The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/888369
The Press-Dispatch Local Wednesday, October 18, 2017 A- 7 HOME COMFORT CENTER 650 W. Division, Jasper • 812-482-2246 OPEN: Mon., Tues., Thurs. 9-5:30; Wed. & Fri. 9-7; Sat. 9-3 42nd NOW IN PROGRESS! $ 399 QUEEN SETS STARTING AT SEALY FREE FINANCING AVAILABLE With approved credit. See store for details. Recliners starting at $299 BEDROOM SUITE VAUGHN-BASSETT DINING ROOM SETS ASHLEY 45 % UP TO SAVE OFF PLAN NOW FOR THE HOLIDAYS! ENGLERTSHOMECOMFORTCENTER.COM Special Pricing on Appliances by: SAMSUNG • FRIGIDAIRE • GE • MAYTAG FREE DELIVERY * * See store for details. Expires 10/31/17 Area Reunions Winslow High School Class of 1957 reunion Winslow High School Class of 1957 recently met for their 60th class re- union on Saturday, Oct. 7 at the Vil- lage Inn. Attending were front row (l to r): Janice (Griffith) Mills, Jerry Lee, Beverly (Coleman) Houchin, Taun- ya (Jones) Campbell, Nancy (Thomp- son) Nixon, Rhea (Carter) Young and Linda (Ross) Daffron; second row: Larry Batch, Joe Black, Ron French, Eugene DeJarnett, Jerry Carter, Jan- ice (Morton) Wallace, Beverly (Fork) Cannon, Carol (Brittain) Barnett and Gordon Barnett. MARRIAGE LICENSES Jacob Duane Catt, 25, 4747 N. CR 575 E., Pe- tersburg, son of Antho- ny D. Catt and Denise K. Speedy Catt, to Bri- anna Lynn Cummins, 21, of 4747 N. CR 575 E., Petersburg, daugh- ter of Steven M. Cum- mins and Sonya M. Daugherty. Anthony Raymond Faith, 25, of 1305 E. Ce- dar St., Petersburg, son of George Antony Faith and Rita Fay Gayhart Faith, to Mykle Kris- tine Barber Patton, 23, of 1305 E. Cedar St., Pe- tersburg, daughter of Timmy Benjamin Pat- ton and Angel Kristine Barber Patton. Bill Hall, 61, of 2766 E. SR 64, Winslow, son of Sam Hall and Billie White Knight, to Mary Hall, 48, of 2766 E. SR 64, Winslow, daughter of Mary Bolin Hughes and Charles Oakman. Old friends gather at Kirby's Drive-In By Andy Heuring In the 1960s, before cell- phones and $ 3 a gallon gas- oline, if teens wanted to talk to each other after school, they drove to the drive-in, where they could get some- thing to eat, visit, showoff, flirt and gossip. It was a lot like kids today, except they did it in person. Kirby's Drive-In, at the intersection of Highway 64 and Old State Road 64, about a mile west of Arthur, was one of those hangouts. Saturday, they had a re- union for those who used to hang out there in the 1960s. A lot of the same people were there. They talked as much as they did in the 1960s, re- living old tales from past years, they just did it most- ly sitting down. Brothers Tom and Bill Kirby, who were kids when their parents, Russell and Doris, owned the drive-in, were there laughing and telling stories. Tom said he and his late brother, Ray, and mother, Doris, most- ly worked the drive-in. His brother, Bill, and father had other jobs. They also had music on Thursday nights. Tony Ro- throck, Jerry Willis, Pete Benefiel, Punky Wade, Dave Haggard, Denzil Abell, Skin- ner Crow and Recil Houchin were just a short list of peo- ple who performed at Kir- by's on Thursday nights. "On Thursday nights, there wasn't an open park- ing spot here. People would park out along the highway," said Kirby. Willis said if it wasn't the first place he performed in public, "it was one of the first." Saturday 50 some years later, former car hops, cus- tomers and performers sat around and reminisced. "I worked at the Dog 'N Suds in Winslow. When they closed, I would come out here and hang out," said Toms' wife, Linda. "I met my husband here," said one of the visitors. "Unfortunately, so did I," said Linda of meeting Tom, to a round of laughter. Her parents owned the Dog 'N Suds in Winslow, so she knew about the life at a drive-in. Velma Eads Southwood worked as a car hop begin- ning in 1962. She said they made 35 cents an hour, plus tips. "It was just a fun place to be," said Linda McCrary, who also worked as a car hop. They sold standard drive- in food of hamburgers, hot dogs, onion rings, soft drinks, ice cream cones, ba- nana splits. But Doris Kirby also made pies for the whop- ping price of 50 cents for the whole pie. It was the 60s, when life seemed a little simpler and America was home of the fast cars. "I dropped a han- kie out in the highway a lot of nights," said Kirby, refer- ring to starting drag races. He also told a story about then sheriff Ray Haggard making a late night trip to the drive-in. Kirby said Haggard challenged all the boys that he could lay a lon- ger black mark than any of them. "Well, Donnie Pan- cake took him up on it. Don- nie pulled out into the high- way and Ray pulled up next to him facing the other way. Donnie said, 'I'm going that way.'" "Ray said, 'So am I.'" Kirby said Haggard did it in reverse. "It was no con- test." McCrary said kids from all over the area, Spurgeon, Stendal, Petersburg, Win- slow and Oakland City, were regulars. The reunion at the Muren Church of God Fellowship Hall, which occupies the lo- cation now, was the brain- child of Jackie (Rogers) Hamm. She and her brother, John, both hung out there. Hamm said one night when Doris had to leave, she was hanging out. One of her friends who worked there told her to come on in and help them out. So she did. No one in the group real- ly knew when the drive-in opened or when it closed. The best they could figure from when they worked there and when they grad- uated from school, was it opened in 1962 and closed before 1973. Rogers said she had the idea to do a reunion for a long time, but just got around to working out the details of it. Along with in- viting everyone they could think of who used to hang out at the drive-in, they in- vited numerous bands that used to play. "I'm hoping for 50," said Rogers of attendance at about 1 p.m. For those attending Satur- day, it was again a fun place to be. net edition PressDispatch.net/Subscribe It's the paper. Just digital. Jerry Willis and Tony Rothrock perform during the Kirby's Drive-In re- union. Both performed when the drive-in was open in the 1960s and 1970s. Tom Kirby and Bill Cochren share old stories during the Kirby's Drive-in reunion on Saturday. Sarah Boger, Rebecca Kirby, Linda Kirby, Pam Sharp, Diane Wells and Velma Southwood visit during the Kirby's Drive-In reunion.