I have a couple dozen photos slugged TAC, Teen Town and Teen Age Club. I know a lot of you spent a lot of time at some combination of those things. I think they’re all the same, but going by different names. Can someone clear up that mystery?
Rocking in the First National Bank Parking Lot
I thought the guy in the middle of this picture (with his mouth open like he’s catching flies) looked like Bill East, so I sent it to him for confirmation. I also postulated that Chuck Dockins might be in a striped shirt behind and to his left.
Bill pleads guilty
Here’s his reply:
It is. And is is Teen Town. During the summer of ’65 ( I think) the original teen town, which was on the second floor of a building on the corner of Themis and Spanish, was shut down on an emergency basis. The ceiling of the store below was bouncing and the building inspector ruled it unsafe.
Bob Swaim got his father to give permission to use the bank parking lot during the summer. A second temporary site was found, and I don’t remember where, and then to the corner of Clark and Broadway. Later, a more permanent move was to a building on Broadview.
The negative sleeve is marked Teen Age Club 8/21/64, so I’m pretty sure that’s an accurate date. There were some other sleeves of what looked like the same event that were called TAC, with no date. Maybe I got lazy and figured that spelling it out once was enough.
Is that Pat Sommers in the middle?
I’ve always been lousy matching names and faces, but I think that’s Pat Sommers in dead center. The girl on his right, wearing a dark shirt, looks a little like Joan Amlingmeyer.
Gallery of Dance Photos
To keep from embarrassing myself by making other wild guesses, I’m going to take the easy way out and post the pictures in a gallery. I’ll let you fill in the dots in the comments section. Click on any image to make it larger, then step through them by clicking on the left or right side of the picture.
If you were involved with TAC / Teen Age Club / Teen Town in the 1964 – 1967 era and would like to help me ID some photos, leave me a note. I have film labeled Johnny Rabbit petition; TAC Fashion Show; Fund Raiser at Ruesslers; TAC opening and TAC meeting with Logan 8-10-67. Hints welcome.
Several look familiar but no names other than Mike Smith on guitar & his band “The Runaways”…name of the song they usually ended every gig with…Good band!
Photo #6–Barbara Hobbs Brune in center.
Photo #10–Interesting background for a bunch of 16-18 year olds partying: a Pabst Blue Ribbon billboard. But, in Cape then, alcohol was the most common drug. That would change in just a few years.
Another interesting thing about the photos. Only white faces.
Another thing evident–it was a typical August night in Cape, hot and humid.
Bill,
Based on the number of wet shirts, the gals must have been dancing harder than the guys. When I first started editing the pix, I thought I had something on the negs because there were so many white spots on faces. I looked closer and found it was light reflecting off sweat.
You show up in a couple of the shots, but I don’t see anyone near you while you’re going through your gyrations. Did you have a date?
I know there were lots of funky dances with crazy names and crazy actions, but I never saw the “Swallow the Fly” until I spotted you doing it. For some reason or another, it never did catch on.
I went to Franklin Elem. and Alma Schrader Elem. schools in late 50’s (6th grade in 1960)
My older brother was John M Baker and my older sister was Linda Jean Baker. John graduated in 1960 from Central High and then we moved to Nashville, tn (Madison).
Our Dad was part owner in a business named Mid-South Steel. He took a job at DuPont in Old Hickory, TN.
I was wondering if anyone knows where some of my friends are: Roselyn Cauble, Mary Lou Harris, Sally Wright, Penna Johnson……all these were a girl-scout troop 48 and my mother was the leader back in 1958-60. We lived at 1027 Stewart Dr. off Hopper Rd.
There are others, but can’t remember right now all their names I graduated in 1966 in TN. I have a younger sister, Ruth Ann Baker.
If anyone knows any of these, let me know. Thank you.
Christy (Baker) Twist, 2315 Hackney Rd., Greenbrier, TN 37073
Hi Christy,
I worked with Rosie Cauble Conrad at Alma Schrader School. She transferred to Central Middle School, retired, and is still living in Cape. I don’t have her phone number right off hand but would be glad to get you her number and address.
Sharon Jacobs Williams ’67
Thank you! I’d like to have her address or email, just to say hello and reminiss …she lived close to me. Also, sounds like she became a teacher. thanks agn , Sharon, for answering. ( I have daughtr named Sharon whose a 3rd grde teacher!)
Christy
To Christy (Baker)Twist:
Wow! My family moved into 1027 Stewart in the summer of 1960. My mother lived there until she passed away 3 years ago.
Lynn,
Thanks for answering! We have alot of great memories of living there! Especially, my younger sister and I—-there were alot of kids in the neighbor who played and practiced music in our backyard!!
Hope your memories are good too! When Mom & Dad bought it–it was all grown up. Dad is a handyman of all things and soon had it shipshape to move in. Mom loved flowers and had lots.
Thank you agn
Christy
Dear Christy,
Wow! I don’t normally go through the pictures that Ken sends! I’m so glad I did this time!
I fondly remember scout and you and your sweet Mom. Those were great days. In fact, I have a picture somewhere (somewhere being the operative word) of our troop. Please, St. Anthony, let me find it!!
Are you coming to the reunion? I sure would like to see you!
My cell number is 573-718-1472 if you get to come!
Let me hear from you!
Later,
Sally
Miz Sally, Mam, you should poke around. There are several photos of you in here.
In fact, Terry Hopkins commented on you as recently as May. 17.
Hi, Christy. You were my next door neighbor in Cape. After I moved to Nashville in 70s, I ended up living in Madison. Still there, North Graycroft area. Kent Goodson
Yes…..great times and great fun . Those summers were the best to remember in High School . Those of us from Notre Dame were there too. Every time they moved Teen Town……we all followed.
Photo 2 has Cherie Pind Herbst (center). I saw Cherie at the Elks club in October and she’s still a wild dancer (still looks about the same too). Yvonne Askew is to Cherie’s right.
Image 9 — Cherie Pind (center) to her right is Yvonne Askew and I think Bonnie Strom in front of Yvonne. To the far right is Martha Hathaway and Joan Amlingmeyer.
Image 6 — Upper right quadrant shows all the Notre Dame kids that Tom Meyer mentioned. You can tell it’s the Notre Dame kids because none of them are dancing, just standing around.
I received this comment from Deborah Nance ’70:
Hi! My name is Deborah Nance – Cape Central Class of 1970.
There was a teen town that I went to on Saturday night on that road above Arena Park in Cape. They had a live band every weekend. Some smartaleck played I Fought the Law and the Law Won on the juke box one night as me and some of my girlfriends waited for an adult to pick us up one Saturday night. There was a policeman in the bldg by the door waiting to make sure all the teens had someone come by to pick us up.
We always got our hand stamped when we went, however, I can’t remember if we paid an admission fee. It was great to dance and visit with fellow classmates. Some of the kids were older than us and we knew some from seeing them around school.
At that time you didn’t have to worry about drugs or alcohol in the teen town bldg. At least I wasn’t approached with either one being offered to me as I never went to any beer busts or wild parties in that area.
I’m thankful I had a Mom who steered me away from that type of life. She always said if we ever tried smoking or drinking she hoped it made us very sick. My brother Doug Nance graduated from Central High with the class of 1971. Thanks for the photos and a chance to stroll down memory lane.
Photo 2 has Cherie Pind (Herbst) BTW I saw her recently at the Elks and she still dances wild like that — and looks just as good! Blonde girl to her right looks like Yvonne Askew.
Image 6 –The big group on the right side must be the Notre Dame kids Tom Meyer mentioned; you can tell because they’re not dancing, just standing around.
Image 9 (center) Cherie Pind, Yvonne Askew to the right shows Martha Hathaway in front of Joan Amblingmeyer.
I thought that looked like Cheri Pind, but I didn’t want to stick my neck out.
I guess I’m going to have to put up some Notre Dame pictures. This was originally going to focus on Central High School, but in a town as small as Cape with everyone living next door to everyone else, it’s hard to concentrate on a single school.
All I know about the different high schools was that the girls in the other schools were always supposed to be wilder than the ones we went to school with.
When I was working for The Jackson Pioneer, my buddies at CHS would ask me about those Jackson High girls, who were supposed to be “fast.” Of course, the Jackson boys I ran into would tell he how lucky I was to go to school in Cape, where the girls were supposed to be “easy.”
I never DID catch up to any of those wild women. I guess they must have been faster than me in more than one way.
Several of us College High School girls went to Teen Town regularly. Caused quite a stir on the dance floor!!!!!
Going across, Second row on right I see Barbara Brune dancing with what looks like Mike Young.
Second from last pic is Barbara Seabaugh.
Teen town after the Themis location between Main and Spanish was behind Central High off Clark St on South side of Themis.
Pictures going across…
#1Barb Bissell, Kathy Roberts, Bill Hopkins, Terry Hopkins, Mike Young,, Bill East, Tucker Lampkin, Paul Schwab, Larry Johnson
#2 Mike Vogelsang, David Burger, Greg Brune, Cheri Pind, Hal Goddard, Yvonne Askew, Rick Mienz.
#4 Susan Hodges, Bill Hopkins,Gary Fischer
#5 Gary Call, Andy Pimperton, Bill East,
#6 Rick Geringer, Connie Greaser, Yvonne Askew,
Barb Hobbs Brune, Mike Young, Paul Schwab, David McLain,
#8 Larry Stewart, Tim Fisher, Connie Greaser
#9 Sharon VanWeldon, Barb Bissell, Barb Seabaugh
#10 Cheri Pind, Yvonne Askew, Larry Stewart, Brenda Whelan, Pat Sommers, Bill Hopkins, Mike Smith (band) Martha Hathaway, Joan Amlingmeyer
You’ve got a good eye. I don’t know if those are all correct, but I won’t be the one to correct you.
Thanks. That was certainly a night to remember.
Thanks Ken for all your pics!