Hello, Friday nights were the after varsity football, basketball game, dances, and the cruising scene. But most high schools in our school district had recreation centers specifically built for the own local high school kids. Ours was called the Hutch. It was a cool place to hang out until closing or when we were all ready to go cruising to the hot, Bixby Knolls area hang outs. The Hutch was the place that centered on four things, a smoking outside patio, a huge dance floor, a corner with several pool tables, and of course, a food center. Kids ate, danced, played pool and went outside to smoke in the enclosed patio. The supervisors knew the students smoked, so they designated the outside area for that purpose (not advertised). The outside area had a tall wall surrounding the end of the building. Next to the open air walled in area was the parking lot. From the parking lot, it looked like a chimney, puffing smoke upwards, over the tall walls. The Hutch was the birthplace of weekly dance, rock music shows from the high school band (The Pyramids), made famous with their one song, “Penetration.” But, after the set(s), it was time to go up to Bixby Knolls. There in the heart of the area of shopping and homes were two specific attractions that had been around for many years of high school get togethers. It was “the” place for the gathering of the hot rod/drag race guys and girls. The high schooler’s older brothers did their scene years before each groups’ 3-5 years of cruising and bantering in the parking lots. Jnaki The top two local destinations were Grissinger’s Drive-In and around the block was Ken’s Hamburgers. Each had a huge parking lot that was usually full by 10 pm every Friday and Saturday night. Fridays were the high school gathering nights with all of the teenage activity taking place after the games and dances. Saturday nights started the ball rolling after the local Lions Dragstrip closed around 10-11pm. Or if you got eliminated in the early rounds and were disappointed. Each night had tons of teenagers out for a good time cruising and gabbing. The great food made everything better. Especially, the one and only, "gravy on fries" plate+ a cherry Coke. YUM! On Fridays, there were some drag racing challenges going on in the back row of the parking lot. On Saturday nights, there was an abundance of challenges with the people coming into the parking lot after seeing the action at Lions. Luckily, the standard place to race was just another mile East on Cherry Avenue, adjacent to two different, one mile long cemetery properties. It was a scene not to be forgotten, of our teenage escapades, in the timeline to the present.YRMV Even this guy was ever present. It may have been the top of the slowest, "low end " snail races on that darkened Cherry Avenue, late at night... ha!
The Jalopy Journal
