Hilo Nostalgia: 1970s Through Early 1990s
Brandon
There's a lot of "small kid time" writing, but it's about the
pre-1970s era or about Honolulu, etc. I'm interested in those things
too, but I'm starting this discussion to highlight the Hilo I
remember: eating pizza at Snappy's, watching movies at the Waiakea
Kai Theater, playing miniature golf at that place by Cafe 100,
swimming in Keaukaha, the NAS or the YWCA pools. Or having a shave
ice or churro at the Pickle Barrel (Hilo Shopping Center). Or picking
up the latest Archie at the Comic Center (same place). Or going to
the pre-coed Boys Club. I think you get the idea. Share your
memories of Hilo.
mel
In article <1056686...@news.lava.net>,
bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon) wrote:
> Share your memories of Hilo.
Since I am originally from the Big Island, I remember quite well a lot
of stuff from visiting Hilo many, many times.
1. Kress Store in downtown Hilo. Whenever you walked into the store you
were hit by the smell of sweet, colored popcorn. There was a black mynah
bird in the pet department that was named "Joe". There was a nice
fountain and restaurant toward the back of the store. They carried all
kinds of merchandise from toys to clothes to household goods and
consumer electronics.
2. Kress Store at Kaiko'o Mall: Opened in 1970 when that mall first
opened. The store had a different ambience to it vs. that of the old
downtown store, but it was still Kress with the same line-up of
merchandise.
3. Kaiko'o Mall: The anchor tenants were JC Penney, Sure Save
Supermarket, and Kress. I believe it was the first enclosed mall on the
Big Island. Spent a lot of time there when I was a kid shopping with my
parents and stuff.
4. Project 3 Ltd: This was a funky record store that sponsored Thor's
"Music for a Change" progressive rock program on KIPA AM 620 radio.
5. Woolworth's Store, downtown Hilo... my favorite for a long time and a
great place to go to get the take out fried chicken and musubi. They had
an upstairs and downstairs level. In the early 1970s the record
department sponsored the weekly KPUA Top 21 countdown show with J.K. and
later Floyd "Night Owl" Chapman.... I used to win a lot of records and
merchandise from KPUA radio and Woolworths.
6. KPUA radio and TV used to be way up in Piihounua in a funky old
Quonset hut. The station was owned by Cec Heftel and would beam in parts
of J. Aku's newscast during the morning drive show with Mel "Mynah Bird"
Medeiros who is now on Hilo's KHBC radio. KPUA radio was at 970 on the
AM dial.
7. Sun Sun Lau Restaurant, the place to go to eat upscale Chinese food.
8. Tou Inn was another Chinese restaurant that had great food and that
funky miniture big band puppets playing above the jukebox whenever you
played a record.
9. Palace Theater; Mamo Theater... Mamo's gone, Palace is an arthouse
theater these days.
10. Hilo County Fair at the Hilo Civic Auditorium grounds... er.. um..
always rained when the fair came to town.
11. Wally Yee carnivals on the bayfront area grass...
12. Only 3 radio stations in Hilo, all AM: KIPA 620 (originally on
1110), KPUA 970 and KHLO 850. The first FM station was KKBG 97.9 FM
which I think went on the air in 1979 or somewhere in the early 80s.
13. Pan Am, United Airlines, Continental, Northwest, Braniff, & Western
were all the major airlines that flew into the original "2nd gateway" to
Hawaii... Hilo International Airport at the old terminal which today is
the cargo facility. Hardly any security at the old Hilo Airport and I
also remember the fishponds in the terminal area.
14. 1973 April 26 earthquake 6.25 on the richter scale... centered near
Honomu causing extensive damage in Hilo and along the Hamakua Coast.
15. The first McDonalds in Hilo was above Foodland in Downtown on Haile
Street. Hilo's first escalator was there.
16. The Hawaii Tribune Herald was called the Hilo Tribune Herald.
17. Hal Bodreau hosted a daily Hawaiian music show on KPUA radio from 10
AM to 2 PM.
18. Bernard Akana will probably be remembered for being Hilo's most
humble mayor after upsetting incumbant Dante Carpenter in an election in
the 1980s.. the guy ran for mayor 10 times before he won.. his campaign
war chest was only $1300 spent I believe... he campaigned outside in the
rain all by himself.. and won.
19. There was a hotel called the Orchid Island Hotel that had a cage
full of monkies for public viewing. The hotel burned to the ground in
the 1980s.
20. The sewer plant near Onekahakaha Beach stunk whenever you passed by
it.
There.. that is about what I remember of Hilo. Have fun folks.
Kory K
mel wrote:
> In article <1056686...@news.lava.net>,
> bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon) wrote:
>
> > Share your memories of Hilo.
Here's more stuff...
1. Listening to Vance K on the radio to hear the latest Jadessance song.
2. Sunrise Designs t-shirts.
3. Shopping at Kurohara's.
4. Eating Li Hing Shave Ice from Kawate Seed Shop.
5. Cruzin' "Banyans" and hanging at "The Wall".
6. Senior pictures from Reed and Jay Photography.
7. Watching black tip sharks under the old Suisan bridge.
8. Water gun fights after dark on the Muni.
9. Drag racing at Railroad Ave.
10. Sweating through workouts at Physics Gym.
11. Jay "the Bird" Bartholemew and Bill O'Rear at Vulcan Basketball games.
12. Swimming at Lalakea or Ice Pond on hot days.
13. Expose, the Cover Girls and the Jets concerts at the Hilo Civic.
14. Hilo street celebs, "Aunt Jemima" and "Ventura".
15. Ukulele lessons from George Camarillo at Waiakea Villas.
16. Sneaking in to Kawamoto Swim Stadium after dark and jumping off the
roof into the pool.
17. Ghost hunting at midnight at Waiakea High School.
18. Hanging out at Honoli`i.
19. Getting stuck off roading at "Country Clubs"
20. Dunking on the 8" rims at Lokahi Park.
Kory K
mel wrote:
> In article <1056686...@news.lava.net>,
> bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon) wrote:
>
> > Share your memories of Hilo.
[snipped]
Here's some additions from another Hilo boy.
1. Sneaking away from Mom while she was shopping at the downtown KTA to get
to the Comic Center to buy the latest Spider-Man comics.
2. Fishing for aholehole at Kolekole Beach park. Standing on the old
railroad pillar and getting wet everytime a wave broke.
3. Spearing nenui in the concrete pillars outside the breakwater.
4. Waking up at 5am to go fishing for halalu and opelu at the Hilo peir.
5. Catching talapia and awa`awa at Japanese Park (now Liliuokalani
Gardens). Using McDonald's french fries for talapia bait after we ran out
of California shrimp.
6. Eating a gravy burger and ice shave at Itsu's when it was in the old red
shack across the Civic.
7. Cat's and Rats, no, Much and Grinds, no, I mean Mun Chun Lau, after
football games. Crispy Chicken with Oyster Sauce and Fried Rice please.
8. Buying Gobstoppers and Big League Chew from Ando Store.
9. Slush float and Loco Moco from Kandi's Snack Shop after basketball or
baseball practice.
10. Eating dinner at Roy's and playing with the mini jukeboxes.
11. Sodas from Elsie's Fountain on Mamo Street.
12. Buying Kikaida stuff and comic books from Shiigi Drug.
13. Eating warm cone sushi from Mizoguchi Sushi.
14. Getting dropped of for a movie at Waiakea Plaza 2 hours early so we
could hang out at Fun Factory and play video games.
15. Roast Beef sandwiches from Kawika's Deli.
16. Kung Fu double feature the day the Palace Theater closed.
17. Going across the street from the old Food Fair to buy Rock Candy and Li
Hing Mui from the crackseed store.
18. Swimmig lessons at the old NAS pool by the Airport.
19. Mynah Bird Mederios doing the "Police Blotta" on the radio.
20. Going to Dairy Queen to buy the cheeseburger boat when it came in the
plastic NFL football helmets.
Next...
Brandon
mel <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<1056698...@news.lava.net>...
Wow, you're really going old-school;) I remember
1. that a guy intentionally crashed a van through the Kaiko'o Mall
doors (facing Aupuni Street) chasing after Bernard Akana (sometime in
the late 80s; I'll try to find out more).
2. Big Mama Oyama's. It was a pool hall set up in the early 90s in
the Woolworth's (now Spencer's) basement
3. Spencer's health club (I had a brief membership in 1992) used to
have a small health-food restaurant called Karrots (later replaced
with Boomers, which moved from the Prince Kuhio Plaza). Elsewhere in
the building was a sporting-goods shop, a manicure or massage place,
and so on. Really convenient, but then the health-food restaurant was
replaced with malt shop Boomers, the sporting-goods place, with a
day-care center, and so on.
4. Roussels (upscale Creole/Cajun food) in the old Bishop Trust Bldg.
on the corner of Keawe and Waianuenue. Nearby was the welfare office.
There was also a baby boutique for a while.
5. When Sears was in the Hilo Shopping Center. I remember going there
at least once. After the Plaza was built, it moved out, and many
shops came in to take its place: including a toy shop where I bought
a stuffed animal on layaway.
6. When the hotel burned down in the early 80s (1983, I think). I
dimly recall eating at the restaurant there with my family.
7. The small store by Keaukaha Elementary. It was a wooden building
on the corner, where the Kamehameha School building is now. But I got
these fruit pies (like Love's, but in a clear wrapper) and other
goodies there.
8. Freddies on Manono Street used to be a small store like the one by
Keaukaha school.
9. When downtown Sack n' Save was known as Foodland, and before that,
as Emjay.
10. When the land on which Prince Kuhip Plaza and Waiakea Center were
built was nothing but vegetation.
11. Book Gallery was at Kaiko'o Mall, as well as Smartwear, and this
gourmet shop that sold nougats, marzipan, sharp cheeses, and chocolate
cigarettes.
And there's a lot more. Share what you remember of Hilo.
Dan Birchall
nos...@nospam.com (mel) wrote:
> 3. Kaiko'o Mall: The anchor tenants were JC Penney, Sure Save
> Supermarket, and Kress. I believe it was the first enclosed mall on the
> Big Island. Spent a lot of time there when I was a kid shopping with my
> parents and stuff.
I think a Ben Franklin (crafts) was in there too, at some point later...
probably where the Sure Save was. The former JC Penney space is county
offices now.
> 9. Palace Theater; Mamo Theater... Mamo's gone, Palace is an arthouse
> theater these days.
Did the Kress theater exist back then?
> 15. The first McDonalds in Hilo was above Foodland in Downtown on Haile
> Street. Hilo's first escalator was there.
The McD's is still there, but I think the escalator got walled off or
something. And... I can't think of anywhere else I've been in town
that has escalators, except the airport. I suppose maybe one of the
hotels might have one, or the hospital, but elevators seem more popular
in the rare cases that things are tall enough to warrant them.
> 20. The sewer plant near Onekahakaha Beach stunk whenever you passed by
> it.
Some things never change. :)
-Dan
--
If you spam this address, you (obviously) agree to pay me $100/spam.
Auntie Maria
Kory K wrote:
> mel wrote:
>
> > In article <1056686...@news.lava.net>,
> > bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon) wrote:
> >
> > > Share your memories of Hilo.
>
> [snipped]
>
> Here's some additions from another Hilo boy.
Wu-huuuuuuuu -- I _knew_ you wouldn't be able to resist
jumping on to this thread, Kory.
Great reading, youse guys!
-- auntie maria
Maren Purves
Dan Birchall wrote:
> nos...@nospam.com (mel) wrote:
>
>> 3. Kaiko'o Mall: The anchor tenants were JC Penney, Sure Save
>> Supermarket, and Kress. I believe it was the first enclosed mall on the
>> Big Island. Spent a lot of time there when I was a kid shopping with my
>> parents and stuff.
>
> I think a Ben Franklin (crafts) was in there too, at some point later...
> probably where the Sure Save was. The former JC Penney space is county
> offices now.
Ben Franklin was across the Puna side entrance from Sure Save.
For all I know the first at least partly enclosed mall was the
Hilo Shopping Center.
Hopaco used to be in Kaiko'o Mall.
and
mel <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<1056698...@news.lava.net>...
> 10. Hilo County Fair at the Hilo Civic Auditorium grounds... er.. um..
> always rained when the fair came to town.
it still does ...
Still stinks of rubbish too - well it did the last time I went.
> 18. Bernard Akana will probably be remembered for being Hilo's most
> humble mayor after upsetting incumbant Dante Carpenter in an election in
> the 1980s.. the guy ran for mayor 10 times before he won.. his campaign
> war chest was only $1300 spent I believe... he campaigned outside in the
> rain all by himself.. and won.
Harry Kim did the same (campaigning-wise), including the winning.
and
Brandon wrote:
> 3. Spencer's health club (I had a brief membership in 1992) used to
> have a small health-food restaurant called Karrots (later replaced
> with Boomers, which moved from the Prince Kuhio Plaza). Elsewhere in
> the building was a sporting-goods shop, a manicure or massage place,
> and so on. Really convenient, but then the health-food restaurant was
> replaced with malt shop Boomers, the sporting-goods place, with a
> day-care center, and so on.
I was one of the owners of the "day-care" - it actually was drop-in
babysitting ... (never caught on in Hilo). We moved it into the Koehnen's
building later, but didn't last long there either.
The sporting good store still exists, on Kalanikoa St., across from the gap
between the tennis stadium and the building where the property tax office
used to be (which is now in Kaiko'o Mall and I have no idea what's in that
building - I think it may be empty).
Maren
(moved to Hilo in '87)
Smithfarms Pure Kona
On Fri, 27 Jun 2003 23:35:05 -0000, bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon)
wrote:
Being an Olaa kid, and going into Hilo - a really long ride for ballet
lessons in that huge old wooden gym that still stands on the corner
across from the gas station. Is it the corner of Kinoole and the
mauka makai street or is it Kilauea? Anyway, this was in the late
50's. aloha, Thunder
http://www.smithfarms.com
Farmers & Sellers of 100%
Kona Coffee & other Great Stuff!
Brandon
Kory K <ko...@kolohe1.com> wrote in message news:<1056729...@news.lava.net>...
We had a fourth-grade field trip at the NAS pool (1986).
And I remember "Aunt Jemima." Don't know "Ventura" though.
Who remembers the video store in the strip mall where Domino's is now?
Some titles were only in VHS or only in Beta: a real pain.
Or Dayn's Video at the Hilo Shopping Center? At the end of '87 we
rented The Chipmunk Adventure (it broke and we had to pay for it), so
we became regular patrons of Hal's Radio, until Blockbuster opened in
1991.
And, of course, the Importers, in back of the Waiakea Kai Plaza.
mel
In article <1056756...@news.lava.net>,
Dan Birchall <YouMustPay100Dollars...@d1h.com> wrote:
>> I think a Ben Franklin (crafts) was in there too, at some point
Ben Franklin took over Kress' Kaiko'o Mall space after the entire Kress
chain went out of business in 1981 or so. Ben Franklin stayed in Kaiko'o
for quite some time even after it changed over to Ben Franklin Crafts...
after that they moved to the building where the first Safeway store once
was on Kilauea Ave.. I think they're still there now.
> > 9. Palace Theater; Mamo Theater... Mamo's gone, Palace is an arthouse
> > theater these days.
>
> Did the Kress theater exist back then?
Kress chain went out of business in 1981 or so... The downtown building
lay vacant for many years... I think it was in the mid 1990s it became a
movie complex sometime after both the Palace and Mamo closed but after
the Waikea movie houses opened....
> > 15. The first McDonalds in Hilo was above Foodland in Downtown on Haile
> > Street. Hilo's first escalator was there.
>
> The McD's is still there, but I think the escalator got walled off or
> something.
Yep, it was walled off and come to think of it the only escalators in
operation at Hilo are at the airport.
Brandon
Dan Birchall <YouMustPay100Dollars...@d1h.com> wrote in
message news:<1056756...@news.lava.net>...
> nos...@nospam.com (mel) wrote:
> > 3. Kaiko'o Mall: The anchor tenants were JC Penney, Sure Save
> > Supermarket, and Kress. I believe it was the first enclosed mall on the
> > Big Island. Spent a lot of time there when I was a kid shopping with my
> > parents and stuff.
>
> probably where the Sure Save was. The former JC Penney space is county
> offices now.
Ben Franklin was across from Sure Save. Sure Save in the mid- to late
80s was a wonderland, with a deli (used to get a lot of Tofutti
cones). There was Smartwear, Book Gallery, Kinney's, etc. Kinney's
moved to the Prince Kuhio Plaza (right by Waldenbooks). Speaking of
the Plaza, I remember its volcano fountain.
>
> > 9. Palace Theater; Mamo Theater... Mamo's gone, Palace is an arthouse
> > theater these days.
>
> Did the Kress theater exist back then?
The Kress Theater opened in December 1995. The first movie I saw
there was Waiting to Exhale. I attended the Palace's reopening in
November 1998. And the Mamo collapsed from termite damage in the
summer of 1995.
>
> > 15. The first McDonalds in Hilo was above Foodland in Downtown on Haile
> > Street. Hilo's first escalator was there.
>
> The McD's is still there, but I think the escalator got walled off or
> something. And... I can't think of anywhere else I've been in town
> that has escalators, except the airport. I suppose maybe one of the
> hotels might have one, or the hospital, but elevators seem more popular
> in the rare cases that things are tall enough to warrant them.
>
> > 20. The sewer plant near Onekahakaha Beach stunk whenever you passed by
> > it.
>
mel
In article <1056756...@news.lava.net>,
bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon) wrote:
>
> Wow, you're really going old-school;) I remember
Yep... I'm kind of getting up there to old fart land.
> 9. When downtown Sack n' Save was known as Foodland, and before that,
> as Emjay.
It was Foodland then Emjays and then Sack n Save.
> 11. Book Gallery was at Kaiko'o Mall
Pete's Modelcraft, House of Music and Muntz Stereo were also Kaiko'o
Mall tenants.
Also remember National Dollar Store, Ah Mai's and Shigi Drug in downtown
Hilo....
One thing I can't figure out is why the Pacific Tsunami Museum with all
of its artifacts and collections about tsunamis are in a tsunami
inundation zone! Of course all the old timers remmber when First
Hawaiian Bank was in the same building and was called something else
before that... First National Bank???
> And there's a lot more. Share what you remember of Hilo.
I am surprised no one mentioned the Sanpan Busses....
mel
In article <1056793...@news.lava.net>,
bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon) wrote:
> The Kress Theater opened in December 1995. The first movie I saw
> there was Waiting to Exhale. I attended the Palace's reopening in
> November 1998. And the Mamo collapsed from termite damage in the
> summer of 1995.
I remember seeing a picture in the Tribune Herald of a bulldozer going
over the remains of the Mamo Theater.
Brandon
> In article <1056756...@news.lava.net>,
> bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon) wrote:
>
> >
> > Wow, you're really going old-school;) I remember
>
> Yep... I'm kind of getting up there to old fart land.
the early 80s--maybe the 70s on a clear day;).
>
> > 9. When downtown Sack n' Save was known as Foodland, and before that,
> > as Emjay.
>
> It was Foodland then Emjays and then Sack n Save.
>
> > 11. Book Gallery was at Kaiko'o Mall
>
> Pete's Modelcraft, House of Music and Muntz Stereo were also Kaiko'o
> Mall tenants.
>
> Also remember National Dollar Store, Ah Mai's and Shigi Drug in downtown
> Hilo....
building where Safeway once was.
>
> One thing I can't figure out is why the Pacific Tsunami Museum with all
> of its artifacts and collections about tsunamis are in a tsunami
> inundation zone! Of course all the old timers remmber when First
> Hawaiian Bank was in the same building and was called something else
> before that... First National Bank???
Bank. Then it was moved to make way for the Museum.
>
>
> > And there's a lot more. Share what you remember of Hilo.
>
> I am surprised no one mentioned the Sanpan Busses....
Suisan fish auctions?
Dan Birchall
bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon) wrote:
> Who remembers the video store in the strip mall where Domino's is now?
> Some titles were only in VHS or only in Beta: a real pain.
I don't know that store, but out in the Puainako Center on the highway
there is even now a video store that (last I looked) -only- did tapes.
Not a DVD to be seen.
Buck Turgidson
On Fri, 27 Jun 2003 04:05:02 -0000, bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon)
wrote:
>
>There's a lot of "small kid time" writing, but it's about the
>pre-1970s era or about Honolulu, etc.
All I remember about Hilo in the 70's is mildew and cockroaches the
size of VW's ;-)
Lawrence Akutagawa
"mel" <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:1056793...@news.lava.net...
>
> One thing I can't figure out is why the Pacific Tsunami Museum with all
> of its artifacts and collections about tsunamis are in a tsunami
> inundation zone! Of course all the old timers remmber when First
> Hawaiian Bank was in the same building and was called something else
> before that... First National Bank???
Nope...way back in the 40's and 50's there were only two banks in Hilo -
Bank of Hawaii and Bishop Bank. As I recall, Bank of Hawaii was at the
mauka hamakua corner of Waianuenue and Keawe. Bishop Bank was in the
building where the Pacific Tsunami Museum is.
And while I'm back in that period...one of the everlasting memories is the
torrent of high school students trooping down Waianuenue Ave from Hilo High
to the library just after school. Like a salmon run, only going downhill
instead of upstream. This still happen today?
One of the more pleasant surprises in my visit to Hilo in 1998 - the first
since I left in 1957 - was the raised pond in the plaza in front of the post
office at Waianuenue Ave...that used to be the main post office in Hilo. I
can remember as a youngster about 4 or 5 years old standing on tiptoes to
look at those frog fountains with the water coming out of their mouths. The
post office had one of the only two elevators in Hilo that I knew at that
time...the other was the freight elevator at Kress Store. If memory serves,
there was only one elevator at the post office...at the mauka end of the
main hallway. We kids would sneak a ride in it up all of 2 floors to the
3rd floor. Talk about cheap thrills!
And leave us not overlook those nine cents (yes...9/10 of one dollar)
Saturday morning movies at the Palace theater. There it was that I and my
peers were introduced to music like "Smoke gets in your eyes", "That old
black magic", et al. And the likes of Allen Rocky Lane, Flash Gordon,
Hopalong Cassidy, and the Three Stooges.
Later years saw us kids now in high school in the venerable Hilo Theater
right across the street from the Hilo Center/Boys Club right on Kamehameha
Ave puna several blocks of Sun Sun Lau. A whole lot of memories at Hilo
Theater. Unlike the Palace Theater and the Mamo Theater, there was only
one level at the Hilo Theater...two carpeted aisles with bare concrete floor
under the seats. The Waikea Theater also had one level, but it was much
smaller than the Hilo Theater.
The Mooheau (sp?) Theater just a few doors makai from the Mamo catered to
japanese movies and performances. I attended many a live performance
there...what sticks in the mind is the sound of two blocks of wood being
struck together repeatedly much like casanets at the beginning of some of
the more dramatic presentations. The Mooheau Theater is where I was
introduced to the more formal Japanese dance...the bon dances at the various
Buddhist churches were the only other Japanese dance venues.
There was the bowling alley on the second floor at the corner of Kumu St
(now nonexistent) and Kamehameha Ave just puna of Sun Sun Lau. The only
bowling alley in Hilo at the time, it also was the only place I recall that
had pin ball machines.
Talking about Sun Sun Lau, just a bit hamakua of the restaurant along the
makai side of the drainage canal was some kind of oil storage/processing
facility. Dunno what it really was, but it drained enough 'stuff' into the
canal to eliminate all the vegetation that grows there today. The only
thing that grew downstream of that facility was thick strands of algae.
Never had problems with the canal overflowing even in the heaviest rains in
the 16 plus years I lived in Hilo.
Dan Birchall
la...@sprintmail.com (Lawrence Akutagawa) wrote:
> And while I'm back in that period...one of the everlasting memories is the
> torrent of high school students trooping down Waianuenue Ave from Hilo High
> to the library just after school. Like a salmon run, only going downhill
> instead of upstream. This still happen today?
YES! Kozmic Kones is *very* well situated.
> One of the more pleasant surprises in my visit to Hilo in 1998 - the first
> since I left in 1957 - was the raised pond in the plaza in front of the post
> office at Waianuenue Ave...that used to be the main post office in Hilo. I
> can remember as a youngster about 4 or 5 years old standing on tiptoes to
> look at those frog fountains with the water coming out of their mouths.
Still there... my daughter just turned 4 and does the same stuff you describe.
Last time we went there the fountains were off, I guess sometimes they give
them a break.
> And leave us not overlook those nine cents (yes...9/10 of one dollar)
Er... 9/100, perhaps? If not, I'll give you TEN shiny pennies for a dirty
old dollar bill! ;)
-Dan
mel
In article <1056877...@news.lava.net>,
"Lawrence Akutagawa" <la...@sprintmail.com> wrote:
> And leave us not overlook those nine cents (yes...9/10 of one dollar)
> Saturday morning movies at the Palace theater.
That reminds me... another thing that cost only a few pennies in Hilo...
in fact you could put only a penny in them if you wanted to... was
PARKING METERS. For a long time, Hilo was one of the only and probably
last places in Hawaii where downtown parking meters took pennies in
addition to nickels and dimes...
So like for a penny you could get about 5 minutes of parking. Such a
deal!
Maren Purves
Haven't parked at the downtown post office in a number of years, but it
still was like that in the late 90s. (you have to estimate how long the
line is without being able to see it to decide whether to put in 1, 2 or
3 pennies ...)
Maren
mel
In article <1057035...@news.lava.net>,
Maren Purves <m.pu...@jach.hawaii.edu> wrote:
> > That reminds me... another thing that cost only a few pennies in Hilo...
> > in fact you could put only a penny in them if you wanted to... was
> > PARKING METERS. For a long time, Hilo was one of the only and probably
> > last places in Hawaii where downtown parking meters took pennies in
> > addition to nickels and dimes...
> Haven't parked at the downtown post office in a number of years, but it
> still was like that in the late 90s. (you have to estimate how long the
> line is without being able to see it to decide whether to put in 1, 2 or
> 3 pennies ...)
Unfortunately the penny parking meters were replaced several years ago.
Shelly
okay, you guys made me bus' out the oil can to fix these rusty
gears....
1. Bruce Carter & Hari Kojima visiting Hilo for one of those Keiki
Fishing Derbys - that was like a visit from international celebrities
with flocks of Hiloans gathering down at Suisan for the tapings
2. The cast of "Real People" visiting in '82-'83 and wishing that I'd
taken Poly Music from Camarillo, Jr instead of 'regala band' from
Camarillo, Sr., so that I would be on tv.
3. The hullabaloo over the filming of "Black Widow" -- my friends and
I wished we could transfer to Hilo High for the duration of the
production. BTW, Hilo Union does NOT look like a courthouse.
4. Kilauea Crack Seed and their jars of mouth-watering preserves.
They had WHOLE dried cuttlefish (not just the legs) and *gasp* dried
abalone that my dad would buy and slice into paper-thin slivers for
us. What a treat!
5. Sun Sun Lau and the big gong and drum at the entrance. We would
dine their for my Grandparents' birthdays and my sisters and I would
try to slink off to their gift store which was forbidden territory for
us. We also try to sneak bits of wun tun to the turtle in their fish
pond.
6. I remember taking hula lessons from Beamer-Solomon Hula Arts
Studio every saturday morning at Haili Church and attempting to pay
attention when the scent of fresh McDonald's fries wafted across the
street.
7. I remember (vaguely) when the guy who played Kamen Rider visited
Wong Stadium and the throngs of kids shoving to get close to see him.
Actually, I remember him from the autographed photo my older sister
still has - I just remember the shoving and thinking 'am I going to
get out of this alive?'
8. I remember when the downtown Longs Drug was the only Longs Drug in
town.
9. Waiakea Kai was _the_ place to be on the weekends - $1 movies
every thursday night except during summer vacation.
10. Kaiko'o Mall used to have a touristy store right across from
Mens' Shop and Smitty's Deli. You could buy real jade doughnut
pendants for $1 each there. Shiigi Drugs used to be the only place
where you could buy your Sanrio supplies, Shiseido makeup, Salon-pas
and New Year's chawan in one shopping trip -- like a Japanese
wal-mart.
These are the stores I can remember at the mall: Book Gallery,
Kinney's, Smitty's Deli, Mens' Shop, Singer Hawaii, Shiigi Drugs,
Robin's clothes store, Sure Save, Kress/Ben Franklin, Hopaco, Smart
Wear, Zale's, The Puka, The Puka too, Foto mart.
You could get those heat transfer t-shirts with Starsky & Hutch,
Charlie's Angels or Shaun Cassidy from The Puka too. They also made
transfers from photos that you could plaster on a shirt of your
choice.
11. The Pet Store at the corner across from Ebesu's
12. I also remember ghost hunting expedition with friends at Waiakea
High and Intermediate schools, Baby's Cry (old-old Hilo Hospital), old
Country Club and Wainaku side of town.
13. The roller skating rink in the old BJ Furniture building and
another one in a warehouse near Waiakea Kai shopping center.
14. The Zoo that used to be at Onekahakaha Beach park -- monkeys and
a big mynah that was very conversational.
15. Taking sewing lessons in those basement classrooms at Singer's in
the Kaiko'o Mall one summer and seeing a friend's older sister sew her
finger on my very first day.
16. Taking sewing lessons from Mrs. Tomi at Sewing Unlimited when
Mamo Mart opened the next year.
17. Margaret's Craft Potpourri -- 'Xanadu'-inspired ribbon barrettes!
Menudo pictures and posters and buttons!
18. JC Penney's and their record department - my aunt purchased my
"Xanadu" soundtrack LP for $20
19. Food Fair on Kinoole street and their huge expansion to have
groceries, apparel, electronics and hardware. That was when Kawate
Seed Shop moved out of the building and into their separate space.
20. I remember when there was a huge fire at Woolworth's and the
water from the sprinkler system and firehoses flooded out the
craft/sewing department on the bottom floor.
21. There used to be a pastry or candy shop that used to be next door
to Bear's Coffee that made hand-dipped chocolate covered Oreos with
candied animal faces. I think the owner moved to Waiakea Villas
later.
22. My first trip to the mainland was on a United Airlines flight
that originated from Hilo International Airport when it was brand new.
We had no stops in Honolulu! It was Hilo-Los Angeles-Hilo.
22. I remember a Japanese restaurant that was on Mamo Street where
Royal Siam is today. They used to make the best butterfish and
ochazuke...aside from my grandma's.
23. During my senior year of high school 1988-1989 I was a member of
the Hawaii County Band. We had practices on tuesday and thursday
nights. My home is roughly 3.5 miles away. I could drive from home
and get to practice in five minutes -- with traffic, abiding by all
traffic laws and driving through the houselots side of HCC.
Dan Birchall
m.pu...@jach.hawaii.edu (Maren Purves) wrote:
> mel wrote:
> > That reminds me... another thing that cost only a few pennies in Hilo...
> > in fact you could put only a penny in them if you wanted to... was
> > PARKING METERS. For a long time, Hilo was one of the only and probably
> > last places in Hawaii where downtown parking meters took pennies in
> > addition to nickels and dimes...
> >
> > So like for a penny you could get about 5 minutes of parking. Such a
> > deal!
>
> Haven't parked at the downtown post office in a number of years, but it
> still was like that in the late 90s. (you have to estimate how long the
> line is without being able to see it to decide whether to put in 1, 2 or
> 3 pennies ...)
Still is! Since all the other meters in town have been decommissioned
(the downtown business folks decided free parking was a better idea)
those are the only meters that you might actually ever have to feed.
I'll let my daughter put pennies in. (And throw them in the frog
fountain upstairs.)
Dan Birchall
nos...@nospam.com (mel) wrote:
> Maren Purves <m.pu...@jach.hawaii.edu> wrote:
> > mel wrote:
> > > For a long time, Hilo was one of the only and probably last
> > > places in Hawaii where downtown parking meters took pennies
>
> > Haven't parked at the downtown post office in a number of years, but it
> > still was like that in the late 90s.
>
They were? The ones that are there now take other coins, but to my
knowledge are perfectly happy to accept pennies as well, which
matches what you described earlier. I'll have to go check today.
Dan Birchall
Oh, but they're painting it white - that'll help, yah? :) (Rode past
it yesterday biking to the library, was surprised to see the color
change.)
duane
Let's see:
Sears and Ben Franklin were at the Hilo Shopping Center, also, Dick's
Coffee House, Lanky's Pastry Shop, Swiss Candy Haus (for a short
while) along with a Rexall's drugstore at one end. What was the
supermarket that was in the middle corner?
As a kid, used to come into town on Friday or Saturday and beg my
parents to take me to the toy section of Ben Franklin's. Could spend
hours there. Thought that was real livin.
The old airport with the blind Hawaiian man who did the small
newspaper stand. Don't remember his name. He had seemed to have his
entire inventory memorized by touch. Never needed to announce to him
what you were buying, he just needed to feel it.
she...@gte.net (Shelly ) wrote in message
news:<1057137...@news.lava.net>...
mel
In article <1057137...@news.lava.net>, she...@gte.net (Shelly )
wrote:
> 10. Kaiko'o Mall used to have a touristy store right across from
> Mens' Shop and Smitty's Deli. You could buy real jade doughnut
> pendants for $1 each there.
That would have been Tahiti Imports I believe.
> 11. The Pet Store at the corner across from Ebesu's
Ebesu's Flower store was one of the best flower shops in town run by the
same family for many years until they closed.
> 14. The Zoo that used to be at Onekahakaha Beach park -- monkeys and
> a big mynah that was very conversational.
A pidgeon took a crap on me over there.
> 18. JC Penney's and their record department - my aunt purchased my
> "Xanadu" soundtrack LP for $20
That is quite expensive for an LP! In the 1970s the 45s at JC Penney
cost only a dollar. It was 88 cent singles at downtown Woolworth's. Most
LPs and cassttes were $6.98.
> 19. Food Fair on Kinoole street and their huge expansion to have
> groceries, apparel, electronics and hardware.
There was also a Wigwam Store for a time in Hilo.
> 20. I remember when there was a huge fire at Woolworth's and the
> water from the sprinkler system and firehoses flooded out the
> craft/sewing department on the bottom floor.
The Woolworth basement got flooded several times.
> 22. My first trip to the mainland was on a United Airlines flight
> that originated from Hilo International Airport when it was brand new.
> We had no stops in Honolulu! It was Hilo-Los Angeles-Hilo.
United and Pan Am flew the first direct flights from the mainland to
Hilo in 1967... United had a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 and Pan Am flew in a
Boeing 707. The first time I was aware of a flight coming in directly
from the mainland to Hilo was when NASA flew a Convair 990 jetliner to
Hilo in 1966 to observe a solar eclipse near Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.
mel
In article <1057224...@news.lava.net>, dc...@royalstate.com (duane)
wrote:
> Let's see:
>
> Sears and Ben Franklin were at the Hilo Shopping Center, also, Dick's
> Coffee House, Lanky's Pastry Shop, Swiss Candy Haus (for a short
> while) along with a Rexall's drugstore at one end. What was the
> supermarket that was in the middle corner?
Pick n Pay. They also had a store in Naalehu.
Anyone remember MJS Music in the Hilo Shopping Center? They had a good
selection of records and you could pick up the KHJ Top 30 Survey from
LAX there as well as copies of the KPOI 1380 Action 20 survey.
> As a kid, used to come into town on Friday or Saturday and beg my
> parents to take me to the toy section of Ben Franklin's. Could spend
> hours there. Thought that was real livin.
It was real big news when Ben Franklin opened a store in Kamuela.
mel
In article <1057180...@news.lava.net>,
Dan Birchall <YouMustPay100Dollars...@d1h.com> wrote:
> nos...@nospam.com (mel) wrote:
> > Maren Purves <m.pu...@jach.hawaii.edu> wrote:
> > > mel wrote:
> > > > For a long time, Hilo was one of the only and probably last
> > > > places in Hawaii where downtown parking meters took pennies
> > > > addition to nickels and dimes...
> >
> > > Haven't parked at the downtown post office in a number of years, but it
> > > still was like that in the late 90s.
> >
> > Unfortunately the penny parking meters were replaced several years ago.
>
> They were? The ones that are there now take other coins, but to my
> knowledge are perfectly happy to accept pennies as well, which
> matches what you described earlier. I'll have to go check today.
Please check. I won't be in Hilo until late this month to check myself.
I know all of the old parking meters were replaced with the ones you
have to turn the little crank to get the coins in. The old ones had the
insert where you would PRESS the coin in and watch it spin in the little
window inside of the parking meter.
mel
In article <1057179...@news.lava.net>,
Dan Birchall <YouMustPay100Dollars...@d1h.com> wrote:
> m.pu...@jach.hawaii.edu (Maren Purves) wrote:
> > mel wrote:
> > > That reminds me... another thing that cost only a few pennies in Hilo...
> > > in fact you could put only a penny in them if you wanted to... was
> > > PARKING METERS. For a long time, Hilo was one of the only and probably
> > > last places in Hawaii where downtown parking meters took pennies in
> > > addition to nickels and dimes...
> > >
> > > So like for a penny you could get about 5 minutes of parking. Such a
> > > deal!
> >
> > Haven't parked at the downtown post office in a number of years, but it
> > still was like that in the late 90s. (you have to estimate how long the
> > line is without being able to see it to decide whether to put in 1, 2 or
> > 3 pennies ...)
>
> Still is! Since all the other meters in town have been decommissioned
> (the downtown business folks decided free parking was a better idea)
> those are the only meters that you might actually ever have to feed.
> I'll let my daughter put pennies in. (And throw them in the frog
> fountain upstairs.)
OK.. yep... now I remember.. free parking.. better than parking meters!
Ha!
Dan Birchall
nos...@nospam.com (mel) wrote:
Oh, they're definitely the turn-the-crank kind. The old one sounds nifty.
But... just a second.
*heads off on bike with cellphone camera, returns shortly thereafter*
The cranked meters that are currently there have one slot for nickels
and pennies, and another for dimes. It took me a little while to find
one without its glass fogged by overnight condensation inside, but I
did. :) The pricing information reads:
6 MIN. for each PENNY
to maximum time on dial
30 MIN. for one NICKEL
for convenience
36 MIN. for one DIME
(Note: Using a dime is obviously NOT a good deal. :)
http://d1h.com/photo/pennymeters are the photos I just took.
-Dan
Dan Birchall
nos...@nospam.com (mel) wrote:
> Anyone remember MJS Music in the Hilo Shopping Center? They had a good
> selection of records and you could pick up the KHJ Top 30 Survey from
> LAX there as well as copies of the KPOI 1380 Action 20 survey.
Remember? MJS is still in HSC... walked past it just the other day.
I dunno about picking up copies of the charts, though.
Helen Rapozo
On Thu, 3 Jul 2003, Dan Birchall wrote:
>
> The cranked meters that are currently there have one slot for nickels
> and pennies, and another for dimes. It took me a little while to find
> one without its glass fogged by overnight condensation inside, but I
> did. :) The pricing information reads:
>
> 6 MIN. for each PENNY
> to maximum time on dial
> 30 MIN. for one NICKEL
> for convenience
> 36 MIN. for one DIME
>
> (Note: Using a dime is obviously NOT a good deal. :)
>
a nickel and 5 pennies for their dime so that they can feed
the meter.
Dan Birchall
All the OTHER meters (not the penny-taking ones by the Federal Building)
are finally going away. You haven't had to feed them for 5 years, yet
they've been taking in about $2K a year... ;)
http://www.hilohawaiitribune.com/daily/2003/Jul-06-Sun-2003/news/news1.html
Brandon
mel <nos...@nospam.com> wrote in message news:<1056698...@news.lava.net>...
> In article <1056686...@news.lava.net>,
> bhal...@hotmail.com (Brandon) wrote:
>
> > Share your memories of Hilo.
>
>
> Since I am originally from the Big Island, I remember quite well a lot
> of stuff from visiting Hilo many, many times.
>
> 1. Kress Store in downtown Hilo. Whenever you walked into the store you
> were hit by the smell of sweet, colored popcorn. There was a black mynah
> bird in the pet department that was named "Joe". There was a nice
> fountain and restaurant toward the back of the store. They carried all
> kinds of merchandise from toys to clothes to household goods and
> consumer electronics.
>
> 2. Kress Store at Kaiko'o Mall: Opened in 1970 when that mall first
> opened. The store had a different ambience to it vs. that of the old
> downtown store, but it was still Kress with the same line-up of
> merchandise.
>
> 3. Kaiko'o Mall: The anchor tenants were JC Penney, Sure Save
> Supermarket, and Kress. I believe it was the first enclosed mall on the
> Big Island. Spent a lot of time there when I was a kid shopping with my
> parents and stuff.
>
> "Music for a Change" progressive rock program on KIPA AM 620 radio.
>
> 5. Woolworth's Store, downtown Hilo... my favorite for a long time and a
> great place to go to get the take out fried chicken and musubi. They had
> an upstairs and downstairs level. In the early 1970s the record
> department sponsored the weekly KPUA Top 21 countdown show with J.K. and
> later Floyd "Night Owl" Chapman.... I used to win a lot of records and
> merchandise from KPUA radio and Woolworths.
>
> 6. KPUA radio and TV used to be way up in Piihounua in a funky old
> Quonset hut. The station was owned by Cec Heftel and would beam in parts
> of J. Aku's newscast during the morning drive show with Mel "Mynah Bird"
> Medeiros who is now on Hilo's KHBC radio. KPUA radio was at 970 on the
> AM dial.
>
> 7. Sun Sun Lau Restaurant, the place to go to eat upscale Chinese food.
>
> 8. Tou Inn was another Chinese restaurant that had great food and that
> funky miniture big band puppets playing above the jukebox whenever you
> played a record.
>
> 9. Palace Theater; Mamo Theater... Mamo's gone, Palace is an arthouse
> theater these days.
>
> always rained when the fair came to town.
>
> 11. Wally Yee carnivals on the bayfront area grass...
>
> 12. Only 3 radio stations in Hilo, all AM: KIPA 620 (originally on
> 1110), KPUA 970 and KHLO 850. The first FM station was KKBG 97.9 FM
> which I think went on the air in 1979 or somewhere in the early 80s.
>
> 13. Pan Am, United Airlines, Continental, Northwest, Braniff, & Western
> were all the major airlines that flew into the original "2nd gateway" to
> Hawaii... Hilo International Airport at the old terminal which today is
> the cargo facility. Hardly any security at the old Hilo Airport and I
> also remember the fishponds in the terminal area.
>
> 14. 1973 April 26 earthquake 6.25 on the richter scale... centered near
> Honomu causing extensive damage in Hilo and along the Hamakua Coast.
>
> 15. The first McDonalds in Hilo was above Foodland in Downtown on Haile
> Street. Hilo's first escalator was there.
>
>
> 17. Hal Bodreau hosted a daily Hawaiian music show on KPUA radio from 10
> AM to 2 PM.
>
> 18. Bernard Akana will probably be remembered for being Hilo's most
> humble mayor after upsetting incumbant Dante Carpenter in an election in
> the 1980s.. the guy ran for mayor 10 times before he won.. his campaign
> war chest was only $1300 spent I believe... he campaigned outside in the
> rain all by himself.. and won.
>
> 19. There was a hotel called the Orchid Island Hotel that had a cage
> full of monkies for public viewing. The hotel burned to the ground in
> the 1980s.
>
> 20. The sewer plant near Onekahakaha Beach stunk whenever you passed by
> it.
>
What was school like?