Monday, September 20, 2010

Over The Line in Garden Grove

Mike Floyd submits memories of growing up in Garden Grove during the 1950s, and playing a game called "Over the Line"...

My name is Mike Floyd and our family moved to Garden Grove in 1953 from Lakewood, Cal. I have many, many memories of growing up there but will focus on one.

Most of my friends played sports and we loved playing "Over-the-Line" at Garden Grove's JV field. Four can play so it was easy to get a game up. We would ride our bikes and play ball for a two hours and the best part of the game was that if you hit a ball over the 12 foot chain-link fence for a home run, you'd have to climb it and get the ball back. The great part was there were apricot and peach trees back there and we'd always raid them for snacks until the owner would come running out yelling. I think his name was Earl Culp.

Then, about noon, we'd ride down to downtown and get some carmel corn and a snow cone at some little shop on Euclid. The old guy always ground out the ice fresh so you really got a real slushy cone.

Then, we'd ride over to Wheelers and Phillips and get a Hollywood Bar and a double cola and go lay under the shade at Euclid park and really relax. I think since we had bombarded our systems with sugar, we'd never want to start another over-the-line game.

I remember Judkins Music and Priscilla's Cake Box and Raisins Market on Harbor and of course, Belisles, with the greatest fresh Strawberry Pie ever... and the Cape Cod House, north of Chapman on Harbor where I always got some unbelievable abalone.

I lived there from '53 thru '64 and I could probably write book on all the memories. This is a good forum. Maybe I'll write about all the tough guys that went around looking for fights. Or my famous fight by the bus barn at Garden Grove High in 1961 with Danny D'Bruin...yeah, that's a classic.

9 comments:

  1. Nice memories. I lived in Santa Ana from '58-'61, then '63-'72. During those early years I remember fights, but didn't fight, as I was a little girl. My brother came home with a torn up knee from a fight where he fell on a sprinkler, and there were lots of fights that happened on our walks home form school. Why so many fights back then, do you think?

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  2. Those were the days...when you could ride your bike, go sit in the park, go get a snow cone and not be afraid of being abducted. It was the last good era to grow up in. I remember real good slushy snow cones at Balboa's Fun Zone. I can still smell the area- a combination of fried fish smell and sweets. I can still smell The Pavillion area- they sold live bait there and it never smelled stinky- just real fresh. Across the Island at the beach (not the bay) there was a cart where the fishermen would bring in their live catch from the day- the cart was laden with ice and all the fish fish lay on top.

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  3. We would ride our bikes to Simmons Elementary School in Garden Grove and play Over The Line for hours. Take a break, go to the gas station on the corner of Orangewood & Euclid for a bottled coke and then go back and play till dark. We had to be in the house before the Disneyland fireworks were over. We did not have street lights in our neighborhood.That was our curfew.

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  4. Good stuff. Spent my youth playing over the line at Mitchell elementry school in Garden Grove late 60's early 70's and yeah would play for hours.

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  5. I remember Priscilla's Cake Box well. Had the best raisin bread and cheese bread around. Always smelled sooooo good around there. Went with the owners, the Olson's, and watched them race hydroplanes and their E runabout-the Cream Puff-in Long beach every Memorial Day. We'd listen to the Indy 500 and watch the boats. Judkin's Music Store was in the same shopping center (didn't call them malls back then) and it was way back in the corner. My mom worked in the Polly Jean Kiddie Shop a few doors down from the bakery. And there used to be a little hamburger/deli counter around there too with great hamburgers. The All American Market, Treon Drugs, Evan's Sporting Goods, the Copper Skillet, Rags for Men, Kennaday's Men's store, and many, many more. All bring back memories. Lived in Garden Grove from 1954 to 1969 and have nothing but fond memories. Aaahhhhhh, if we could only travel back in time..........Great forum and website. Have spent many hours here.

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  6. that was my era I rember the Debruns Danny And robert robert was older by a couple of years he drove a brand new 56 olds one of the first guys to get chrome rims and a season pass for the garden grove car wash always a very sharp guy.

    don wright g.g ca

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  7. Does anyone recall "The Coast Inn" in Seal, Vogler's Market in Seal, Dovalis' "101 Ranch House" in Seal, "The Garden of Allah" in Seal, "The Dunes Restaurant" in Surfside/Sunset, "The Canal Club" in Sunset, "The Beach Ball" in Sunset, my dad's bakery on Main Street in Seal, Victor Virzi from Seal, Jerry Bodine from Sunset, Ronnie Gingrich from Seal?

    Share memories.

    Bob King

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  8. I am Rick grew up on Tharkery Dr. and Twintree Ln. went to C.C. Violet grade school and Walton Jr. High then to Santiago workeed at Disneyland for 11 years. It was a great place to grow up.....

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  9. Yes, we played over the line and three flies up, endlessly, all summer, at the Lampson field and Brookhurst. I went to GGHS, graduated in "64. I remember you.

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