Bobby Joe Snipes: "Mil, here are the books
we promised you...(we are downsizing).”
"Way back, we bought home of founder of
Barry's, and in my basement man-cave
behind a shelf, we found this roll of
wrapping paper...likely from the thirties..."
(This is Bob's approx. quote.)
So excited we're we to get the poetry
book gifts that we at first tossed the
brownish wrapping paper into the
recycle box.
Ah, but then we discovered our error...my
friends this is a historic piece of
paper, as Bob said..."maybe from the 30's;"
go figure, you students of Reba Jenkins---
that's going on a century....old.
This was fresh wrapping paper, likely the
same as that on the rollers inside that favorite
store, at practically the "heart-beat"
corner of old beloved Clovis, as we knew
it....on a memorable day, Aug. 1945. Read
on...
At that central corner of Fourth and Main
were Barry's, Woolworth, May Bros.
Jewelry, and across to the northwest --
Fox Drug...(you remember the Running
Foxes on the signs.)
Mil, age 11, on an August 15 afternoon in
1945, came out into the bright light of
reality from the double feature movie,
showing at the Lyceum, three doors
north of Barry's.
The intersection at Fourth & Main was
blocked by a big KICA broadcasting van,
and a loud speaker was blaring: "The Japs
have surrendered...the Japs have
surrendered!"
I can take you to that corner, in front
of Barry's today and mark the sidewalk
with a piece of chalk, showing you just
where I stood...when I heard the news!
I was tired of that war. We all were. Boys
were gone, never to return. We kids had
cleaned up every piece of scrap anything,
anywhere in the county...for the war effort.
And in my boy's heart, with its young
innocence of the human condition...I
said: "Thank God for no more war!"
An interesting thing: note Barry's phone
number--72. Bob mentions that his dad's
OK RUBBER WELDERS store had the number
of 656, My dad owned the MAGIC STEAM
LAUNDRY at 417 W, Grand and the number
there was 397. Just interesting side facts...
Ah, but..."As for man, his days are as the
grass..." and that old "heartbeat corner"
of Clovis is not the same today. Woolworth's
left along in the 70's (I got a final photo);
May Bros. left and I heard Charles was
ranching somewhere; and Barry's-gone.
FOX DRUG, a most interesting place for
kids to walk through, over there on the
northwest corner-- became Cretney Drug,
Roden-Smith Drug, and may now be a
church...who knows? It once had a great
news/magazine/comic book shop
opening to the north corner.
So there you have it...a piece of life and
history from the 30's and forties--.that
corner...and a fine hometown...good
Saturday double feature movies, for
ten cents (plus 10 cent popcorn) and
a ham salad san just south at Woolworth's
after the movie...for a mere twenty cents.
And fresh on my mind, as if it had all
happened yesterday! How lucky to
live in a "Place Like That," we were.
Think of the memories stirred
by that ancient piece of brown Barry's
wrapping paper (which I cherish)...
and did you know that when such paper
as that exists and ages and dries out,
it seems gets rather crispy.
---------
Mil
11 JANUARY 2020
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