Growing up in Owasso Highlights
While at Barnes Elementary - Going to the Ram Shack for lunch and then running around town afterwards, Can you imagine Elementary kids doing that now!... No!
Swats @ school or even on the bus were with a paddle & 'someone' told us they hurt! ;] Ouch!
In Elementary we would have to go watch films in the Cafeteria often & remember the Toothbrush people? They would give out awful tasting red tablets to chew up and would leave residue on your teeth if you weren't brushing your teeth right!
The "special" films that the girls got to watch in the Cafeteria that the boys weren't invited to watch.
Comic Books, slinkys, jacks, jump ropes, little plastic Army soldiers, Cowboys & Indians...Imagination!
Saturnday Morning Cartoons!!
Dick & Jane Readers...Run Spot Run! Laddie Pencils & Writing tablets, Weekly Readers & Getting to order books from The Scholastic Book Club! How about keeing all of your supplies in a cigar box?
All the cool stuff you guys made in 'Shop' & Basic Survival ...Those classes are non-existant now along with Home Ec.
The old John L. Hurt Memorial Band Room.
Spirit Ribbons, Homecoming mums, Pep Assemblies, Building Homecoming Floats in garages into the night, Homecoming Parades.
45's & L.P.'s, 8 Track Tapes...they took up a whole seat in our vehicles, later it would be cassettes. "We loved our music"!
Speaking of music...Remember our round Music Room, Gym & Kindergarten Buildings @ Barnes? You probably will want to go by and see the buildings @ Barnes while your in town...some have been torn down but many are still standing.
The yoyo craze in 6th grade. Didn't they take them away from us for a while?
The new bikes at Western Auto & Otasco
Shag carpet, Green & Gold Appliances & we didn't have refrigerators for a long time...they were called 'iceboxes'.
The atmosphere @ the Basketball Games in the old gym & the Football Games @ the old stadium...our rivalry was Jenks...'Beat Jenks'!
Being told to be home for lunch "at the noon whistle" that went off in the middle of town and you could hear it for miles away. Home for supper "when the street lights come on"!
Being able to buy little turtles @ Thompsons Variety Store 5&Dime! Their Grandson 'Gator', is our 't-shirt' Dist. for the Reunion!
Riding our bikes to school. Remember the cool baskets we had on those bikes? How about those lights, horns and sissy bars?
Tasty Freeze - remember the dip cones, banana splits, hamburgers, pizza burgers...Yum!... Miss it!
Elementary Report cards were A, B, C, D, & F. And comments like; Plays well with others or doesn't, shares or doesn't, talks in class or does or doesn't listen!
ID Bracelets... when we were 'going steady', & when you wanted a nicer one, you would buy him a new one for his birthday or for no special reason...in turn he'd give it to you to wear! "See how that worked guys"! Psy. 101
Mr. Zing & Tuffy or Uncle Zeb, Romper Room & Captain Kangaroo/Mr Green Jeans Shows.
Barnes & Ator Playgrounds...what goes on @ the playground...stays @ the playgound! Remember making a clubhouse in the tall weeds over in the far corner at Barnes & looking over the stone fence at the Day Care kids where Safeway would eventually be built.
Making marks in the stone fence at Barnes (some are still there)!
Remember the steel merry go round thing that could make you dizzy and then...well...you know! The metal slide that would burn you if it was really hot outside!
Blue Birds, Brownies, Camp Fire, Girl Scouts, F.O.R. Sports, 4-H, Cub/Boy Scout Meetings & Activities
Band, Choir & FFA Trips
Hanging out at the Tulsa State Fair after the parade and riding Zingo and playing minature golf...Now Bells has been demolished! Room for progress...I mean 'parking lot'!
Gas station Attendants used to put the gas in your car for you & clean your windshield, meanwhile you could go in and buy a Coke or Grapette in a bottle out of the machines, candy for 1 cent along with a candy bar for .05!
The partial filming of the movie 'The Outsiders' by the Tastee Freeze, with little known stars like Tom Cruise & Patrick Swayze
Getting a real authentic fountain drink from Buckles Drug Store (where they would actually stir in the syrup) / also Soc's Drug had a cool fountain.
Mr. Simmons made us think he had eyes in the back of his head / see sideways without turning his head, and always caught the one (or two) mis-behaving!
Fellowship & Pot-Luck Dinners @ Church
Stopping by Standard Auto and getting free STP stickers.
The smells of leather and everything else that the Feed Store on Broadway had in it. It also had a cool then-ancient pop machine where you had to grip the top of the bottle in water and work it through a maze to get it out.
4 tacos for a dollar and Green Grog Drinks at the Ram Shack.
French Fries at the Townhouse Restaurant (later Clark's Family Restaurant) after school.
Boy Scouts on Monday nights in the basement at the United Methodist Church.
Our first pizza place; Big Red Pizza, then Kens...then 1 day later Pizza Hut. In Tulsa it was Shotgun Sams, Shakeys & later Crystals Pizza that we went to and who can forget Casa Bonita!
Dragging Main Street in our 'cool' cars & trucks!
In Grade School...those delicious cinnamon rolls & 3cent cartons of milk in the cafeteria...Yum! Metal lunch boxes...what character was on yours? Bonanza, Star Trek, Peanuts, Munsters, Partridge Family, Land of the Giants.....
Making our special little Valentine bags or boxes...and back then our Homeroom Mothers were allowed to bring fresh baked cookies and cupcakes....Yum!
Dodge-Ball ... Anytime...Anywhere...'Game On'!!!
Working with Mr. Scott at Barnes during the annual Coke Sales Fundraiser held in the basement of the ancient 1909 school house.
Playing outside on our bikes, metal strap-on roller skates, hula hoops, hot wheels, slip-n-slides (strip of plastic, metal stakes & water...), playing army, all fun & games until someone got hurt! :] There weren't any video games back then...until Pong and eventually Atari Pac Man...Thank goodness we grew up during a simpler time!
People in town knew each other and greeted & waved @ you.
Our field trip in Jr. High to Kansas City on the last Passenger Train out of Owasso
Exploring the water drainage tunnels under the town.
Riding in the back of pickup trucks.
Watching The Uncanny Film Festival with Mazeppa Popazoity (Garlard Sartain) & Gary Bussey on Saturday nights.
Hanging out on the 'back roads' & @ The Mity Mart and being run off from there every time!
The first Koolee machine at Mity Mart. If you were nice to Gary Plummer he'd pile it high for you.
Hanging out at the Library after school & High School parking lot anytime.
The cool juice machine at Barnes.
Taking Pop bottles into Wells Food Market for a refund.
The round water trough in the bathrooms at Barnes that you would engage by stepping on a foot pedal.
All of the wet toilet paper stuck to the ceiling in the bathrooms at Barnes...just in the boys!
All the boys having a crush on Mrs. Altman.
Gym Class at Barnes and the locker rooms under the stage.
Actually leaving your house unlocked & no worries about it!
Dial Phones, Phone #'s in Owasso were listed as Crestview 2 and later CR2 - ____, and finally 272-Remember Party Lines & Black & White TV? Free directory assistance where an operator actually answered the phone.
Sunday night was time to watch The Wonderful World of Disney.
Swimming in the Owasso Lake.
Jogging down the rail road tracks in 110 degreee weather to get in shape for football.
Mr. Lamkin's megaphone....enough said.
Cost of Living in 1979
Yearly Inflation Rate USA 11.2 %
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 838
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 15.25%
Average Cost of New House $58,100.00
Average Income per Year $17,500.00
Average Monthly Rent $280.00
Cost of a Gallon of Gas 86cents
Sony Walkman $200.00
Dozen eggs 48 cents
1LB Bacon 1.20
Popular Films
- Grease
- Saturday Night Fever
- Rocky 2
- The Deer Hunter
- Kramer vs Kramer
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- The Amityville Horror
- Every Which Way But Loose
- Alien
- National Lampoons Animal House
- Jaws 2
- Heaven Can Wait
- Star Wars
Popular Musicians
- The Eagles
- Michael Jackson
- The Police
- Village People
- Fleetwood Mac
- Paul McCartney & Wings
- Tom Petty
- Styx
- Bee Gees
- Gloria Gaynor
- REO Speedwagon
- Blondie
- AC/DC
- Aerosmith
- Led Zeppelin
- Journey
- Rod Stewart
Popular TV Programs
- M*A*S*H
- Happy Days
- The Waltons
- Gilligans Island
- Green Acres
- Hee Haw
- Little House on The Prairie
- The Love Boat
- Different Strokes
- Three's Company
- Mork and Mindy
- Taxi
- The Jetsons
- The Munsters
- Popeye
- CHIPS
- Saturday Night Live
- The Dating Game
- The Rockford Files
- Charlies Angels
- The Young & The Restless
- Dallas
- Mork & Mindy
- Laugh In
- Wonderful World of Disney
- Starsky & Hutch
- Bewitched
- I Dream of Genie
- Soul Train
- American Bandstand
