Arizona's Birthday

[Tortoise_Hiker]

Happy Birthday Arizona!
I've been enjoying this great state for most of my 50years! I was wondering how many Arizona Natives (besides me) are HAZ members. Arizona rocks as do all you Hazers!

[fricknaley]

@chumley Lumberyard makes an imperial red that's quite good too

[SkyIslander18]

Born in Safford 1970
Grew up and lived all around Maricopa County for 30 years.
Escaped back to Safford 12 years ago!
Some of my oldest memories growing up in AZ were - Metrocenter (back when it was the biggest shopping center in AZ), Family trips out to Legend City and me & my brother appearing on the Wallace & Ladmo show with my brother winning the Ladmo Bag .......... Which still bothers me to this very day

[Alston_Neal]

Born at Good Sam, family home was on the NW corner of Scottsdale Rd. and McDonald.
My mom's friend tried to get her to date Wallace, she didn't.
I was scarred for life.

[PLC92084]

My mom's friend tried to get her to date Wallace, she didn't.
I was scarred for life.

That explains so much...

[outdoor_lover]

@Alston Neal
@AZWaterRat
Man, I forgot about Legend City! That was a frequent destination. I remember too, what a big deal it was when Big Surf opened. Safford's a nice town, don't blame you a bit for going back. I spent so much time there during a road project once that I joined the local Volleyball league for the entire season....

[Dschur]

I was born in Preskit .... both my parents born in AZ.... Seligman and Buckeye... Dad's parents moved here to homestead in Wintersburg.. Mom's parents followed the railroad... have never lived outside of AZ...

[azbackpackr]

I was born in Preskit .... both my parents born in AZ.... Seligman and Buckeye... Dad's parents moved here to homestead in Wintersburg.. Mom's parents followed the railroad... have never lived outside of AZ...

You win!

[Jim]

If I was born and raised in Arizona, or various parts of other western states, I don't think I would appreciate Arizona as much as I do when I had to seek it out as an adult. Now, when can I move back to Arizona? ;) Being as I'm in Utah.

[New2hyk]

A good way to celebrate the anniversary is by going local!

what No chili beer

[Moovyoaz]

Moovyoaz wrote:I was born in Phoenix 57 years ago at Good Sam Hospital. About 20 years ago I bought an Arizona 50th Anniversary 'Days & Ways' book published by the Az Republic. It's interesting to see all the companies that are long gone (O'Mally's, Yellow Front) and other memories of Arizona and Phoenix. There's even a picture of my father milking cows on our dairy west of Tolleson to remind me why I moved to Phoenix!
As for what it was like in the 'Good Ol' Days'.. well, it was hot!

You're a youngster. I almost remember before I-17 went in. And the long gone A-1 Beer. But it was a dry heat. And we would chase the fish on the Salt River near Tempe to catch them before the monsoon rains came. They were so used to our dry rivers that they would drown when the water came.

Actually it wasn't the Arizona heat I remember; it was the humility.

Nimbus brought A-1 back. It's not the same, but apparently it wasn't really ever the same, having been much different in the 70s than it was in the 40s.

I also remember Al McCoy's tag line Good! Like A-1 Beer! when the Hawk would glide to the hole.
The owner of Phoenix Brewery recently told me that Nimbus lost the rights to A-1. Don't know for sure, but their website no longer shows A-1.

[Al_HikesAZ]

Actually it wasn't the Arizona heat I remember; it was the humility.

Art Brock the weatherman humididity

[rwstorm]

Art Brock the weatherman humididity

I used to love Art Brock do the weather as a kid!

[Moovyoaz]

Art Brock the weatherman humididity

And part time Madison Square Garden announcer of such memorable wrestling matches as Tito Montez vs Bulldog Kent! That's when it was real, not like today's WWF. plz:

[azbackpackr]

Actually it wasn't the Arizona heat I remember; it was the humility.

Ah, Arizona. Be it ever so humble.

[joebartels]

everyone loves Arizona Highways right... (I'm more into hiking myself)

here you go, knock yourself out

AZ660.pdf

Arizona's Transportation History

(2.69 MiB) Downloaded 221 times

[Tortoise_Hiker]

Good Sam Hospital

me too

Yellow Front

Same people had checkers auto back then and the smaller towns had the checkers inside the Yellow Fronts.

A-1 Beer

They had some neat collector cans

remember the monsoons being stronger when I was a kid (mid-80s),

I think it was early 80's when the big flood hit.It wiped out most of the bridges.Central held up after they removed the downed power lines.The freeway by the airport had a little pillar damage and the second mill bridge washd away.The 1st Mill bridge was the only way across that night.

soapbox races

Lou Grubb was in to this.He just passed away in the last couple months.He was a big csr dealer.

[Tortoise_Hiker]

Art Brock

I don't remember him.I remember Dewy Hopper.I liked Bill Close and his Bolla Tie.Remember when he was taken hostage on air?

Legend City

Loved the bumper cars.If you went to a PHX Giants game you got into Legend City free after the game.Isn't that where Compton Terrece was before it moved to Firebird Lake?

Big Surf

Loved the wave machine

[outdoor_lover]

@Tortoise Hiker I remember Dewey and Bill. And my Dad used to play baseball with Bill Denny whom I met once while he was still broadcasting. And yep, Compton Terrace was a very cool (or hot) place to go for Outdoor Concerts. I saw a few bands there. Does anybody else remember TG&Y? Dime Store that was in Papago Plaza for years and years.....Ok, now I'm really aging myself... ;)

[joebartels]

TG&Y in the late 70's in OKC was among my favorite places. However my biggest purchase of the decade was at Target. The super-pioneer stereo-record-player set and yes there was mono. It was a little wobbly riding home the baby-powder-blue banana-seat sissy-bar Huffy but I managed with a stop off at Taco Tico. The Bee Gees christened the needle and Kiss double platinum tore it up. Thirty years later I released my first single "Cinder a Letter on the Arizona Trail". Casey can you play Cinder a Letter for Arizona's hundredth birthday...

[Moovyoaz]

Loved the bumper cars.If you went to a PHX Giants game you got into Legend City free after the game.Isn't that where Compton Terrace was before it moved to Firebird Lake?

Compton Terrace was started by Jess Nicks, and named in tribute to William Edward Compton III, who died in a car accident on June 21, 1977. It was was situated on land adjacent to the old Legend City and the premier rock concert venue for many years. Fleetwood Mac always put on an unforgettable show at Compton Terrace, which was the only venue Stevie would play when in the Valley.
In 1969 Bill Compton started the pioneering Phoenix album-rock station, KCAC, the early KDKB. The KCAC Lives blog about the people behind both stations, including William Edward Compton, Dwight Tindle, Hank Cookenboo, and 'The Toad' (aka Russell Shaw, now a realtor). http://kcaclives.blogspot.com/