left Jackson in 80 so you would think I would remember it.

I remember going to see the BATMOBILE, Catwoman and Robin at the Paka Plaza on West Ave. The year was around 1966, the height of the Batman craze.I was around 4 yrs old at te time. One of my favorite memories, even then I loved the BATMOBILE. I remember they (Catwoman & Robin) handed out these metal "coins or buttons" with pictures of batman, etc on them. Afterwards we went to "The Parlour" showed the "button" and got a free ice cream. They even had a special ice cream item called the "dynamic duo", that was still there a few years ago.

I would love to find a photo of the event.

I have a frindly wager with another long time Jackson resident. I say Flemings Ice Cream was on West Avenue, just North of High Srtreet and Matthews Ice Cream was on Jackson Street, just south of Wesley. She says it is the other way around. Who is right.

After reading this stuff on here sure makes me home sick I left their 15 years ago

Rick Davies wrote:

I have a frindly wager with another long time Jackson resident. I say Flemings Ice Cream was on West Avenue, just North of High Srtreet and Matthews Ice Cream was on Jackson Street, just south of Wesley. She says it is the other way around. Who is right.

We lived on Jackson St and I passed Matthews Ice Cream parlor on the way to St Mary's located on Wesley st. It was definitely on Jackson St. Also a popular hang out for St Mary High school kids. It was gone by the time I was in High school and so was St Mary high school.

1960s Trying to find a place to ice skate on Cascade's was difficult because it was so crowded. We'd warm up in that small shed like building and drink hot chocolate. There was some kind of heat in there. Don't know if it was a fire place or space heater. I haven't seen more than 2 or 3 people out there in recent winters.

http://youtu.be/ksVpFUtgbvA