How “Omaha” are you?

[NEDodger]

How “Omaha” am I?
I jumped off the blue tower at the Peony Park Pool.
I remember going to Millard every weekend and the corner gas station on 132 & Dodge was half way to Millard in the 80's
I had birthday parties at W.C. Franks on 90th Maple in the 80's
Had Cheeseburgers at Danny's (72 & Blondo) and Paddy's (69 & Maple) in the 80's
I worked at the Baker's on 72 & Blondo in the 90's
I played Space Ball at Family Fun Center on Dodge.
I watched the Lancers in their first game at Aksarben

I believe WC Franks was at 108th and Maple, on the south side of the grocery store strip mall? After being a WC Franks, the spot was a “Spaghetti Western” pasta restaurant and then a Razzys location that kept all the western film posters in there.

[Brad]

The one we went to was on 90th. It later became the fish bowl pet center. This is back when target was also at 90th and maple.

[NEDodger]

Interesting. I knew there were a few of them around, but not to the point that they'd had a few that were that close to each other.

[almighty_tuna]

Welcome!

[omaha79]

I was born and raised in South Omaha.

I miss Duffy's Tavern, Pizza Keg, and Pefferonis.

I had my 4th birthday party at W.C. Franks.

I remember my first Lancers game at AkSarBen, Omaha Royals games at Rosenblatt. Nights at Sunset Speedway were common, but I hated the noise.

Walking around The Center mall and Southroads...trips to Crossroads or Westroads were a rare treat.

Shopped at Hinky Dinky's on 36th and Q. Skag Ways on 72nd and L before it became a giant Osco Drug. Would walk into the Hooch Hutch with my dad for his beers.

Played at Christy Heights park and probably got a few concussions from the old playground equipment.

All the memories.

[Louie]

Played at Christy Heights park and probably got a few concussions from the old playground equipment.

All the memories.

Are the memories beginning to fade? lol

[omaha79]

Played at Christy Heights park and probably got a few concussions from the old playground equipment.

All the memories.

Are the memories beginning to fade? lol

No. I still remember getting hit in the head by someone flying by on the old T swing. falling down on the metal merry go round. getting certain areas crushed on the old teeter totters. 3rd degree burns from the metal slide, etc.

[Louie]

Played at Christy Heights park and probably got a few concussions from the old playground equipment.

All the memories.

Are the memories beginning to fade? lol

No. I still remember getting hit in the head by someone flying by on the old T swing. falling down on the metal merry go round. getting certain areas crushed on the old teeter totters. 3rd degree burns from the metal slide, etc.

I was making a memory/concussion joke

[guy4omaha]

I went on a school field trip that covered Robert’s Dairy, Butternut Bread bakery and the Kitty Clover plant. Plus the Goodrich Dairy milk truck delivered milk to our house. My mom shopped at Olson’s Meat Market in Benson. Their BBQ sauce was like no other. That’s all I got, er, can remember.

[guy4omaha]

One more memory … I loved going in the back entrance to Phillips in South Omaha for the wonderful bakery smell as you walked in.

[nativeomahan]

Oh my gosh, the memories…
I have lived my whole life (save for my first year) in the Westside schools district.
I attended Creighton Prep and graduated the year the tornado blew the roof off the school and saved me from having to take my final exam in physics (true story: the morning of the tornado another student in my physics class - a straight A student - asked the teacher “will there be any exemptions from taking the final exam.” The teacher, Ron Bruno, replied “only if a tornado rips the roof off of this classroom!” Well it did!)
I knew the “back way” from my grandmother’s apartment at 39th and Cass through alleys to the side entrance of St. Cecilia’s Cathedral.
I would escort my younger brother from our barber’s at 40th and Dodge Street across Dodge and through the back door of Kauffman’s Bakery at 39th and Farnam, where we would purchase pastries after our haircuts.
I also had a field trip to the Butternut Bakery on Leavenworth. The bakery is long gone but every time I drive down Leavenworth I see the white building still standing and the smells from that bakery tour still fill my memory.
I dialed my food order multiple times at the King’s Food Host on North 72nd Street, across from Brandeis department store, where our mother took us to buy school shoes (on the third floor). Santa’s workshop was on the ground floor.
Our mother would take us to Krug’s Men & Boys in Countryside Village to get our back to school clothes. Mrs. Krug would often wait on us.
I still remember the smell of the charred burgers and apple pie at Jack Holme’s restaurant at 75th and Pacific. I loved the taste but it always gave me a stomach ache an hour later.
I ate many dinners at Italian Garden’s restaurant in Little Italy. Owner Louise Salerno and my parents were good friends.
I rode the roller coaster once or twice at Playland Park.
I swam in the pool and rode the ride around the pool at Peony Park. I loved their tractor ride as well as the ride with the miniature corvette cars.
Peony Park would give grade school students free rides at the end of the school year if you showed you got “A”s or “B”s on your report card. I used one free ride on the “octopus” ride and the lever that stopped the ride broke and we were all forced to ride the damn thing for about 20 minutes before they could shut the ride off. I never ever rode an amusement park ride like the “octopus” again!
Seasoned amusement park riders knew NOT to sit next to the padded side while riding the “scrambler”.
I saw many Sunday afternoon Disney movies downtown at the State theater, where the line would often stretch around the block.
Before it was the Henry Dooley Zoo it was Riverview Park. They had a train you could ride.
Root beer floats at Goodrich Dairy stores. Pizza at Shakey’s Pizza. Timer’s Drive-In on Dodge.
Cliffs Chicken, located next to the Golden Spike drive in theater.
Mr. Steak. Mr. C’s. Lyle’s Patio. The Drawbridge. Henry’s hamburgers.
Central Market for groceries.
Waiting in line for a table at Omaha’s first Valentino’s.
When Little King was about the only sandwich shop in Omaha.
Grisanti’s garlic butter soaked bread.
The Hilltop House restaurant for lunch with my grandmother.
Bishop’s Buffet, and their little table lights you would turn in if you needed something from a waitress.
The dinner theater in the basement of Westroads Mall.
Visiting the big toy store at 39th and Cuming,
I recall when WOWT switched from CBS to NBC and KMTV went the other way.
When TV station KPTM launched people rejoiced because up until then we only had 3 TV stations (plus public TV).
When Cox Cable was awarded the cable TV franchise for Omaha people would impatiently wait for the cable crews to start stringing wires in their neighborhood, because when they got hooked up we were able to watch up to 40 channels of TV (many were just public access channels but we finally got WTBS, USA, WGN, WOR and a few others worth watching.)
I remember when casinos first came to Council Bluffs. Restaurant owners bemoaned that everyone would be crossing the river to eat at the cheap buffets. For a while that’s what happened.
So many memories.

[omaha79]

Played at Christy Heights park and probably got a few concussions from the old playground equipment.

All the memories.

Are the memories beginning to fade? lol

No. I still remember getting hit in the head by someone flying by on the old T swing. falling down on the metal merry go round. getting certain areas crushed on the old teeter totters. 3rd degree burns from the metal slide, etc.

I was making a memory/concussion joke

I got that and responded with concussion memories.

[jag42]

NativeOmahan:
Great post! I too, remember when KPTM-42 launched and all the stores had free loop UHF antennas provided by KPTM-42.

As for Cox cable coming to Omaha, I was a young boy when they wired my neighborhood at 43rd and California. Must have been early 1980's. A very big deal!

[Garrett]

Can't quite share all of those memories, but I grew up near 168th and Center, and watching Lakeside and Legacy change from cornfields to a full commercial center as I grew up was probably what sparked my interest in urban planning. Lakeside Hospital in particular was my first taste of watching a big construction project.

[ChadJK]

These "How Omaha are you" and "You know you're from Omaha when..." lists always feel more like "How old school Omaha are you" and "You know you've been in Omaha for more than 30 years when..." Having gone to a business that closed 30 years ago doesn't make you more Omaha. It just makes you old. lol I joke, I joke..

[guy4omaha]

These "How Omaha are you" and "You know you're from Omaha when..." lists always feel more like "How old school Omaha are you" and "You know you've been in Omaha for more than 30 years when..." Having gone to a business that closed 30 years ago doesn't make you more Omaha. It just makes you old. lol I joke, I joke..

Your day is coming . . . sooner than you think. It was sooner that any of us "More Omaha than You" oldsters thought it would be. That's for sure. And if it isn't obvious, I am joking back.