Some people have all the luck! They grew up in Clear Lake, Iowa during the 40s and 50s. Talk about your slice of Americana. This community of 4,000 was a microcosm of small town USA.
For the teens, the focal point of this resort community was the Corner Drug. It was all a teen could hope for! It had a soda fountain, pharmacy, tobacco counter and it probably had anything else you or your parents might need. Most of us never looked beyond the soda fountain. There was nothing artificial or local about anything Nancy or Mary Jo served. My favorites were cherry and lemon cokes, but chocolate and vanilla were also popular. Some preferred a "Green River", but they were too sour for my taste. If I felt flushed, I might have a malt, (you always got the extra in a small glass) soda, or sundae. Most of the time I would ask Mary Jo or Nancy to dish up two scoops of orange sherbet topped with cashews- total cost fifteen cents. From the counter stools you could see everybody that came into the store and be seen- that was always very important. Privacy could be found in the wooden booths at the rear of the store. There the carved initials were always a topic of discussion. If you didn't spend all of your nickels at the soda fountain, the jukebox got the rest. My favorites were "The Four Freshman", "The Four Lads", "The Diamonds" and "Bill Haley and the Comets". I must have had a lot of nickels because I can still remember the lyrics to most of the songs!
I also have fond memories of the tobacco counter because of my uncle's Sunday requests. Our family would get together for Sunday dinner and the checker games to follow. At some point during the games, my uncle would send me to the only store open on Sunday afternoons, the Corner Drug. He gave me a quarter to buy two Roi Tan Panetta cigars. I got to keep the extra nickel. Interestingly enough, I was never questioned about buying the cigars- such was the charm and innocence of the 50's.
As much as I enjoyed the drug store, the real treat for teenage boys was to be found in the basement. There Floyd charged a nickel a stick to make like Minnesota Fats. I should also mention for that nickel, Floyd would rack the balls. You had to enter this pool hall from outside the drug store and that was important because of the iron railing guarding the steps. Most of the time we just played "slop" but if we felt we were "on a roll", we would play snooker. Floyd even had a table with no pockets (billiards) but that was reserved for the real players. The only female I ever saw in the place was the Salvation Army lady who would appear daily at 4 o'clock to take up a collection. We usually made it a point to hide in the bathrooms during her rounds. With no more nickels and too many cherry cokes, we would climb the stairs to that iron railing and find a place to perch. You've heard of "Standing On The Corner Watching All The Girls Go By". Well, this was sitting on the corner doing the same thing! Because Clear Lake is a resort town, passing girls were in no short supply. The drug store drew them like a magnet and we had the "best seat in the house".
What a wonderful world we had- soda fountain delights, five-cent pool games and plenty of girls to admire. Unfortunately both the drug store and Floyd's are gone and by the way, so is the "best seat in the house".
Written by Larry W. Andersen (Andy) CLHS 1957
for "Reminisce" magazine.
