I grew up on songish st in garden grove, brookhurst and katella area in the 60's through the 80's. Anyone remember fishin at Kids Haven on chapman, ridin bikes in the field behind market basket on brookhurst and katella (later called Shopping Bag and then Fazios), boxing at the stanton gym, eating by the fire pits at Taco Bell on katella and beach or the one on katella near gilbert, levis at Red Eye, Pier 1 Imports, 5 cent scoops at Thrifty's, Al the ice cream man, glazed donuts from the Helms trucks, the burger joint on katella and nutwood (AJ's i think), Orange Julius on katella, A&W on chapman, or the cows in the fields north of katella and nutwood. Wow, some of this stuff I havent thought of until now.....
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I lived right near you. Everything you mentioned is like it was yesterday -- five cent ice cream scoops at the Thrifty - and they still had the lunch counter, the Orange Julius stand in front of the car wash (Dino Circle), the A&W with car service and big 'ol mugs that everyone always seemed to take home. KFWB and KHJ were always on.
Kids Haven. At one point, I lived directly across the street from KH, on West Street. My neightbors were the original American Indian family who lived in the house that overlooked the huge orange grove before it became suburban GG (the daughter's name was Nanamba - she beat me up). One day (1964?), the Issac Walton League decided there were too many ducks at Kids Haven (which was just a big storm collection pit, stocked with fish).
I used to feed the ducks, so they were like pets. So when they started shooting them with bows and arrows, my mom called the OC Register. They came out and did a story - the crying face of an 8-year old kid made the front page of the Register the next day. That was me :-).
Yeah, used to ride our bikes in that same field behind Market Basket - great mogul jumps!
I grew up as a kid in there near La Quinta HS.
There used to be a tavern called the Buck Board (long gone) on Bolsa and Ward, and next door was a place called the Bolsa Resturaunt Supply (also long gone). There used to be a Nursery Land nursery on the corner of Brookhurst and Mc Fadden where the newer Taco Bell strip mall sits.
A large majority of the NW corner of Mile Square Park was undeveloped for a long time. I remember the 10 or so eucalyptus trees at the north end of MSP where Ward St. ends.
I remember when Westminster Mall was built. It started with out with a B. Dalton books, the food court used to be in the middle of the mall. There was an Oshman's Sporting Goods store where Old Navy is now. Radio Shack was downstairs in front of Sears. Where Baby's R Us is used to be an Edward's Cinemas, and also one in the NE entrance right across from the Round Table Pizza which is also gone.
Oh, why does everything have to change??? I could go on and on and on. I would love to chronicle all the things I remember.
I remember Kid's Haven. I first heard about it from other kids and was fascinated. I was a fun place: for a quarter they gave you an ID card, and a cane pole with line, bobber and hook. They charged for the bait, which were red worms. It seems like it was a dime for a small container and a quarter for a large one and not sure what else they had for bait. For a young child it really was quite an experience. It was a lesson in life too. I caught a tadpole one day. I hooked it in the tail. They wanted me to put it back but I said No! I'm keeping it! I took it home and put it in my brothers wagon with water. We watched it swim for days. Of course, the tail got smaller, it grew legs, and when it turned into a frog, it jumped out and disappeared! I was sad to loose it, but also learned a little about the cycle of life. Kids Haven is still there. It's called West Street Basin. It's a catch basin. When I got a little older my pony league played games at the school next to it, Walton Intermediate.
Hey! I won the biggest fish one weekend at Kid's Haven and won a case of pop. I loved that place! There also a pond behind the Shopping Bag by the railroad tracks where we caught frogs and tadpoles. My Mom used to work at Thifty's SCOOPING ICE CREAM! I also remember Al's....the 7-Up popsicles were great! Ahhh, the Helms man...Cream Puffs... the little plastic gliders propelled by a rubber banded launcher! To top it off, I was fired from that A&W for putting too much guacamole on the taquitos after being told to only put a dab on them! It was fun to think about that for a while. Great website!
Steve Sharon, GGHS
I lived on Jennifer Lane, just a few blocks away, went of Crosley elementary school, and then Izaak Walton school across the road. That was in 1957.
I loved fishing at Kids Haven.
Anybody remember Taco Lita on Garden Grove Blvd. in Garden Grove? Yummy the best tacos ever!!
I remember Taco Lita. My sister worked there
This is great. I just had a long conversation with my GGHS friend Mike M about old GG stuff—specifically Kid's Haven. I was down there a couple of years ago and took some pictures—it's still there: a big hole in the ground on West St. Filled with water with lots of surrounding trees and bushes and the old cinder block "bait and tackle" shop in the front. I loved walking there from our place on Ora St. just past Ninth. My brother and I would drop in our bamboo pole and just goof off. I observed a lot of nature in that small environment. I also remember dozens of kids lining the banks and experiencing fun outside on a Saturday (no X-Boxes)
Yeah, I remember Taco Lito on GG BLVD. We would get a family dinner there on Friday cuz it was 5 taco for a buck. Great deal.
For me, the very best was the Stanley family orange grove that covered 40 acres at the corner of Chapman and Euclid. It was heaven—a forest of adventure with so many kinds of trees and small corners of history. In the center of the grove was a very old abandoned house that must have been built in the 1890s. Great place to explore and find really old junk. There was irrigation several times a year—so much water. so much fun. The "farmer" who supposedly shot rock salt at the bad kids. orange fights. The braceros up from Mexico who picked the oranges. My first real encounter with folks from truly a different world. They were always laughing, singing—and were always very friendly to us kids.
So much more to tell—starting with . . . I could see the Disneyland fireworks from our roof—I musta gone to that place 50 times as a kid . . .Bob W.
Hey I used to live on Buaro st. in Garden Grove in the mid 70's til about mid 80's as a kid. Remember The Pop Shop on G.G. Blvd. , Or Pup N Taco , Fazios, how about Target on Harbor used to be Fedmart and b4 that was Two Guys. How about the Treasury on 17th and Bristol. Or Montgomery Wards . Oh Hey remeber the Mitchel Bros Adult Theater across from Rancho Santiago College.. :D when i turned 18 I saw some porn double feature there that was weird. how about Apollo Burger when it used to be next to Fazios on Harbor / GG Blvd next to Music Plus. when the two greek guys ran it? How about the Humdinger across the Mcdonalds near the Firestation Motel. or across from Toys R Us where we went to meet evil kanevil , there was a coffee shop Niki's that the building looked like a big hat. The Pitcarin Motel right there was a hooker haven and druggie hang out. Utotem" liquor store across from Mowhawk Gas station which is now am/pm. by pup n taco . used to have a kosher deli sam's right next door. or how about the block of orange used to be the city shopping center UA theater in the mall and the Plitt was out in the parking area i saw Alien, Star Wars There. The LIne Wrapped around the theater in 1977. hmmmm the good ole times!!! :D
THOSE WERE THE DAYS! GRAD GGHS 1967 USED TO PLAY IN THE ORANGE GROVES WHERE LAKE SCHOOL IS NOW,WAS THE 1ST GRAD. CLASS OUT OF LAKE. MIKE W.
I WAS BORN IN ANAHEIM IN 1984. GREW UP IN GG WITH MY 2 BROTHERS MOM AND DAD(PASSED AWAY IN 02) IN OUR HOUSE ON STRATHMORE AND LAMPSON. I WAS RAISED IN THE FIRESTATION MOTEL ON HARBOR BLVD.WITH MY FAMILY IN A SMALL MOTEL ROOM. I'VE EXPERIENCED A GREAT DEAL AS A KID. IM THANKFUL FOR MY UP BRINGING IT WAS FUN WE USE TO RUN AROUND THE WHOLE AREA AS KIDS. FROM THE HYATT HOTEL. TO BIG 5. TO TARGET TO WEST HAVEN TO THE CONVENTION CENTER ETC. ME AND MY FATHER WOULD WALK FROM THE MOTEL TO THE GROCERY WHARE HOUSE AND BUY FOOD HE WOULD WALK ALL THE WAY BACK HOME CARRYING THOSE HEAVY BAGS IN BOTH HANDS WITH HIS VIEGNS POPPING OUT OF HIS ARMS FROM THE WIEGHT . WE DIDNT HAVE A CAR THEN SO WE WALKED OR TOOK THE BUS. I REMEMBER PEEKING INTO THE HUMDINGER AS A KID TRYING TO SEE THE GIRLS.LOL ALL OF MY FAVORITE CHILD HOOD MEMORIES CAME FROM THAT AREA OF GARDEN GROVE. WALKING TO SCHOOL EVERY MORNING FROM THE MOTEL DOWN LAMPSON TO VIOLETTE ELEMENTARY. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE THE PEOPLE THE SOUNDS OF THE NEIGHBOR HOOD THE SMELL THE VIEWS. THE BIRDS THE BUSH'S THE FUN I HAD GROWING UP THERE. WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES I CAN SEE IT ALL VIVIDLY GG WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF ME. NOW I LIVE IN KANSAS AND AM HAVING MY FIRST CHILD IN MAY I WILL BE SURE TO TELL HIM STORIES ABOUT THAT PLACE I CALL HOME. BRETT BREMER.
R.I.P. FIRESTATION MOTEL. THE GRAFFITI. THE PARK THE RABBITS THE CHICKENS,GUESS,FISH,FRIENDS,JUVY HALL,COUNTY JAIL, THE CITY MALL,LAMPSON ST,HARBOR BLVD, GG BLVD, GROCERY WHARE HOUSE, THRIFTYS, PIC N SAVE, WHARE HOUSE MUSIC, APOLLOS BURGERS, VIOLETTE ELEMENTARY,RALSTON JR HIGH, WALTON JR HIGH, THE TRAILER PARK NEXT DOOR TO THE MOTEL, TWIN LAKES PARK, LAMPSON ELEMENTARY,THE GGPD LOL, THE OLD GANGSTERS, THE HOOKERS, THE CRIME, THE MEMORIES
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