Comments on Orange County Memories: Submit a Memory

I remember the Gem theatre in the downtown area--c...

2011-03-29T13:39:20.772-07:00

I remember the Gem theatre in the downtown area--close to the Euclid park and across from the pet store. I remember seeing the oldtimers playing shuffleboard,thinking I would never get old like that-the thinking of an 8 yr old! My brother and I used to go there quite often in the early sixties. I remember the admission was 25 cents, a real bargain! Many very fond memories. Some not so great, but there was always somthing cool to do. I also remember jamming into the Grove theatre in 1964 (I think it was ) to see a Beatles movie, wow!

Danny

Johnny, I remember the Fox Theater on Lincoln Ave ...

2011-03-17T12:22:11.838-07:00

Johnny, I remember the Fox Theater on Lincoln Ave in Anaheim very well. I grew up on Ball Road between Harbor and Anaheim Blvd (originally called Los Angeles Street). The house is a chiroprator's office the last I saw and it is across the side street from Oasis, a rehab/treatment center (sometimes used on the Intervention TV program). The Rose family used to live there. We had orange groves across the street and at the end of the tract on the Harbor side where we would play alot of the time. Ball Road was just a two lane street at that time and the Helms Bakery truck would come through the neighborhood, and milk was delivered in glass bottles to your front door. We moved to different areas of Anaheim through the years and my high school years were Lincoln and State College area, where somebody mentioned the Boston Store and Grant's. My mom worked at Grant's in the late 60's, early 70's. But it is my early childhood, growing up a block from Disneyland, that I remember the most fondly. Things have really changed since then.

Can anyone remember the big old Steakhouse on Beac...

2011-03-14T20:00:09.076-07:00

Can anyone remember the big old Steakhouse on Beach Blvd on the left side going towards the beach on a corner? It had the best Steaks and Ranch Beans!!! Thank you!

The Fox was where I first saw Bambe in the early &...

2011-03-14T10:33:28.182-07:00

The Fox was where I first saw Bambe in the early '40's. We live just off Lincoln on East street, and my Mother and I would walk to the movies, and then she would do her shopping down town. Dad took the only car to work (a '29 Chev 2-door.) We finally moved to Santa Ana in 1947.

Those of us who grew up in Anaheim will remember t...

2011-03-13T21:36:53.196-07:00

Those of us who grew up in Anaheim will remember the Fox Theater on the north side of downtown Lincoln. I spent many hours there from the early 1960s until it closed in the 1970s. I saw some of the best movies, and loved the art deco architecture, even though I didn't know what to call it as a kid. Before the city developers ruined downtown Anaheim, it was always great to walk or ride bikes to the Fox Theater for matinees on Saturday!

I lived on the corner of Bolsa and Verano (now Euc...

2011-02-01T08:27:10.711-08:00

I lived on the corner of Bolsa and Verano (now Euclid) between 1949 and 1960. South of my home was a street called Smeltzer which I believe was renamed Edinger. My question isn't about the name change, it's about the pronunciation of Edinger. Is it “ed-in-jer” or “ed-in-ger?” I'm convinced it's correctly pronounced “ed-in-ger” but my older sister, who lives near the street, insists the correct pronunciation is “ed-in-jer.” So, who's right?

Wow what memories this has brought back!!! I lived...

2011-01-26T14:04:39.808-08:00

Wow what memories this has brought back!!! I lived with my parents Derek and Malinda Cook on Connor Street from 1988-1992. I have some of my best memories from that place! I attended Westwood Basics Plus school in Irvine and rode the bus every morning from the basketball court where it picked me up at. I remember going to the stables and feeding a horse named Wobbles carrots everyday. I remember all the homecoming festivities when my Father returned from the first Gulf War. I loved going to the Commisary and the General Store that was at the base of the hills all our base housing (back part) was on. One of my uncles came out to live with us for awhile too, Daniel Cook, and attended University HS. I remember watching the air shows every year including one where the jet crashed at the show, no one was killed. I can remember hearing the constant roar of the jet engines flying over our house, having to frequently light candles cause it always seemed like the power was going out, and I remember all the Easter egg hunts on base by the park and the Hallowedn festivities every year! So many memories I can't possibly list them all. I went back before the housing complex was torn down and it was so deserted but good to see the old neighborhood one last time. I also was able to drive onto the back side of the base recently and walk around some of the old apartment and commercial buildings that have long been vacant but are still there. Yall may like to go drive around if ur still in the area and get a look for yourselves before they demolish those. Hope other Connor neighbors see this site too!!
If anyone is looking for the Golley or Vanderhoefs families let me know I have kept in close touch with them. They were on the base at the same time as my family was.

Cris' and Pitts Anaheim closes 12-31-10 (other...

2010-12-24T12:27:35.760-08:00

Cris' and Pitts Anaheim closes 12-31-10 (other two LA locations will remain.

Does anyone remember that before that place was Cris and Pitts it was The Red Vest Restaurant?

The abandoned mental hospital on Garden Grove Blvd...

2010-12-19T00:04:47.324-08:00

The abandoned mental hospital on Garden Grove Blvd. (near Euclid) had an empty swimming pool that we called the "fruit-bowl". This concrete hole in the ground was the scene of the first extreme skateboarding and mx bike riding ever seen (and the forerunner of today's "x-games"). The "fruit bowl" never gained much notoriety and we kept it that way. Unlike the publicity seeking South Bay stars, Orange County skaters like myself preferred a more low key approach. Nonetheless, the action around that pool was insane and many of the moves now taken for granted were pioneered there in the late 1970's.

What was the name of the store that was built on t...

2010-12-14T13:56:35.688-08:00

What was the name of the store that was built on the corner of Brookhurst/Traylor that turned into a target??? There was a gas station on the same lot before the shell staiton was there?

Does anyone remember a Tea Room called the Mouse H...

2010-12-07T17:46:13.090-08:00

Does anyone remember a Tea Room called the Mouse House in the Town and Country square, across from Fashion Square, in Santa Ana? This would have been in the mid-60's.

Does anyone remember the name of the miniature gol...

2010-11-26T21:10:29.901-08:00

Does anyone remember the name of the miniature golf place on Magnolia and La Palma! Not sure if that is Anaheim or Buena Park. It had the trampolines and the giant slide! Across Magnolia from Grant Boys! We are all racking our brains trying to remember the name of it!

Randy, We use to go to Lenonard's all the time...

2010-11-15T21:09:18.743-08:00

Randy, We use to go to Lenonard's all the time on gg blvd & Harbor. Bought my 1st cord suit for jr. high,(Doig),on Trask. I think it closed in the mid 70's.

I have a friend who worked at the "Boston Sto...

2010-11-05T10:36:46.159-07:00

I have a friend who worked at the "Boston Store" in Anaheim at the corner of Lincoln & State College back in the summer of 1969. It was right next to the W.T. Grant Store. They're trying to reconnect with anyone who worked there around that time. I had completely forgotten about that place!

I'm wondering if anyone remembers the old Leon...

2010-10-17T19:39:12.917-07:00

I'm wondering if anyone remembers the old Leonard's discount store in Garden Grove, near the intersection of Harbor and Garden Grove Blvds. That was the first discount store I remember going to, and I bought my first 45's there. I recall they had a special room for the new color televisions - the black and whites were still the norm, and color was really special. I used to go into that room and just stand and stare. Hardy Boy books, Superballs, and so much more to attract a boy's eye. I wonder when it closed down?
Randy

My dad was stationed at MCAS El Toro in the mid 80...

2010-10-05T01:06:03.475-07:00

My dad was stationed at MCAS El Toro in the mid 80's through the early 90's. My mom, dad, sister and I lived in base housing from about 1985-1991.

Our first house there was a duplex on Howe drive, with a modest neighborhood playground consisting of a jungle gym, some swings and a metal slide that connected the backyards like a cul de sac. Our immediate next door neighbors were an African-American couple, who owned a gray German Shepard named Radar, which
was a pretty high-strung dog attached to a corkscrew in the middle of the yard that you didn't mess with.
We later moved to 13652 Wake Avenue and gained a carport and a steep-as-hell driveway in which my parents parked our white Chevette. We went
through about ten cats who met their fate at the paws of the coyotes that came down from the hills at night.
I attended El Toro Marine school (ETMS) from second grade (Mrs. Young) to fifth grade (Mr. Groth) Me and my friends had many, many adventures out in the hills there, catching blue bellies, rattle snakes getting into trouble burning down the hillside behind connor drive, getting caught with nudie mags at school, and breaking into a certain industrial facility in the canyon in the same hills during christmas break... All before the age of 11.
My first experience learning to drive was in a Ford E-350 box van. Me and my friend Russell would climb and rappel from the cliffs of the canyon located inside of a big hill between Pusan way, and ETMS. We noticed that there wasn't anybody around there for awhile; and kids we were, logically assumed that everything must have been abandoned and was ours for the
taking... Just like the movies we watched... Right? The distant figure taking pictures and the black suburban that pulled up minutes later and swept us off to the awaiting fuzz proved that our wishful post-apocalyptic scenario was just not so. I was arrested and taken to county booking, and I never saw Russell again. My mom loved my little adventures so much when my dad was off on deployment. Thanks for this site... It brought back memories of the best time of my
childhood. The other friends I can recall are: Jey Hernandez, Charles and sister Rebecca Custer on Foster ln., Sean and brother Julian (Julian burned down his neighbor's house on Iwo Jima dr.) Matt Green on Austin pl. And that
little bastard Jason, who lived on Iwo Jima dr. behind our house, who tormented me and always got me grounded by blaming me for the sh*t he did. If you want to see what our old neighborhood looks like now, go to google maps and enter any of the street names above, (EX: Wake Avenue, Irvine, CA) and select satellite images. It's damn depressing; everything has been leveled down to the foundations. My childhood stomping grounds, and yours as well, are a place that exists only in memories now. My name is Steven Weaver. If a part of your childhood took place here as well, look me up on Facebook. My Dad is John Weaver, my
Mom is Sharon, and my lil sis is Kimberly. Good times, man. Good times.

How many of you out there spent your Thurs, Fri or...

2010-10-05T00:50:54.747-07:00

How many of you out there spent your Thurs, Fri or Saturday evenings at Hogue Barmichael's on Newport Blvd? They always played fun music including Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York". It was a really fun place that had some very lovely ladies who wanted to go out to dance, drink and party after a hard day at the office. After they'd close we'd go to a restaurant just north on Newport for burgers, chili, etc. Does anyone remember the name of that eatery? Post some of your fun stories about the old Hogue's on Newport Blvd.

I remember Lion Country Safari. It was a drive thr...

2010-10-03T07:32:03.338-07:00

I remember Lion Country Safari. It was a drive thru zoo and everything from Lions to Hippos. It became Wild River Water park but I think that closed last year as well. Not many people know that Frasier the parks Lion mascot is buried on the the hill above the park, you can still see the cross today.
Scott P

Does anybody remember the Orange County Internatio...

2010-10-03T07:19:43.528-07:00

Does anybody remember the Orange County International Raceway? My friends and I used to walk down the tracks on Sat and Sun morning and got paid to clean up the parking lot.
We always found more money lost by patrons than what the track paid us
Scott P

At the corner of Dover and Westcliff in Newport Be...

2010-10-02T20:55:29.307-07:00

At the corner of Dover and Westcliff in Newport Beach, across the street from what's now Union Bank, WAY before the Castaways went up, when it was a field, the remains of a big fountain or statue once stood in the weeds right next to the road.

Anyone know anything about what it was?

Cheers,
Matt Keto.
Costa Mesa

These posts are amazing- I could respond to every ...

2010-09-16T21:36:41.297-07:00

These posts are amazing- I could respond to every one. To Hip Housewife- I lived in Orange and remember a white house near Lincoln and Glassell- was it on the Eisenhowr Park side? Because I remember there was a strange church there called, "Church of the Tzaddi".

To Janie Campbell, My mom bought clothes for me at Carrie Wickett in the late '60's, early '70's. It is still there. I don't think there were Antiques stores there then like there is now.

I can remember doing something we were not suppose...

2010-09-12T07:10:36.961-07:00

I can remember doing something we were not supposed to do. We would drive our Volkswagon Beetle through the Orange Grove, it fit between the rows, and shoot pheasants from out the window with 22 cb caps. We also used to water ski in the back bay until it got too dark, and then stopped at Russ hamburgers on Newport Blvd. Things were so innocent then. No 405 freeway, No South Coast Plaza.

I'm getting The Jolly Knight mixed up with The...

2010-09-12T04:58:40.042-07:00

I'm getting The Jolly Knight mixed up with The Jolly Roger. Anybody remember The Jolly Roger?

Lots of lights and mirrors, costumes and instructi...

2010-08-23T21:43:25.071-07:00

Lots of lights and mirrors, costumes and instructional posters made that space very glamorous to my 10 year old girlie side. Serena, with the big blond hair and long red-lacquered fingernails was our instructor

I remember when I was growing up in Whittier, that...

2010-08-09T20:44:32.079-07:00

I remember when I was growing up in Whittier, that there was a little girl missing and they found her along side the Buena Park movie theater on Beach Blvd. I thought her name was Kathy Fiscus but that was the little girl who fell into a well and KTLA covered it non stop for 3 days. Which was the first CNN type coverage I can remember.