we swam there ...water bugs and all

Cherry Carnival Parade 1947



Growing up in Chilliwack

There were places and things in Chilliwack that came and left over the tears......The hot dog stand at Christies was a going concern until I was 7 or 8 years old..... ......the big attraction was foot long hot dogs...for some reason that ceased and the octagon shaped stand could be seen for many years in a vacant lot at Cottonwood corners........it was here Yale road split with one road to the west and the other to Cultus and Yarrow.....The Trans Canada Highway until 1959-60 was from the west on old Yale...right through Chilliwack.....There were long line ups at the 5 corners on weekends and holidays...traffic lights were not installed at 5 corners until about 1952......A favorite pastime of ours was sitting at a bench at Christianson's Little Mountain Market and checking out the models of cars as they passed heading for Vancouver....forget about a Motor home...they did not exist around here until about 1956...I seen my first one at Butchart Motors in 1957....it was a class A.....The roller rink in Chilliwack was a pastime for a while..I remember it in 1951.....The old Strand theatre was remolded and replaced with a wood floor roller rink....they rented boot skates...it was a fun place to go....there was a balcony upstairs that people could watch the skaters...A small cafe was out front ...fit in to the area where the theatre wicket had been.....I can remember Dean Martin singing "Crying in the Chapel" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".....being played on the Wurlitzer.....the cafe was sitting on the same space that Claude Smith used to keep the kids in order at the start of the long lineup into the Saturday matinee...hey but that was in the old days.......There was also a Roller rink at Yale Rd. West about where Ronas is now...I never skated on that one..it was called "Joes Roller rink".
There was a park with a fenced swimming pool in it at Wellington and Hodgins... ....it was there through the 40s.....man it was crowded and not real clean....but we swam there ...water bugs and all...there was also a crappy restroom but I did not have to change there ..I could just run home....Some of the big teenagers lifeguarded there.....the rest of that large area was a grassy shady park....Every first of July there was a Cherry Carnival.....the crowds to watch the parade were huge...people on top of buildings ...sticking out windows...it was really a popular event with a Cherry Carnival Queen Pageant leading the program........Then there were events and a midway at the fair grounds.....the Fall fair was not that far away...in August...and it was always a big deal....Hey no TV I guess......we went through our money fast at the midways...those buckets that picked up packages of nickels and the Tilt a Whirl cost me my fortune...but not the Ferris Wheel .........no way ........I spent all my time looking at the little delay that connect the seats to the frame..it slides back and forth....seems like another quarter of an inch and ....no thanks...I'll pass...."Nummy" (Bill) felt the same about the ride that spins ...oh yeah...the Octopus....he threw up on it............The same old woman was working at the buckets every year.... She looked like a genuine Witch from a Walt Disney Movie....I wondered if she remembered us ....she was always there.....Bill said the same thing......that old bag is here every year.......
The buckets...I don't know what this stand was called but it was at least 12 glassed boxes in a circle...the old woman worked from the centre tending the machines and giving out change....insert a nickel and try and maneuver that digger bucket over a cellophane wrapped package of nickels.....the whole box was full of nickels....with these packages here and there.....we were like old ladies in Reno......watch her like a hawk and try to get to the machine she just reloaded....if she got careless and left a pack sticking out a little..............in hindsight she was never careless...those were meant to be won.....and the cries of delight from the big winner ....only urging others to jam more nickels in.....but all the same we were convinced that we could beat her .....
Maxwell and I spent a lot of time looking for money ...around the midway events....we could usually find some change if we looked hard enough,especially in the evening when there were more guys with their gals........we went to the Freak show once.......they wanted us to join.......bong ,,,,kidding.......but I really do remember going once....and I bought the smallest Bible in the world ...it was two bits .......hhmmm ....I think I was had. We always looked through the animal barns at least once but attended the midway everyday....there was lots of wandering to do...we were loose as a goose.....we never ever went to the fair with our parents...not after 8 or 9 years old anyway....sometime there were street dances downtown....they would close off the area at Bretts garage...all of princess ave and Bretts property was used.....the men would play gambling games...with dice and wheels...There was a band ...they played loudly and people danced...it was fun to run around there.....Bill lived on McNaught Rd but he would always stay over when we went to events like this.....Hartley's Bowling Alley was another place....mum and dad took me bowling at first........later on us kids were at the alley a lot.....and I set pins at 14 and 15...yrs old...The main thing setting pins was NOT to get Wilf Edwards throwing on your alley....the rest of the Edwards family ..okay....but If Wilf was there we had to stand out of our centre seats and up behind ...away from the flying pins.....we could make about 2.20 a night.....after bowling leagues had finished we would tally up....and Mr. Hartley would pay us our 5 cents a line.....Then over to the Peaks for a whack at chocolate cake and soft ice cream...what could be better than that.....sometimes we would bowl a line and set for each other.....Later on it was the Pool Hall...at 17 and 18 that was a second home.....It was directly across from the Paramount....Pete Toms owned the pool room ....most of us borrowed a few bucks off him at one time or another...the old guy carried a roll that would choke a horse....when the movies got out he would always call them the Flicks. I went fishing with Pete a few times....He used to eat about 8 pieces of toast for breakfast....and a cup of instant coffee. I dunno why I remember that.