Traditions

Once upon a time there was a town that had traditional celebrations and events that nearly all the community attended.

Spaghetti Dinner/PTA meeting for all Jr. High School Parents and Students before the school year started. Squirt Guns were the biggest problem at the Middle School. A stringer of confiscated squirt guns hung from the principals window.

Halloween Carnival/PTA event that would put to shame the current Halloween Haunt, and GT Days Combined.

Boy Scout Ice Cream Social

School Yards and Buildings were considered Public Use Facilities. They did not require fences that look like a prison facility.

Woman's Club Hamburger/picnic

GTI (Grand Terrace independent Market) Hosting the Lion's Pancake Breakfast in their parking lot.

Movies at Terrace Hills during the Summer

Swimming at either Azure Hills Country Club, or Terrace Hills Pool, or for the more adventurous ones the canal.

Stopping in at the Fruit Stand on the corner of Preston and Barton Road

Drive through Milk at Mrs. Moo's

Picnics at Gage or is it Cage Park adjacent to the now controversial AES power plant.

The Book Mobile stopping in the GTI Market Parking Lot twice a week.

Checking out how old Mrs Gram's one Milk Cow was doing, and asking her if the oranges were ripe yet. Watching that same Mrs. Gram plow, and harvest oat hay from the vacant land she rented or leased from Edison, and others around town. To this day that oat hay is growing in them fields, now it is just plowed under.

Stopping in at the single Liquor Store in town, next to the original barber Shop, enjoying the air conditioning half way home from any where to any where. The "bad" kids were known to rest in the shade be hind the store and "Hang OUT".. (Now it is the Star Bucks)

Driving through the irrigated orange trees at night to feel the coolness as the water evaporated like one big air conditioner. Not to mention the smells of the orchard, a strange combination of orange and petro chemical weed suppressant... mmmm

The hikes up to the water tower, catching lizards, and sighting a rabbit, ground squirrel, skunk, possum, and possibly a puma. We should not for get the herds of sheep that would gobble up what ever Mrs. Gram and the other small farmers didn't harvest, from hill sides to steep for tractors.

There once was a 5 and Dime, and a pharmacy. We now have a 99c and more store, and the Pharmacy went out of business when a second one opened in the current Stater's Shopping Center. The second Pharmacy went out of business as a result of the increase in HMO's. Now the plan of having a Savon's to be honest doesn't seem like a successful fit.

Now how about that Hardware store,, yes the one that was located on Barton Road, next to azure Hills Country Club... Yep, across from Domino's Pizza. That was when there were more Orange and Grapefruit Trees than houses. Then there was a small ACE Hardware Store, on Canal and Barton Road. It too is a distant memory. NOW we are being encouraged to embrace the idea that a LOWES is in our communities best interest.

That town Was Grand Terrace. Grand Terrace Traditions had not much to do with I Love Lucy, Gun Fighters or Women of Illrepute as provided during GTDAYS. Perhaps we should just rename the town and forget the history, and true traditions of the past. Perhaps there will be a day we can return to respecting farmers, and the small business person, and the property owner. Oh Never Mind... I'll just pack my bag and let Schwab be given total control and another house to entice him to stay and rule over Grand Terrace.

Anonymous said...
Yes. I do believe that packing your bags and moving to a town off in the far distant mojave desert would be a great change for you.
12:45 PM
Anonymous said...
AND a wonderful plus for the many who are perfectly happy how things are PROGRESSING here.

email comment
Oh how right you are.... What wonderful memories you brought back today... I spent many hours with Mrs. Gram, watching her put in hours of work...the fruit stand.... That certainly was the day.... The GT my children know today is nothing like the one I knew...

email comment
......I've never come across someone as devoted to shedding light on the municipal process as yourself. Keep it up,.....

Anonymous said...
when that progress takes your home, or makes its value less, you too will be made to feel gagged, abused, unwanted and helpless that there is no room for real decent, or respect for those who were in part the reason this community attracted you to it in the first place.