No Empty Yesterdays (Life in the 1930s)
This last Tuesday, April 19, 2011 while riding with Brian, Sharon and Marie to attend Jason’s graduation exercise where he and several others were certified as Police officers for the correction facility at the point of the mountain, Marie asked me if I had ever been to Marion’s in Roosevelt. It seems that one of her friends is an Eldridge who still have relatives in the Basin. This friend must have been telling her about some of their experiences in the Basin of which included visits to Marion’s. I told Marie that yes I was familiar with Marion’s and then I felt bad that, as a grandparent and on our many trips to the Basin, I had never taken her to Marion’s. It was then that Sharon told about her grandfather Murray taking her and Reed to Marion’s. As she told about her visit there I could remember Reed telling about, I guess, this same visit. At least it was his first time there. I guess at this time they must have ordered a malt. According to Reed they placed this large glass in front of him and filled it to the top from the stainless steel mixing container and set the container on the counter. Reed said he thought he did pretty good being able to drink all of the malt in the glass, then just as he was finishing, the person waiting on them took the stainless steel container and filled his glass up again. Of course grandfather was watching and I’m sure was observing the expressions on Reed’s and Sharon’s faces as their glasses were filled again. Sharon said Grandfather sure laughed. Me, knowing my dad can just hear him and yes see him.
This, of course, brought memory of me experiencing my first banana split. This event, however, did not involve Marion’s, I don’t think Marion’s even existed then but it did take place in Roosevelt at the Huish Drug Store. At that time the Huish Drug store also had a fountain where they sold sandwiches and ice cream treats. Now to set the stage I must tell you that money for our family and a lot of the other families in the Basin was not all that plentiful so looking back on the event LaVora and I, especially LaVora, realized that it was a sacrifice on our folks part to provide this special experience for their children. Myself I could not have been more that five or six years old and that would make LaVora eight or nine. Anyhow Mother and Dad took us two kids into the Huish Drug store and ordered each of us a banana split and left us there alone. Now the banana splits they built in those days were huge and of course had all the toppings and then some that one would see today. Now, I must say, to me, that dish of bananas, ice cream and all the other things placed on it must have looked like a “Kitchen Sink” like they serve at Trolly Square. As I recall LaVora finished her banana split and ended up finishing mine as well.
The rest of the story: LaVora felt that the reason mother and Dad did not stay with us was because they could only afford to buy a treat for their children. Therefore they waited in the car while allowing us to have this unforgettable experience. Interesting the sacrifice a parent will make for a child.
I’m glad that Dad and Mother in later years could provide this same experience for their grandchildren and afford to be present and share the experience.
A Typical Soda Fountain in the 30s This picture, in a way, resembles the interior of the Huish Drug Store. The main difference being that the Huish Store was smaller and I don’t ever remember the Huish being that busy.
