Rosedale and NW Detroit

[Slipkid]

Hoping to restart some archived threads. Grandland, Greenfield and Grand River, Rosedales, Brightmoor, Grandmont, Redford High and neighbors [[Cooley, Cody, Ford etc.)
Restaurants; Creagar's, Sno White, Red Devil Pizza, Duffy's, Bar Thom's, Maria's etc.

[reddog289]

Hell throw in Old Redford and Ever/7.

[vetalalumni]

I'm game.

Red Devil Pizza was delicious. So was Vio's in Brightmoor.

Redford High School was quite an experience. But Henry Ford had a slightly finer entourage of pretty girls.

[daddeeo]

You got my attention!
Used to hang out at all the stores at Grand River and Greenfield. It was like a small city in those days.
Everything you needed was within a few blocks.
Wrigleys supermarket was just down south on Greenfield.
Kresges, Pennys, butcher shop and A & P just east on Grand River. Woolworths, Sanders and Baldonis Hardware just west on Grand River
Toss in Cunninghams, Meyers Jewelry, Hughes and Hatcher and Likers Hamburgers. What more couild you ask for?

[Hamtragedy]

Edison Elementary was Happy Land in the 1970s. Home runs over the fence in right field at Ramsey Park were considered outs because there were two giant Great Danes back there. We learned how to poke hits to the opposite field.

[vetalalumni]

Edison Elementary was Happy Land in the 1970s. Home runs over the fence in right field at Ramsey Park were considered outs because there were two giant Great Danes back there. We learned how to poke hits to the opposite field.

Always thought the triangle shaped field [[Ramsey?) was odd when I ventured over there.

[Meddle]

When was the Southfield Fwy. dug? 50's?

[Ray1936]

Southfield freeway was dug 1961-1964. Prior to that it was a four lane [[two per side) widely divided roadway, except north of W. 7 mile where it became a single four-lane roadway. It sort of looked like what Telegraph road looks like today.

[Meddle]

I should remember some of that then from crossing through the construction going to and from Grandland and Edgewater, but I don't.

Anybody got pictures of before or during?

[SMRJim]

Edison Elementary was Happy Land in the 1970s. Home runs over the fence in right field at Ramsey Park were considered outs because there were two giant Great Danes back there. We learned how to poke hits to the opposite field.

Played a few pickup ballgames at Edison back in the early-mid 70s. I played on a parks and rec softball team one summer, must have been 69 or 70. We were from Cook Park [[Fenkell between St Marys and Prevost), I remember playing games at Edison, Burns Elementary [[a block or two east of Montgomery Wards) and Dossin. To be honest, I can't remember if it was a league, or just occasional games between kids from the neighborhood parks/schools, organized by the parks and rec folks. One thing I do remember for sure - playing on lots of gravel fields in those games. I sprained my ankle at Edison on their gravel field [[the one right next to the school) trying to run out a grounder while playing a pickup game when I was 14 or 15. Stepped the wrong way on one of those #$%! little rocks. There wasn't a whole lot of sliding going on in those games.

Went to kindergarten at Edison in 65-66 - St. Marys didn't have kindergarten classes back in those days. Had Mrs. Wasserman in the morning. I remember walking by the St. Marys bakery every morning and dying to go in there and get me a lunchstick.

Also, in 7th grade St. Marys had an intramural flag football league, and some of our games were over at Edison when they weren't at Cook Park. Great memories!

[SMRJim]

You got my attention!
Used to hang out at all the stores at Grand River and Greenfield. It was like a small city in those days.
Everything you needed was within a few blocks.
Wrigleys supermarket was just down south on Greenfield.
Kresges, Pennys, butcher shop and A & P just east on Grand River. Woolworths, Sanders and Baldonis Hardware just west on Grand River
Toss in Cunninghams, Meyers Jewelry, Hughes and Hatcher and Likers Hamburgers. What more couild you ask for?

Hung out at Wards and Kresges all the time, Federals some but not as much. I remember there being some video games, I think they might have been in the area between Wards and Kresges, can't remember for sure. They had one of those car racing games and at least one other that I can't remember. I discovered Frozen Cokes at that Kresges. We liked going downstairs in Wards and sneaking inside the the tents they had up as displays. Did all my Christmas shopping at Wards and Kresges [[well, occasionally at Northland) til I was close to driving age. Bought all my 45s from Wards record dept up on the third floor. Used to buy my shoes at Thom McCann and Flagg Brothers. Ended up working at that Winkelmans as a porter in the summer of 80 between my sophomore and junior years at U of M Dearborn. Oh yeah, Wards sold mini-bikes, I think they were in the back of the store near that rear entrance, and I was always trying to talk my parents into buying me one. Never worked.

[Meddle]

SMRJim,

Not Schmit________ by any chance, are you? I can't remember the actual spelling and I wouldn't post it here anyways. Maybe that was Tom, not Jim. Memory isn't my strong suit anymore.

Anybody remember the VanTiem girls?

Pat McRey_______ who cut her uniform skirt to nearly the top of the pleats?

[Hamtragedy]

After dutch elm disease destroyed most of the trees in Grandmont [[and around the city), the city came in and planted a ton of silver maples. Those trees, 25 years later, look absolutely magnificent. I caught myself driving down Longacre near Kendall two weeks ago, and had to do a double-take as that block has been completely transformed. Did the same thing on Abington. Rutland, which was my News route for five years, [[from Schoolcraft to Gd. River), never lost many trees, and today, looks relatively unchanged.

Ha! Those mini-bikes never worked a week after you got them, anyways. All they were was a lawn mower motor with wheels. Those things blew black smoke all over the neighborhood all summer long.

[vetalalumni]

One thing I do remember for sure - playing on lots of gravel fields in those games. I sprained my ankle at Edison on their gravel field [[the one right next to the school) trying to run out a grounder while playing a pickup game when I was 14 or 15. Stepped the wrong way on one of those #$%! little rocks. There wasn't a whole lot of sliding going on in those games.

Haha, I too received many a scrape from the gravel playgrounds. We used to actually compare scrapes and scars as badges of toughness. Kids

Stoepel had grass which was better of course.

[SMRJim]

SMRJim,

Not Schmit________ by any chance, are you? I can't remember the actual spelling and I wouldn't post it here anyways. Maybe that was Tom, not Jim. Memory isn't my strong suit anymore.

Anybody remember the VanTiem girls?

Pat McRey_______ who cut her uniform skirt to nearly the top of the pleats?

No, not Shcmit_____. I graduated in 78. I do remember girls getting into trouble for having their skirts too short, and getting sent home to have them lengthened.

[SMRJim]

After dutch elm disease destroyed most of the trees in Grandmont [[and around the city), the city came in and planted a ton of silver maples. Those trees, 25 years later, look absolutely magnificent. I caught myself driving down Longacre near Kendall two weeks ago, and had to do a double-take as that block has been completely transformed. Did the same thing on Abington. Rutland, which was my News route for five years, [[from Schoolcraft to Gd. River), never lost many trees, and today, looks relatively unchanged.

Ha! Those mini-bikes never worked a week after you got them, anyways. All they were was a lawn mower motor with wheels. Those things blew black smoke all over the neighborhood all summer long.

Yeah, I remember the trucks coming around to spray the elm trees, in the late 60s if I remember right. Didn't work too well! They would announce over a loudspeaker as they were driving through, telling people to stay away from the trucks. I remember hearing those announcements as I was playing in the backyard. They did replant a lot in my old hood as well [[we were just across Grand River, on Prevost). Last time I drove through it was strange to not be able to see all the houses clearly from the end of the street.

I remember some of the guys in my neighborhood making their own minibikes using lawnmower engines, even a go-kart one time

[daddeeo]

Remember when skate boards first came out?
Must have been hundreds of kids falling down at the end of their driveways.
Who would have thought it would make a come back?
Even better than the hula hoops.

[SMRJim]

Remember when skate boards first came out?
Must have been hundreds of kids falling down at the end of their driveways.
Who would have thought it would make a come back?
Even better than the hula hoops.

For us it was all about the stingray bike. You had to have a stingray with a banana seat, possibly with a 'sissy bar' on it. You'd sometimes adjust the handlebars so that they were down low or way up high. And the baseball mitt was often hung over the handlebars. After Evel Knievel got big, we'd make little ramps in our yards and try to jump over things. Sometimes we'd ride over to Devils Hills and ride on the dirt paths there - the had some decent hills to ride up and down. I still remember getting my bike over at Great Western Auto.

[daddeeo]

After a few jumps with your bike you wished you had a girl's bike. Now too many rode wearing a cup in those days.

[agirlintheD]

Wow...what wonderful memories. Simple basics that certainly last a lifetime. I wouldn't trade how we grew up or where we grew up for the way things are today!!! No comparison at all. Thanks for sharing all your memories and stirring mine!

[vetalalumni]

For us it was all about the stingray bike. You had to have a stingray with a banana seat, possibly with a 'sissy bar' on it. You'd sometimes adjust the handlebars so that they were down low or way up high. And the baseball mitt was often hung over the handlebars. After Evel Knievel got big, we'd make little ramps in our yards and try to jump over things. Sometimes we'd ride over to Devils Hills and ride on the dirt paths there - the had some decent hills to ride up and down. I still remember getting my bike over at Great Western Auto.

Schwinn bikes! Heck yeah.

Post Big Wheels and prior to getting a 10 speed, Schwinn bikes were the bomb!

Remember wrenching bikes into choppers? Mom hated my dangerous habit of stringing 2 or 3 forks together to make a chopper Fragile, you could not do wheelies lest the forks crumble and you go over the handle bars and get bloody. Such fun. I have the scars and memories to prove it.

[SMRJim]

Wow...what wonderful memories. Simple basics that certainly last a lifetime. I wouldn't trade how we grew up or where we grew up for the way things are today!!! No comparison at all. Thanks for sharing all your memories and stirring mine!

It's definitely a whole different world today. With the internet, cell phones, IPODs, video games, etc., things have certainly changed. I'm glad I grew up when and where I did. How often to see you see a big group of kids from the neighborhood doing activities together, outside of organized sports, etc.? One of the big things for us [[for the boys mainly) was to go up to the park with our gloves/bats/ball, sit around and wait for enough kids to show up [[could be anyone from the neighborhood), pick teams and have a baseball game. No adults, just the kids. We'd play all afternoon. A friend of mine does something like that for the kids his son knows, so they can have that same fun we did. He goes to the ball diamond and provides the equipment, then sits over on the other side of the park and reads and lets the kids go at it on their own without any intervention from him.

We put on plays in our basement and in a neighbors garage [[we made it all up, 'improvised') - we'd sell bags of popcorn, had a sno-cone machine one time. Made our own spookhouses in our basement. We had a neighborhood circus one time in Debbie Richmond's backyard. We used our backyard and made a little putt-putt golf course. Sure beats sitting around playing video games!

[Meddle]

What about the snow forts and snowball fights? Or hockey on the ice covered streets?

[ggores]

It's definitely a whole different world today!

Yep.

Over in that ghetto those kids still are outside alot, they are impoverished so no X-boxes. What they actually DO outside.... not quite sure..... but they are out there. Even in winter.

Those were pretty fun days, those ones more than 20 years back!

[65memories]

Actually, Rosedale Park has one of the best organized Little Leagues in the Metro Detroit area in the Spring/Summer and for the last 20 years, a very, organized Soccer League in the Fall. Games for both are played at Stoepel Park, N. Rosedale Community Center and St. Scholastica. The baseball teams have won numerous State District championships. Basketball is offered in the Winter and Jack Adams has organized hockey. The parent participation is high with hundreds of kids involved.