I guess my favorite hangout when young in summer was the Natatorium on LaSalle Blvd, kinda lived there all summer , with our clothes in the basket and tag pinned on our trunks, clowns every sunday diving off of the high board, and winter had to be the streets and lanes playing ball hockey ,or Jumping off of the roofs into snow piles, in summer playing stando with tennis ball, marbles in the spring ,bunny in the hole , or stick , what an upbringing and no money to speak of , how about all of you , interesting reading it is , hang tough Jimmy
THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
96 comments:
Who can ever forget the boardwalk, we used to live there, I went to LaSalle Raod School near Gordon , so walked the boardwalk winter and summer ,remember one guy drowned ,went through the ice,playing on way to school, he lived on top of 3rd near the boardwalk. once got tongue stuck on the railing in winter near the school, what about your stories. Jimmy
I can remember walking to school along Desmarchais and actually balancing on those chains that hung between fence posts. Don't think I'd be trying that now! I also remember a kind old lady (Rene Harrison) that used to take me and some of my siblings to Master Doughnuts after church on Sunday for a doughnut (that's the way they used to spell it) and hot chocolate.
We used to hang out in the back of Curries and Son's. We used to do a little gambling and the older ones at that time use to drin beer in the back. Another place was the pool hall ( i think it was on demarshe street) upstairs.
Martin Murphy had a apartment which he was never there. So as long as we kept it clean we were aloud there. We had lots of parties there. I remember one time when his lanlord came up to him and asked if he was running a whorehouse.
the pool hall is still there except its kareoke/pool hall now ..and if you buy yourself a hotdog from them you can buy hard drinks too.I think it's12 tables. the dance floor with the kareoke, bar and those poker machines..
So much of my youth ws spent in the back lanes, up into the sheds, who can ever forget the sheds in Verdun , open the trap at the top and up on the roof, back down playing hide and seek , the lanes were so full of mystery and kept pretty clean as I remember . jim
Another Verdun "advantage" that I never knew about!? Rooftops? Where the heck was I all those years?
Kungfu...I Remember the trap doors at the top of the sheds , they were a ball to play in .......now just imagine if your kids (when they were young, or better yet any Grankids) came to you and told you tjey were playing on the roof tops.........hahahah and walking the flashing around the building like a tight rope,.....or scaling back galleries ( when someone had inconsideratly locked their shed door) thus preventing access to a roof ................hahaha Between the River, the Roofs......the laneways (dodging oil trucks, & stuff) as well as the backyard mechanic, who would 'Open it up' to test his recent work.........it's amazing we are to still type about it...........hahahah Have Fun & Remember Verdun
Remember when they just pushed the snow to the sides of the road, snow banks this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ high, used to make forts on each side of the street and let the snowball fights begin , best was making snow piles in lanes and jumping off of gallery's into the snow, and the wet mittens, seeems to me we only had wollen mittens then, course I am older than most of you , but beautiful memories just the same . jimmy
my favorite place was the pav on the boardwalk .the best music and dancing
Jimmy your recollections of Verdun at the Nat & clowns, marbles & bunny in the hole.. ball hockey in the lanes rooftops.. etc.. I can perfectly relate to all of em. Here's one that may only have been unique to Allard ave. however. Doc's Hardware was on Banantyne at Allard. It later became a laundromat, beside "Jay's" corner store. As a side note Jay's corner store later became Dave's and then the same kindly "Doc" who previously owned the hardware store took over candy store to become Doc's corner store. Anyway one summer Doc's Hardware store had yard sticks for sale at 2 or 3 cents each. Our gang on Allard would buy them and use them for swords and have these fights with them. The big kids against the little kids. Seems kinda unfair now that i think back.. I was on the "little kid" side but we managed well enough. Anyway these battles would go on until you broke your opponant's stick or he broke yours. When your yard stick would break you'd be the looser. Then youd have to rebuild your arsenal by finding a couple of pop bottles turn em in at the candy store then go next door to Doc's hardware and buy another. We were going through a small fortune in yard sticks. Then we got wise and began taping two together with masking tape or hockey tape. Harder to break and fiercer battles after that. That year the lane and street in the Allard "hood" were littered with broken yard sticks. The imagination we had and how we could really have fun without spending hardly a nickel. John
Hi John, must have been a blast, I lived on 3rd above Grovers , we used the lanes each and every day, I remember an ice man, used to deliver ice up and down the back lanes, had a running board on end of wagon and of course pulled by horse, used to use an ice pick to break off a block of ice 25 lbs, and use ice tongs to take ice up to the ice box , which was usually located near back entrance of house, sure was heavey to carry block of ice to 3rd floor. yup young ones, no refrigeration in those days, used to go up and down the lanes yelling ICE
hi jim,, i remember the ice man in the pointe same thing,, it was thibeaults here, also the rag man,, yelling rag, bottle, sales, we sell him a mattress, and then distract him with a bag of rags, or iron borred from the cnr , while we did that the older guys would reach down from the roof tops and take the mattress back, for sale another day,, but we respected those people, the ice-man, the fruit peddlar, the ragman, the baker, the milkman, the knife sharpener, the chimney sweep, the fuller brushman,the peddler, and especially the hot dog man, with his fries and steamers, heck my mom used to run up a tab with the guy who came down our street (charron) all the women did, many a night that was our supper, that and meat pies from Muirs, located on wellington street then in the pointe
The Nat and the Boardwalk were great places to hang out. I remember jumping off the back sheds and into the snow banks. Did you ever play buck buck? I remember it was something like 25 cents to go to the Nat. To make money to go, I would walk the neighbours old dog for a nickel. Because a nickel wasn't enough I would be asking to walk that poor dog about 5 times (in 1 morning) just to make enough money to go. The laneways were great places to play hide and seek. Do you remember super balls? Thinking back now , it sure didn't take much to find something to do.
Heather (Jo) Smith
The Nat was 20 cents when I used to go there as a kid. We'd go with a quarter and after swimming all day be so famished that we would run up to the roof and spend our left over nickel to buy a 5 cent bag of chips. Laurentian I believe. The pecking order seemd to be who could do the best dives from the "high" board. Does anyone remember Stevie Kostas' (spelling) unique belly flop style of dive? As you got older the "laying down your towel" spot would change over the years. It would get closer and closer to the diving boards. You'd start some where along the shallow pool and as the years passed make your way up the swimming pool ladder towards the diving boards. The ultimate spot! Right behind the medium board. Front and center. Could have first choice of either high board. I also remember hanging out on the high board leaning on the railings with our feet on the board. Sometimes as many as eight of us would be up there at one time. Four on each side. The braver girls would walk up there and go past us and some of the guys...not me of course...would tease them or even pull on the back of their bathing suits as they walked past. Any of you girls out there ever have that done to you? After some time the life guard,with a double toot on his whistle, would tell us to not stay up there . Then we would all dive off one right after the other. One to the left one to the right one to the center. And of course the clowns. As a kid loved those clown shows. John
Don't forget the coal man who would deliver coal. We had a coal bin in our basement and he would carry these sacs of coal on his back from his truck in the lane to the basement window and poor the coal into the bin. Then we would shovel the coal into the furnace..Did this until we switched over to natural gas John
Speaking of the Nat, I can remember it being free in the morning from 9:00am to 11:00am in the shallow pool only, with the diving pool closed, and getting a summer pass for, if I can remember right, a buck twenty five at a photo studio on Verdun and Realle
I remember a candy store on Wellington between 3rd and 4th , used to sell honeymoons. blackballs , mae wests , kik cola, Jumbo, large bottles , geez , no wonder we used to do the milk bottles for money, hahahahahaha Jimmy root beer what else come on gang we're Verduners to the hilt have a wonderful day and hug someone Jimmy That's thanks to BIM
Ya I remember the candy store on Verdun Avenue between 3rd and 4th.
where my running mate Flynn and I would wait for the magazine,
newspapers, and comic book delivery. This occurred before the store
was opened in the A.M., We'd help ourselves to a few select comic
books, that either of us were too poor to buy.
Batman, Suoerman, and other amazing super heros.
Bill.
"There's nothing constant in the world,
All ebb and flow, and every shape that's born
Bears in its womb the seeds of change."
-- Ovid
Imagine, outdoor hockey, no T V , Baseball in the lanes, Stando , cards on our bike wheels with clothes pins, , dynamow's to make light work on bikes , coasters for delivering peoles grocery's , I remember so many hockey games on the streets, light snow falling and playing under lamposts , not much traffic , mat night , Pavillion, aquaduct , used to be a guy that dove off of the light standards into aqui, I used to jump , fastball , outdoors all the time, we were, it seems to me , how bout you , Jimmy
I guess my favorite hangout when young in summer was the Natatorium on LaSalle Blvd, kinda lived there all summer , with our clothes in the basket and tag pinned on our trunks, clowns every sunday diving off of the high board, and winter had to be the streets and lanes playing ball hockey ,or Jumping off of the roofs into snow piles, in summer playing stando with tennis ball, marbles in the spring ,bunny in the hole , or stick , what an upbringing and no money to speak of , how about all of you , interesting reading it is , hang tough Jimmy this topic was Name your favourite hangout in Verdun,...( or something like that,.....) this was started by our man in the street ,who can adeptly spark our memories with his narrating a or at least giving us a detailed descriptive narration of a ride through Verdun,..or a walk through Verdun...........Kungfu ( Jimmy)........and for that topic Jimmy (& others) we thank you HF&RV
great les...thanks for the memory...ie. baskets and tag pinned to your trunks...LOL...almost forgot...and also Jimmy O..i too would spend that %cents on a bag of laurentian chips...geez, they tasted great after an afternoon of swimming...they also had great hot dogs on the Nat Roof.
i guess my favorite place in verdun were the laneways....great memories of the ice man, sports, hide and seek, jumping off roofs into snowbanks, it seems everything was done in the lane. we used to travel all over verdun by the laneways.
Don't forget the free swimming in the mornings at the Nat.Yeah everthing was done in those lanes. Steve
The candy store...would that be Westovers???
...and what about the Planters Peanut man???
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Here's an old pic. of my dad on the roof of the Nat. 0n the back it's written 1961,but I think it might be earlier. Steve
I remember the Nat, spent many hours there. I lived on Bannantyne Ave between Rolland and Valiquette.The Nat. was one street over on Stephens and Lasalle blvd. We also hung out on the boardwalk at the hole, there were students there from V.H.S and V.C.H.S. On a summer evening it was crawling with teenagers. The Nat. cost 25cents on weekends and holidays,but was free during the week. We had pictures taken in elementary school which gave us free passes to the pool. I used to love sitting on our front balcony and waych all the people coming and going from the Nat. I usually saw many of friends while sitting there. Another place that was great to hang out in Verdun, was at the wreck. It was the old Catholic church which they turned into a dance hall for teenagers after they built the new Catholic church on Bannantyne and Moffat. We used to have live bands and they had great dances. Another place to hang out which was awesome was the Pave on the boardwalk down on Lasalle Blvd and Woodland . they had a stage and had some great dances there also. HF and RV
Hello Ihi1948 I remember the Planters Peanut man very well. He used to ride around in a white StationWagon with the back down. He was dressed up like the Planters Peanut man and as he was driven by, he would throw small bags of peanuts into our front yard. It was always on a wednesday night, I never forgot that. HF and RV Wendyjo
Good Morning All!
Have to say some of my favorites were Terrien, the Nat, the boardwalk, the park up on trhe boardwalk by Reille. And back then becauce my brain was not quite functioning the rooming house on LaSalle Blvd and Reille.
HF & RV
KY Tiny Tina
Wow, honeymoons..... The last time I was back in Verdun (1991) I searched everywhere for honeymoons. They were my favorite. I also remember that Allens made a salt water taffy Koo-Koos, they were pink, white and brown. Can't find those anymore either. Thanks for the memories! June
I remember the Pave and The old YMCA (on Gordon-New one Lasale Blvd) Tuesday and Friday dances. Talking to a old friend from those days and we would like to hear from anyone that went to these dances between 1955 and 1960. IF we can get enough people interested that went there, we would like to have a reunion for old times. I have some picture from those days at the YMCA and Pave. Hope to hear from some of you. Barbara Hastings
ShamrockBarbara,...............you have pictures from the 'Pav',..........We have to see those,....it's been hard to locate a real actuall picture of the Pav,.....we have pictures from the Bandstand ,..the 'Cement Downs,....the Tennis Club,.............but none that I have been able to find of the actuall Pav,..............Those would Great to See,.and add to your own photo album ,.under our 'links' section........ Now just thought I'd ask,.........but do you have any pics of the 'Laughing Cows at the old Elmurst Dairy'...........hahahahaha Those have been as elusive as having all 6 #'s on a lottery ticket......hahahah I'm sure we will allbe looking forward to theaddition of new photo's and stories,............. ---HF&RV--
Thats the one!
Hi Barbara, Photos of the Pav, and anything Verdun would be great. Your
name sounds very familiar as if we went to the same classes in either
Bannantyne or VHS. I went to the dances at the Y, usualy with my girl
friend, later wife, Diane Reiter. I grew up on Second Avenue between
Wellington and Verdun. Could be I'm older than you (65). Anyway my
photo and Diane's is in my V.C. album (Verdunites at Heart).
Bill Cooper
"To keep your marriage brimming, / With love in the loving cup, /
Whenever you're wrong, admit it; / Whenever you're right, shut up."
Hello again ShamrockBarbara,......I meant under the 'pictures' section ,...not under 'link's,............Sorry 'bout that Chief ____ in any case we would sure like to see the pics ///// HF&RV \\\\\
I just found some photos of the Nat. taken April18,2003. They were taken by my brother Tom. Steve
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This message has been deleted due to termination of membership.
I didn't know about that place bubbacut,....what years was that happenning,..I can Remember basically only ever going to Laval to deliver something ,.or to visit friends in StRose,.........mind you Laval was not what it is today,.....and it's not usually on a visiting list whenever I do make it back to Montreal,......
Favourite places I hung out at was Miss Verduns (Ma's) on Verdun Avenue right across from Woodland School and the Pav! Also spent a lot of time at Dawsons Boys Club on Woodland. Connie (Coleman)
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This message has been deleted due to termination of membership.
This message has been deleted due to termination of membership.
hi bubbacut,..I understand that the odd 'mickey' was passed around to top up your 'softdrink'...................but their big thing was the Salami Sandwhiches,.the Fries,.......the old wooden floor that laways creaked,...and of course their old Jukebox,........that entertained a few generations....... Unfortunatley it met it's demise ,in the late 60's,..after it had been broken into one to many times,..and the operators gave up the ghost,....soonafter it disappeared to be out of the way of the 'new old folks home' as we used to call them,..(now I believe they are an extended care bldg??..........DannyB Grandma,lived there till a couple of years ago,...she was over 100 years old,......Imagine if we could talk to her & hear all her experiences,.............like Mom'45 said the other day,....we have to preserve all our experiences,.and also Listen to the many story's our older parents and friends may have to share.........HF&RV
Between the Nat,....the Pav,.....the Stadium,,,,,,and all the 'RedTops' .................it seems another favourite spot of a lot of us was 'the Boardwalk' itself,........Remember the crowds on a sunny afternoon,..........and I would bet that almost everyone of us has a picture or two taken with us sitting on the railings on the Boardwalk,,.......those Granit Pillars and those old Green Rails,.....had many a Verdun postrior rst on them at sometime or other,........and many a kid climbing in & over & all arround,..........also Remember the stairs going down to the River,...at Torchy Wharf,....or the real steep ones across from the Pav at Woodland,......and of course the driveway at 2nd avenue that allowed us access down to the old 'Boat Rental place,.....with all those wooden wharfs streching all over (half of them sinking sort of),....and all those old Green Wooden Boats..............Yes the Boardwalk had a lot od use from a lot of us,........and where else could you get a nice mouthful of shad flies ,.than when you rode your bike past those lamp standards,in the early evening,.............hahahahaha (well maybe in the store fronts on Wellington..too) Have Fun & Remember Verdun
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Listen I just remembered, On my very first date with my wife, I took her
for a ride on my Motorcycle & took her to the west end of the Boardwalk,
across from the Verdun Protestant Hospital, & West of the Natatorium, where
we grew in Love....Talk about shad flies....They were everywhere, although I
hardly noticed, as I was falling in LOVE.......This just came to me.....Man
is my MIND ever open!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Norman
>From: "Verdun Connections"
>Reply-To: "Verdun Connections"
>To: "Verdun Connections"
>Subject: Re: Your favorite Verdun Hangout
>Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2006 10:14:17 -0800
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> Message 48 in Discussion
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> Between the Nat,....the Pav,.....the Stadium,,,,,,and all
>the 'RedTops' .................it seems another favourite spot of a lot of
>us was 'the Boardwalk' itself,........Remember the crowds on a sunny
>afternoon,..........and I would bet that almost everyone of us has a
>picture or two taken with us sitting on the railings on the
>Boardwalk,,.......those Granit Pillars and those old Green Rails,.....had
>many a Verdun postrior rst on them at sometime or other,........and many a
>kid climbing in & over & all arround,..........also Remember the stairs
>going down to the River,...at Torchy Wharf,....or the real steep ones
>across from the Pav at Woodland,......and of course the driveway at 2nd
>avenue that allowed us access down to the old 'Boat Rental place,.....with
>all those wooden wharfs streching all over (half of them sinking sort
>of),....and all those old Green Wooden Boats..............Yes the
>Boardwalk had a lot od use from a lot of us,........and where else could
>you get a nice mouthful of shad flies ,.than when you rode your bike past
>those lamp standards,in the early evening,.............hahahahaha (well
>maybe in the store fronts on Wellington..too) Have Fun &
>Remember Verdun
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Synerrgize (Norman) Oh to be in love!!! Or in some cases think we were in love. Young and foolish. What better memories. Cheers.
Hi Synergize,...I do Remember Lasalle being very undervelloped,...I still think of those 'modern looking duplexes,.and four plexes,..' as being real fancy stuff,....coming from the row houses & flats in Verdun,....and I seem to Remember picking ( a fancy word for stealing) apples in Lasalle somewhere along the river,past the golf course,...and when you drove far enough to 'see', the Mercier Bridge,.......man you were way out of town,.....and probably weren't supposed to be there,.....we rented bikes as kids from Mr Bayard, on Galt AV,.across from the City of Verdun Yards,.......and we explored everywhere,..... Remember when just getting to cross one of the Bridges was an event to almost brag about,......except don't let the parent s hear,...cause you were not supposed to be there...........hahahahaha You spoke of going to 65th av in Lasalle on Lasalle,...........Remember this place (roughly the foot of 63rd) ..... Have Fun & Remember Verdun,,,,,,,,, ...as for where are some folks from way back when,.....we are growing all the time,......even the Point Site by George MacRae,.is growing and they have been around since '97,.......and you my friend just found us too.............hahahaha btw ,.......have you dug out the old shoebox with photo's from those times ..or anytthing related to our History,......Verdun( montreal,.Que),........We'd like to see them,.....You have a good recall for events,.and places it seems,......so pics would be good too...........Thanks for prompting our memories with yours........
I wasn't allowed to go to the Pav either............BUTTTTTTTTTTTT you know how it is LOL Connie
Connie. Nice going. You went to the Pav, and you were not suppose to. You are in big trouble nwo. Uncle Winston. Help me Obi-Wan, you are my only hope!!!!!!
How about the Hickson Pool Hall,.&..the Pool hall on Verdun Ave South side over the Handy Andy,across from the school....and one time grocery I think it was.......18 tables most 6x12,.and a few 5x10's,.....( coincidentally there was always a lot of stolen cars found in that neighbourhood,....odd wasn't ?,,,hhahahaha and of course at one time on Wellington btwn Church & Hickson ,was a bowling alley ,..and a few pool tables,.( that was a real old place ,still had 'pin boys' , (it was across from Woolworths 5&dime ..........and there was also one in Lasalle the Rack & Cue at Airlie & 90th,.........as well as one on Centrale,..right behind Theater in Lasalle,.....down the Alley,......that was a neat one too......Bowling Alley's & Pool Halls,....Verdun had quite a few really.........
Hi Synergize,....Laconia NH,....I have been there many times,..but a friend of my oldmans used to go throughout the 50's & 60's,....He was an avid Bike Rider,....and his buddy was some sort of a real racer type,......Steve Kawaluk ,and my oldmans buddy was James 'Wappy' Kelly,.....they lived in the Point,..and Griffintown,...but they were avid bikers in those days ( avid is a secret code word for F$^630G Nuts,)............hahahaha ,..... Amazing how one memory translates to more,.......kinda like having a beer..........hahahahah Have Fun & Remember Verdun
Synergize,.you also mentioned going on that trip with little Cash,......i was just talking about that the other day,...and I was saying how many places we decided to go to,..just because we felt like it,......and we always seemed to have enough cash,.for cigs & beer & gas.......etc etc.......Spirit is a good name for that.........We beat Nike to that saying they like to think they coined, "Just Do It"............hahahahah
Hi Les, By "neat one" are you talking about the characters that used to frequent them every now and then? We had some great snooker players in Verdun. There were some big money snooker games on wellington,,,,we kids would sneak in to watch. The money games were usually "black ball" and "poker pool". Spent lots of time around those tables!! Then there was the all weekend poker games,,,some at Brian Mackasey's. You never really replied to my post about the Ashelys and there was a fellow by the name of Gordie in that block too,,,his last name escapes me at the moment,,,,,,memory at this age you know,,,lol. Mike
Hi Mike ,I may have missed the msg your talking about but I usually (when I can) check all the msg's,....the Ashley's? I don't recall off hand but that doesn't mean sitting there having a wobbly pop,..that it wouldn't pop into my head,...hahaha I sometimes need to be prompted,....where did the Ashley's live?
Your right Mike Verdun produced some very good Snooker players,...and I do Remember some real characters,.at the Pool Hall on Verdun Avb btwn Demarchais,.....and was it Melrose or Argyle,...( Iacn't Remember the name right now,....buit I think a lot of those guys came there after the one on Wellington had been closed up,.....and a few of the real money types would come their from the Montreal PoolRoom,......some names I think were Tony (how could it be Montreal without at least a Tony.........hahahaha) Willy ( Dave Williamson,,,,,,a very good player,...) and lots of others,.....the place was frequented on occassion by the Gendarmes........hahahaha and you wanna see pockets emptied quick,.....and I don't meann on the tables........hahahahah but they usually came in and grabbed who they were looking for,....and disappeared,.....sometimes the walked around ,just to put a face to whoever they were going to pin something on next.........hahahaha Actually they were pretty good about not coming in,.....and besides someone always would see them coming towards the stairs after parking their car.........
Hey Les, I knew Tony, he was from Toronto, if that is the same guy. He would challenge people and play them with one hand behind his back!!..Would hold the cue like a javelin for some shots. I think he was the best player at the time! He played mostly in Montreal on St. Catherine St. In Lasalle I used to play with the Nelsons, Putticks, and a fellow that had a last name of Harris. By the way that other fellow's name that lived close to the Ashleys was Billie Malcolm,,,,do you remember him? Mike
Hi shamrock barbara,
I thought the name Barbara Hastings rang a bell, Sorry to say can't say I
can't put a face to the name but who cares that was 45+ years ago and none
of us look the same that far back. I checked out Classmates just to be
sure. I went to a lot of "Y" dances on Friday night. I was not allowed out
that late on Tues , a school night. I graduated Oct 58. My Dad was very
strict so I was not allowed any where near the Pave. In his mind there were
too many black leather jacketed motorcycle riders around there. As for
places to hang out pre High school it was the little restaurant on
Bannantyne next to Riverview school, right now cannot recollect the name but
sure can see it in my mind with booths that you plugged in a quarter and got
about 10 songs to play.
French fries to share between 3 and a cherry coke each. The other 2 were
Florence Fairchild and Pat West . I might add that because of mt trusty
computer , ater over 30 years when we lost contact due to moves and
marriages we have re connected and had a reuinion a couple of years ago at
my home in Florida and I've been to Florence's in PEIi and N.S. Maybe you
know them both. Florence fell behind us and she graduated in 59 They lived
on Brown Blvd and I lived on Riverview down by Verdun Ave. Then later during
the high school years due to assosciation with a great bunch of kids from
Melrose Ave, Miss Verdun's became the place of choice for those Cokes and
Fries.
So that's my story of favorite hangouts in Verdun during the 50's.
Ruth Armstrong-Hagar
Hi Mike , I know some of the names you mentioned,but over the weekend I'll be just popping in & out of here to check on the site ,at different times,....so we should try to hit the CHAT link at some point ,maybe btwn your recall,.I can Remember more of the group your talking about,.I have since found your post re: your address,.and yes you would have been right around the corner,...so I know many of the kids at that time would get together,.for baseball games,.or football,.etc etc,....So we could have been on some of the same teams......hahahahaha What part of the country are you in ,.I see who you use for an ISP,......does that put you out here in the West,..? In anycase I'll look forward to figuring out if we had some of the same freinds,....etc etc...... Have you got any old Verdun Pictures around,.? .....and was the Harris you knew George by any chance,..he was a friend of Frank Seminic ( Chichi,.he was known as )Lasalle area I'm talking about now,.....but everything Montreal overlaps, Have Fun & Remember Verdun I've been busy looking for old topics and re-posting a bunch ,to stir up more thought & input,..and I must have missed some messages posted recently.......looks like I've got some more reading to do..........hahahah Talk to you later
Just guessing but I would say the Putticks were: Gerry, Rick, Nelson, Bob, Bonnie or Steve. The Nelsons would have been Dave (aka Rube) and Jimmy. I can't name the Harris' but they were probably cousins to the Putticks as well.
MaggieMck , I think you've got inside information on that,...........sort of like insider trading..........hahahaha
I'll never tell!
I guess u wud know!!!!!! mike
well, maybe a little more....the Harris' were Glen and Scott.
would that be Westovers at the corner of Third Ave and
Verdun Ave? Mr. Westover was the uncle of Bob Davies
the singer.
Margo
Les, there wal also a bowling alley on Verdun Ave at the
corner of Manning
Margo
Hi Margo,....I also Remember when the schools had bowling teams,..I seem to Remember certain days were set aside for after school bowling,...I don't Remember ever being on a specific team,..but I do recall all the kids congregating at the bowling alley on Church Av across from Trevi Pizza ,.......there must be photo's around of all these old buildings,...it would be interesting to see alot of these old Verdun Hangouts,...
Jimmy....you brought back memories, remembering the pin attached to your bathing suit at the NAT..and we had to take a fast shower before going into the pool,I never forgot that big woman watching us kids to ensure we took that shower or she wouldn't let us into the pool area! The best part of the NAT was the potatoe chips on the roof..it's amazing how many bags you can eat after a day at that pool. Does anyone remember getting their tongue stuck on the railing during winter,and your maw had to get boiling water to ease it off?? Boy ,did that hurt...We were stupid enough to do it more than once. cookie
Margo, I remember Bob Davies the singer, he lived next door to a girlfriend of mine at the end of Verdun (Stephens ,Beurling area)? Her name was Arlene Dowson (Dawson)(Dobson) can't recall the spelling, her father was a policeofficer. Sure wish I knew where Arlene is today. cookie
Cookie, what ever happened to Bob Davies? The last time I remember seeing him perform was, do you believe 40 years ago. Bob
The bowling alley/pool hall at the corner of Desmarchais and Bannantyne (over the grocery store) was my favorite hangout for a few years. I lived right aroung the corner on 6th Ave, so it was handy. A lot of dollars got hustled on the alleys and the tables. Used to earn a few bucks setting pins but it was dangerous business. Especially when you realized the guys were betting on who could hit you. I remember the Reid brothers Angus and Wally made a lot of money at pool
I remember the pool hall well.
Are you guys talking about Tony who had dark slick backed hair and was very quiet?
There was another Tony. This one was an older fat Minnesota fats type guy.
I think the best players I saw there at the time were Mike Murphy and George Howard.
I used to watch them play "Blackball".
And, if you can believe this, there was another older guy who had a crew cut who STILL plays there. Guy must be at least 80!
Ken
Hi Bob.....sorry don't know what ever happened to Bob Davies the singer,I only recall him when he lived next door to a girlfriend of mine back in early 1960's. I had his L.P. years ago. Wonder where Johnny Mullaly the singer went to? Also wondered if he married Judy Raymond back then. Oh,all these names keep poppin' up?? Well...off to mexico now, see ya' cookie
Hi Cookie 3773, The last time I saw Bob Davies was at a bar on Markham Road in Scarborough and I asked him to sing his most popular song Gordie Howe.That was 1975. Johnny Mulally lives in Toronto I think as it was about 15 years ago I met frequently at Woodbine Racetrack. His wife Judy Raymond was the daughter of a politician from Lasalle I beleve. Did you remember seeing an Elvis impersonator at Fifth Ave. theatre? His name was Lloyd Seveigny and he went to Verdun High and he was almost as good as Elvis. Reggie Paine
Bet some of the members recall this bar. This article was recently published in the Gazette. Haraiki Bar named for island paradise Wood-panelled getaway with classic rock soundtrack View Larger Image LaSalle's Haraiki Bar is ready for the smoking ban. "It will be better. I hate cigarettes," says owner's nephew. Photograph by : PIERRE OBENDRAUF, THE GAZETTE MATT RADZ, The GazettePublished: Saturday, February 04, 2006 Nightclub: Haraiki Bar Address: 1492 Shevchenko Blvd., LaSalle Phone: (514) 363-6262. Website: Under construction. Email: haraiki_bar@yahoo.com Hours: Every day, 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. Capacity: 150 Bar: You name it, and they'll pour it at righteous prices - five shooters for 10 bucks. Restaurant: Maman Grecque next door delivers - grilled meat brochettes, burgers, pizza, and spicy wings. Cover charge: No. Ambience: Divided into two sections, the Haraiki Bar and a Lounge, the club attracts the neighbourhood's 35-to-50 demographic. The place has the feel of a huge and comfortable, wood-panelled rec room, but with a built-in row of Loto-Quebec video consoles, as well as a large pool table and a long bar, with a stage in the corner. Special nights: Thursdays - karaoke and free pool. Live bands Friday and Saturday night. Music: Classic rock rules!! Thick as Thieves plays Led Zep favourites tonight. Next weekend's live attraction, Double Exposure. "We book bands that cover stuff like Bon Jovi, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles," explains Young George, the owner's nephew. Noteworthy: LaSalle's oldest bar. "We opened on Oct. 4, 1969," recalls uncle George. At age 26, Young George is old enough to remember some of the changes. "It's better now, quieter," he says, "It used to be too rough." So that's what 37 years of second-hand smoke looks like coating the walls. Naturally, we had to ask, in view of the approaching smoking-ban deadline. "It's a good thing," Young George asserts, ready to defend the point. "It used to be very smoky here. It will be better. I hate cigarettes." As for the name, it's a reference to a South Pacific island paradise. "My uncle came up with it, just like that - Haraiki."
Hi Mom 1945, Haraiki it is still one of my favorite spots. Only 2 minutes from my house. Great place with great people. It was a regular stop back in the early 70's after leaving Bert's on a Friday night. Actually it might have been every night. There is a period of time starting in the 60's somewhere that a lot of people I know don't quite remember so well. Danny
Believe it or not the last time I was in Haraika was in October 2005 (and I live in Calgary). A friend of mine lives on Daoust Street (right around the corner) and when I flew in from Calgary she said lets go around the corner for old times sake and of course I knew right away what she meant. I used to go there a lot but that would have been 1975-78. Happy Drinkers Broomball Leaguers hung out there. It looked so grungy to me and we just stayed for one drink then crossed the street to another bar (it was not there in the late 70's and the name escapes me right now) but we heard Joey was playing there. He used to play in the band Chapter Three (or was it four LOL) way back when. He is in his 70's! Ran into one of the regulars in pretty well any bar in Lasalle Keith Maddox. It was great to see Joey again but hard to believe I actually used to hang around Haraiki when I look at it now. Of course everything gets older and more decrepit (myself included)!!! Connie (Coleman)
Hello Conniecoz, I too used to hang around the Hariki. Whenever I got my weekends off I would go there with a girlfriend. The name of Joey's group was the Chapter 3. His brother was one of the Bandsmen also. I haven't been there since 1977. HF and RV Wendyjo
Joey said one of his brothers (his name escapes me) was still playing in a badd too! Joey has a lot of property in Alberta and that is where all his kids are (near Edmonton). Connie
HELLO MARGO.... Moved into Bobs Place in Verdun when he moved to Toronto .. he and Celina are well and still there. Memories all good......Abbey
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Hi Cookie I have another question for you. I noticed from your member information you were friends with Gary Allen. What ever happened to him? I grew up on Godin in Verdun and used to hang out at Kostas sometimes and I remember him and also Malcolm Alsop. I know this is going back a few years but it would be interesting to find out what happened to them. Bob
the pavillion on the boardwalk was my favorite hangout and the saturday night dances
Hello Mean Jean,......Nice to hear from you again,...it's been a while I think, Here just for you >>>>>>>>>>>Have Fun & Remember Verdun>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Hi Mom1945, Re:Hairaki Bar...is there any way I could forward that photo of the bar to a cousin of mine who just about lived at that Bar.? Not sure how to do it from verdun connections cookie
Hi Cookie,....you can scan the photo,.and e-mail to anyone,.or after scanning you can post it right in one of your messages,.or you could open your own photo album here on the site,.and store a bunch of photos if you like
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Hi Cookie My email address is bobreynard@sympatico.ca. Please try again. Bob
just a memoire from florida, anyone remember TASSE,S on wellington, we would shop ,then munch there, also TOUSIGNANT,S, IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME WELL, MR. T. was shot. then there was wolfe cycle where i got my first bike at 5 yrs old, a thistle from england, then a raleigh . ccm store was for my skates summer and winter, and dynamos. remember them. every thing you needed was right there on wellington st. douglas hospital, was the largest employer of verdunites. well my years working there were well spent considering how much alzheimers there is. this is awesome, as frank would say: thanks for the memories. dino sang this too. oh yeh... copacabana was a great spot[nite club] as were all irish pubs in mtl. now its someone elses turn, bye from indian shores fl. carolyn bennett.
I remember Malcolm Alsop......He used to date Gail Brown.....I wonder did they ever get married? Also, does anyone know where Sandy Brown is? There were six in the Brown family. Sandy, Gail, Norma, Pearl, Fred....and I forget the other sisters name. They lived on Osborne and then moved to Brown Blvd.
Yes Malcom did marry Gail. does anyone know what happened to his brother Brian.
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