By Staff
Remember the pinball machine at Max Allen's drug store (Backeman's at one time)?
I can't forget when an old Dowagiac character, Russ Wares, used to do his famous howling noise and then his well-known "chicken scratch" out in the street in front of the old Dairy Queen.
I saw him do this several times when I worked at the State Liquor Store where the Wounded Minnow is now located.
He did stop traffic when doing this little show.
How many can remember when a Mrs. Fields had a pretty good barbecue business near Charlie Jonas' radio shop on the west side of town?
Does anyone play "Flinch" anymore?
We used to have a box of Flinch cards and played it a lot back in the 1930s.
I've forgotten how to play it, but it used to be fun.
Boy, how times have changed.
When I was a youngster, dogs lived off of table scraps or an occasional cheap meat bone from the butcher.
All the dogs seemed to lead a healthy life, as I recall.
I guess the biggest cost for a dog back then was his dog tag license.
Some people today, especially those with their fancy or dainty little registered pups, probably spend as much for their dog doctors and pills as was spent on us kids years ago – maybe even more is likely.
I have two friends who have even taken their dogs to colleges (Purdue and Michigan State) at big-bucks cost to have a professional vet solve their dog's problems.
Just think back at how a dog's life has changed.
Some of these cute ones have coats and mittens for winter and even little stairs are now made for small dogs to climb up on a couch or bed.
Here is a story about our old neighbor from the plumbing shop next to our State Liquor Store when we were on M-51 North.
It was either Clare Flanders' father or brother who had a dray or delivery service years ago.
When all the Chicago people closed up their cottages, it was Clare's job to pick up their trunks, etc., to bring them to the depot to be sent back by train to their homes.
Clare had been to Magician, Sister and Indian lakes and had a wagon full. He was coming into Dowagiac on the road from Indian Lake (M-62). It was between the two bridges when he looked back and the wagon full of trunks, etc., was on fire.
Clare unhitched the horses, but the full wagon burned up.
Later on, the Flanders dray business got a letter and a bill from a man in Chicago asking for reimbursement for his loss.
Mr. Flanders sent a letter back to the man, saying we have found under investigation that the fire was started by some matches in your trunk and we believe you are going to be liable for the loss of all the other people's goods.
Mr. Flanders never heard any more from the man in Chicago.
I guess Clare's brother or his father was a real old-time "horse trader" and not like our next-door neighbor Clare, who we all knew was an honest man.
I guess this story was true as I heard it from a very responsible source.