Childhood memories gone

0

Lately I have been hanging out with my pal Bob Glaze, a name which probably does not ring a bell, until I throw in the extra added attraction: Bob Glaze, also known as Cowboy Bob, longtime host of Cowboy Bob’s Corral on WTTV, Channel 4.

For a large segment of the Central Indiana population, Cowboy Bob was “The Man” in the ‘70s. Talk about Must-See TV: Get yourself a tray, have mom set it up with a PBJ and a glass of milk, warm up the Zenith and get set for big noontime kid fun.

Bob, whether in his civilian guise or his Cowboy Bob persona, is a hoot. Then again, you should expect no less from a man who spent much of his career with a biscuit for a sidekick. OK, maybe you had to be there. Anyway, it’s nice to report he is essentially the same guy he was when he was telling the kids to take their naps after the show was over. What Bob and I invariably end up talking about is something I call “The Death of Local.”

“The Death of Local” goes way further than just TV. During the Golden Age of Kidhood, the diet of a Central Indiana youngster likely revolved around Marhoefer wieners, Chesty potato chips and Stark and Wetzel bacon, purchased at a Standard Grocery. If you scraped your knee, your mom painted it with merthiolate she bought at Hook’s Drugs. Afterward, if you behaved yourself, the family might get to go to the Tee Pee restaurant for dinner, although it had to be early because dad didn’t want to be there when all the teenagers started rolling in with their loud cars and their Ricky Nelson music.

You get the picture. Local.

It isn’t that the products and places I mention were better than what we have today, although in many cases that’s true. More important, they were ours. They gave us identity, a sense of place that you just can’t get from another chain pizza outlet or cheesecake assembly line just like the ones in Kansas City, Cleveland and Springfield.

Maybe that’s why Bob and I get onto this subject so much – that by talking about it, we actually keep Local Alive in a small way. Although it’s no substitute for a bag of Chesty potato chips.


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Childhood memories gone

0

Lately I have been hanging out with my pal Bob Glaze, a name which probably does not ring a bell, until I throw in the extra added attraction: Bob Glaze, also known as Cowboy Bob, longtime host of Cowboy Bob’s Corral on WTTV, Channel 4.

For a large segment of the Central Indiana population, Cowboy Bob was “The Man” in the ‘70s. Talk about Must-See TV: Get yourself a tray, have mom set it up with a PBJ and a glass of milk, warm up the Zenith and get set for big noontime kid fun.

Bob, whether in his civilian guise or his Cowboy Bob persona, is a hoot. Then again, you should expect no less from a man who spent much of his career with a biscuit for a sidekick. OK, maybe you had to be there. Anyway, it’s nice to report he is essentially the same guy he was when he was telling the kids to take their naps after the show was over. What Bob and I invariably end up talking about is something I call “The Death of Local.”

“The Death of Local” goes way further than just TV. During the Golden Age of Kidhood, the diet of a Central Indiana youngster likely revolved around Marhoefer wieners, Chesty potato chips and Stark and Wetzel bacon, purchased at a Standard Grocery. If you scraped your knee, your mom painted it with merthiolate she bought at Hook’s Drugs. Afterward, if you behaved yourself, the family might get to go to the Tee Pee restaurant for dinner, although it had to be early because dad didn’t want to be there when all the teenagers started rolling in with their loud cars and their Ricky Nelson music.

You get the picture. Local.

It isn’t that the products and places I mention were better than what we have today, although in many cases that’s true. More important, they were ours. They gave us identity, a sense of place that you just can’t get from another chain pizza outlet or cheesecake assembly line just like the ones in Kansas City, Cleveland and Springfield.

Maybe that’s why Bob and I get onto this subject so much – that by talking about it, we actually keep Local Alive in a small way. Although it’s no substitute for a bag of Chesty potato chips.


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Share.

Current Morning Briefing Logo

Stay CURRENT with our daily newsletter (M-F) and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox for free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to



By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact