Growing up in Hector

Sr Perspective
7 minutes ago
3 min read

By Marlys (Blake) Hagstrom of Hutchinson

“Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind” is one of the lines in a song made popular by Elvis in 1968. When I begin to reflect on growing up in Hector, the pages of memories in my mind slowly turn and come to life…

I can’t forget the five-cent ice cream cones at Evie Ahl’s Café or penny candy at the variety store. They had everything from handkerchiefs to toys.

The long trek home from school always included a stop at the Berry Brothers hatchery. A glowing fire burned in the black pot-belly stove to warm our chilled fingers and toes while Margaret Berry brought out little baby chicks for us to see. This stop always made the last few blocks of walking in the bitter cold more bearable.

We played in the old town hall (even though we weren’t supposed to) and climbed around the abandoned Mill much to the dismay of our parents.

On Friday nights you could hear the rumble of engines as cars cruised Main Street with the Beach Boys and the Beatles blaring from KDWB radio through open car windows. Those warm summer nights with gentle breezes carried the laughter of youngsters chasing each other while their parents sat in cars visiting with everyone who walked by. Parking spaces on Main Street were always filled on Friday nights. Businesses were open and town and country came together to shop and see each other. Our high school band played mini-concerts on the bank corner. There was always an enthusiastic audience clapping and keeping time to our music under the stars.

Sometimes if you were lucky and had enough change, a stop to Schafer’s popcorn stand was in order. The sound of sizzling oil and corn popping brought a line of people hungry for a treat. Even now just thinking about it, I can smell the freshly popped corn…

Many Friday and Saturday nights we spent going to the movies at Schafer’s movie theater (now home to the Palace Theater). I loved the carpeted hall with bigger-than-life movie posters and dim lights to show you the way to the seats. It is amazing what $1 could buy–popcorn, pop and a ticket to watch some of the classic shows. Frankie Avalon in the beach party movies, Elvis Presley singing his way through “Fun in Acapulco” along with classics like “Dr Zhivago” and Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” were only a few of the many wonderful films we had the pleasure to sit back and relax in the dark theater, and be mesmerized by the glitter and glamour of Hollywood on the big screen.

No trip to town was complete without a stop at the Dairy Queen. Cars with as many people as you could get in would line up three deep to get six hamburgers for $1 and six orders of fries for a $1. Malts and shakes were necessary extras… I wonder how many times we would hang out at Freddie’s Café and later The Canteen after Friday night games. Parents always knew where to pick up their kids and enjoyed a cup of coffee at the counter while the backroom resounded with music from a jukebox or the clinging of the bells in the pinball machine.

Ah yes, those were the days…but what about now? What kinds of memories do we make to pass on to another generation growing up in our small town? Another of the lyrics in the song “Memories” goes like this: