Memories of Cenla From 1950’s and 1960’s

We bought our prescriptions at the Berwick's drugstore on Main Street in Pineville and the store was so dilapidated that it probably couldn't pass building codes of today.

Am running this for the first time since last March for people who haven’t seen  it before with a few additional memories:

I can remember back in the 1950’s when my brothers and me would ride our bicycles out Highway 28 in Pineville when there was not much traffic and very few stores. We would see very few cars and the road was one lane.

I can remember the time my brother won a contest at KALB radio. The contest involved voting for favorite disc jockey for the contest and he and the rest of us five kids helped write hundreds of entries and flooded the entry box and he won a console stereo.

I can remember the time Larry McHale a KALB TV personality for some reason was advertising a certain brand of cigarettes and while he was talking started coughing but recovered quickly and said “Just thinking about those other brands makes me cough”.

I can remember Governor Earl K. Long handing out chickens in the old Trailways bus station on Bolton Avenue when campaigning for governor.

I can remember Louisiana College and Northwestern football teams battling to a 0-0 tie at the Bolton High football stadium.

I can remember the Town Talk staffers celebrating when John K. Snyder lost one of his bids to become mayor.

I can remember watching No Time For Sergeants with Andy Griffith and Don Knotts three times in a row at the Paramount Theater.

I can remember the ornate architecture of the Paramount Theater.

I can remember buying The Sporting News for a quarter at Jack’s on Military Highway when it was still a baseball paper.

I can remember when you could buy a 6 ounce coke out of a machine for a nickel.

I can remember when the Alexandria Aces played in the C Evangeline League back in the 1950’s and fans couldn’t keep foul balls.

I can remember when the Murray Street Bridge was still open and pedestrians would see slats missing on the walk across the river and see the river below where the slats were missing.

I can remember when Main Street in Pineville was lined by gas station after gas station…probably close to 12 stations…and now there are no gas stations on Main Street.

I can remember going to see movies for a dime at the Star Theater on Main Street and Pineville and still remember when it burned  that Chief Crazy Horse and Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde were still on the marquee.

I can remember drive-in  movies in both Alexandria and Pineville. Now I don’t think one still exists in the state of Louisiana. I remember the Joy Twin Drive-In and the Kings Drive-In in the Kingsville area.

I can remember the time someone threw tomatoes at the screen at the Joy Theater on Jackson Street.

I can remember when the milk truck that delivered our milk had a four number phone number on the side of the truck.

I can remember the Big Bopper appearing at the KALB record hop.

I can remember when Sears and Penneys had downtown stores.

I can remember when the Don Theater had Pack of Fun club for kids on Saturday mornings.

I can remember Bishop Greco broadcasting his radio program on KALB TV.

I can remember Ethma Odum having her noonday show on KALB TV and her reading the Littlest Angel at Christmas.

I can remember our neighbor Jack McCall being Cactus Jack on KALB TV and later would be on KNOE TV in Monroe for many years as host of their morning show.

I can remember Commodore Clem on KALB TV trying to open a letter my brother sent that said to “Open Other End” on all four sides.

I can remember the Town Talk before it bought Wellans, The Fair Store, Hub City Hardware, Alexandria Feed Store, Penneys, Wellans, Bialy’s and a pool hall to become the huge complex it is today. Let me know if I left any stores out.

Walked over the Murray Street bridge many times on way to Town Talk before it was destroyed so they could build the Jackson Street bridge.