David:

I recall some memories from 1970 and 1971 regarding a small record store named Cheap Thrills. It was located on the second floor of a building near the corner of Exchange and Spicer. I believe the Two Turtles, a Duck and Cynthia pet shop (now Two Turtles in Highland Square) was next door or maybe that was the shop on the first floor of the same building Cheap Thrills was located in. I remember purchasing Derek and the Dominos and Cat Steven's "Tea for the Tillerman" from this record shop while in high school on a warm Sunday afternoon in November 1970. (I remember this because the guys I was with decided to drive to Hopkins Airport to watch planes take off and land. I got in trouble with my mom because I was gone about 5 hours that day and she did not know where I was.)

Also remember during the first week of my freshman year in undergraduate school at Akron, purchasing Santana "III" and another Cat Steven's album "Teaser and the Firecat." The store itself was that late sixties early seventies kind of shop with the usual wares for that type of place. I do not recall how long the store existed. Seems like it had a two to three year run. I am sure I bought many other albums there (probably one or two still in my basement today.)

I also remember going to the Sun Grill on Fridays (winter quarter '75) to have a beer or two with a classmate before my Business Policy class. It was my senior year and we determined that was the only way we could tolerate the professor we had. I was always on the dean's list, so that was pretty radical for me to have some beers before class.

George

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The Green Gas House (n.k.a. The Odd Corner) was a 'hang-out' for some friends and me - in the back room I remember instruments being played, talking,and experiencing the cultural/political revolution of the times. Sometime in 1969-1970, in the midst of the Vietnam War an American flag hung in the front window of the store; from the corner of the flag dripped a semblance of red blood (made of paper). It dripped into a chalice with these words beside it ..."Drink from the Liar's Cup." The owner ( I don't remember his name) was arrested and charged with defacing an American flag...my first experience with anti-war sentiment . . . a lasting impression! The opposite end of the street (corner of E. Exchange and Spicer) there was a coffee house - The Berth - with local folk and blues music. I saw blues legend Robert Junior Lockwood play . . . those were the Days!

Richard W. Truman , Akron

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David,

Your eulogy of Spicertown really made me think about all the time I have spent on the short block between Spicer and Brown Street. Back in 1994, as a junior in high school, I worked at Don Drumm Studios. As I spent my lunch break on the patio of Europe Gyro, I watched construction crews transform an old laundromat into Aroma Coffee and Tea. Soon after it was opened I came to know Manny Nemer, his wife Colette, and their three children. I spent so many evenings in that coffee shop and met so many of my friends there that, for a while, it was the center of our universe. My friends and I would joke that the coffee shop was like an extension of our living room. When I started college I practically lived there, and so did many others. I would venture to say that for many students more time was spent at Aroma than in their dorm rooms or crowded college houses. Manny and Colette knew everybody's name, artsy coffee shop kids joked around with cops, people from Akron made friends with people from Turkey, India, Lebanon, and the U.A.E.

I had an Italian exam to study for on the morning of 9-11-2001, and as I walked to the counter at Aroma to order a coffee I watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center. I tried to study but when the towers fell I closed my book because I knew there would be no test that day.

Most of the good friends that I have right now can be traced back to that time, and that coffee shop, and the string of different bars that occupied what is now Manny's Pub. The Splash, Lazy Gator, Copa Room, and the Long Shot Pub to name a few. Though Manny has owned the building for years, it was never quite the place it is now until he stepped in to run it himself about 7 years ago. Manny's fight to keep his property amidst the eminent domain efforts of the university is not about money, but rather, his legacy, and the legacy of so many people whose lives are tied together by the businesses he started. I have read so much about the university's plans, that I wish more would be said about Manny's side of the story.

I'm not sure if you know this, but Manny Nemer is part of something much greater. Though you mention in your article that he is cousins with Joe Nemer who owns the Sun Bar and Grille, he has other close relatives who are making their mark in our city. Manny's sister in law is Barb Nemr (spelled differently) and has owned Thursdays Lounge for decades. Barb's sons are Mark and Mario Nemr. Mark purchased Demarini's Drive several years ago, and Mark opened The Matinee which has been a hit in the Highland Square scene, and is about to open Matinee Cleveland. Perhaps most importantly, Manny's son, Ray is carrying on his Dad's tradition with Ray's Pub in Highland Square, which used to be the legendary Bucket Shop. I've just completed a huge mural for Ray's of Highland Square as a way to sort of endear him to the neighborhood. It is difficult to fill the shoes of a place with such a history as the Bucket Shop.

I apologize if this is somewhat of reminiscent ramble, but I felt I had to write you because I think there is a really rich story somewhere in all of this. I hope that you will write more about the people whose lives are connected by those soon to be demolished buildings, and please stop by Ray's and check out my mural of Highland Square for I'd love to hear what you think. I enjoy your articles very much.

Thank You.

David C. Weirtz

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Wow, the Akron of my childhood just keeps vanishing. Really sad, even if I can't think of any other reason why it shouldn't happen except that it's really sad.

My dad had a store in Spicertown briefly (he also owned Helter Skelter at Summit Mall and Perpetual Change at Akron Square), right above Walt Rush's old Arizona Turquoise Mine before it moved across the street. I spent a lot of time down there, and bought a stack of comics each week at the Bargain Bookstore. I bought the first KISS comic book at the Booklein. Heck, I even spent many hours as a kid playing video games at the Armadillo with my cousin while our dads hung out there. There's actually a smell to that area that I can still remember.

I can remember WAY back when there was a Lawson's on the north side of the Rt. 8 overpass where we used to buy blue popsicles, and a Rexall Drug. Those memories seem bright, clean, and sunny.

When my wife and I visit Akron we always head down to the Don Drumm Studio, so I see Spicertown every time I come back. I visit my grandparents' old place on Allyn Street. It all looks awful, pretty much the whole area. This is probably a good thing . . . put something nice there so you don't have to think about what it was.

Mike Worrell, Chicago, IL

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David,

I have great memories of the Sun Grill and Li'l Nick's during the late 1970s while I was living on Nash Street with four other guys. One night after partying at our house and listening to the Akron rock band DEVO on our stereo, one of my roommates, Dwight Davis, decided to dress up like one of the band members -- in a yellow slicker rain coat, boots, a gas mask, and the words DEVO across the yellow rain coat made from black electrical tape. We then decided to go out to the bars. We went ahead to Li'l Nicks which was packed and sat at the bar waiting for Dwight to enter as a DEVO band member. We laughed so hard as he made the rounds in the bar and watching everyone call him names.

David D'Anniballe, Steubenville, Ohio

I forgot to say that the theme constantly repeated by devo was "we are not men, we are DEVO."

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Mr. Giffels

I have a story about Spicertown and the first night I went out in Akron. I was from a small town east of here called Newton Falls. So when I came to Akron to go to nursing school the summer of '84, the least to say I thought I was in a big city.

I had been in school for about three days and a bunch of new nursing students had decided to go to the Townhouse. That night it was two pitchers for a buck. So I went with approximetly fifteen other nursing students and to say the least it was packed. We were all dancing and the next thing I know is that these two guys came over and started dancing with us. I hooked up with of the guys whom happened to be from Akron and was home for the summer on his school break.

We talked and the next thing I know is this guy is asking me if I wanted to go to the Sun; so, of course, since I was a girl from a small town the first thing I think is this guy is on drugs. Well we went to the Sun that night and we danced until the bar closed.

The rest of the summer every time Scott and I went out we always went to the Sun. When the summer was finally over and it was time for Scott to go back to college at Marietta, we decided to stay in touch. We dated from that night on and I am proud to say that I have been with that guy from the Townhouse who wanted to go to the Sun for the last 24 years. We will be celebrating our 20th anniversary this March I sure am glad I went to the Sun with Scott.

Sincerely Jackie

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Although some of my memories of Spicertown are not fit for a family newspaper, I have fond memories of some of the establishments along that side of the street.

Turtle, Duck and Cynthia was a very cool clothing/jewelry store. Some of the clothes I bought there are back in style again.

Legendary leather is where two of my roommates worked. I would get leather scraps from there to patch my pants. I patched one pair until they were almost all leather. (I still have them and can still get in them.)

And my friend Louise Betancourt had a record store down below and to the right of the stairs. He took one of each album out of the cover so you could check out a record before you bought it. Then there was the Veggie restaurant and tea house on the other side of the street where BW3 is. After they closed I ended up w/ the glass apothecary jars they stored the tea in. I still use them for that purpose. I had a bunch of friends who lived in many of the roach infested houses on Moon Drive. Truly gross. But we sure had a lot of fun.

Chris Bannerman

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My memories, like many other people's, center around finding love in the bars. I met my husband of the last 17 years at the old Townhouse in 1986. He lived in the Brown Street dorm or football players dorm as it was known before the NCAA changed the rules about having dorms for athletes only. He lived there from '86 - spring '89 while playing and working as a grad assistant with the football program.

He drove over to Brown street last week to have one last look. In the fall of '86 I moved to the heart of Spicer town. My house was the 3rd house south of Exchange. My back yard was the Armadillo (it was BW3 after I left), the Mining Company and my favorite DeMarini's Drive thru. For us it was a walk thru since we entered in the front, payed for what we wanted and then walked out the back to our house with our beverages (honest Mom it was just pop).

My backyard also had the College Bar with it 25 cent beer nites on Wednesday. Many nights we would be studying and then run over there with a buck for a quick beer. The beer was skanky, but we drank it any way.

My house was split into two apartments. There were four guys in the bottom place and four girls in the top. The place got so cold in the winter that you could see your breath in the kitchen.

Like most of the houses in Spicertown we also had mice.

I have great memories from that time. I remember going out with my friends to all of the bars -- Sun, Splash and of course Bobb A Louies for kamikazes. Well, maybe I don't remember it all. The McDonald's would be packed at 2 a.m. with college kids needing something to eat. I was even a bar maid at Mitche's Lounge. I worked every Thursday and Saturday night. It was in that house that I found out I passed the Nursing Boards and was officially an RN.

My fondest memory of that time was the night of August 26, 1987. It was on the roof of that Spicertown house that my husband first proposed to me. Although it would be 2 1/2 years before we got married, I remember the night perfectly (even though we were having a pitcher of Bullfrogs). My memories of Spicertown are still very clear. It is sad that all of the places I knew are gone, but I am excited about the new stadium.

My husband went on to work for the athletic programs at the U of A for almost 8 years. I spent many games in the rain and snow at the Rubber Bowl I also helped lug equipment up through the roof of the press box so he could film the games. I look forward to a place were the bathrooms work and the stands aren't crumbling. Spicertown was great when I was there, but I have gotten use to a warm house in the winter and no mice.

Lisa Gilbert, U of A 1989, Wadsworth

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As a 1970 graduate of the University of Akron, I thought I would give you some insights into the Spicertown area during the late 1960s.

The owner of the Odd Corner can solve his problem of no longer being on the corner by reverting to the businesses original name, "The Green Gas House". I seem to remember that the original owner, the late Jim Hershey, was arrested for desecration of the American flag for a display he had in the window during the time of Vietnam protests.

The next business on that side of the street was a bar called, believe it or not, The Seven Hundred Club. It had a great pinball machine next to the front door. Next to that was a donut shop and then the pool hall to which you referred. It's original name was Willie Masconi's Golden Crown Billiards. It later became Nelson's Stag Shop, a men's clothing store, and I purchased some really "groovy" bell bottoms in the early '70s.

The Sun Grill, at that time, was primarily a local's "red-neck" bar. The really hip college place was across the street called Demarini's Lounge known as "Demos". The place thrived because they had a license that allowed them to serve 3.2% beer to those 18 years or older. Stroh's 3.2% was $.25 a bottle. I still remember that tragic day when, Joe the bartender, increased the price to $.30.

OK, potato chips went for $.05/bag. Demos imposed a $.25 cover charge on Friday nights to keep the riff-raff out. It did not work. My fraternity brothers and I went every Friday night to see who would get into a fight and hope it wasn't us but you had to defend your colors.

I am sure that the improvements will be wonderful but the history will live on if only in the minds of those who were there.

Rich Howiler

I remember walking from Akron General's school of nursing with my girlfriends to go to Demos. It was the highlight of the week. We would walk down to Grey's drug store and buy a pack of cigarettes to share and headed over to Demos. You had to get there early in order to find a place to sit or you were relegated to standing all night in the crowded room. We would always hope for someone to give us a ride back to the dorm because of the long walk.

Yes, there were many fights but it just added to the rowdy atmosphere. Many guys and girls met there and broke up there. On the same side of the street was another bar originally called the Varsity Club that changed names over the years. Toward the end of its time, they used to have local bands come and one time they had Billy Jo Royal and his band. But nothing could compare to Demos.

Linda Howiler

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I had many fun times at the Sun Grill and remember when The Odd Corner was called The Green Gas House. I also remember the bar, Schroeder's which was located in what is now the middle of campus where the Polymer Science tower sits.

That said, it is time to move on and let memories be memories. I'm happy that UA is growing and am thrilled to see its new campus stadium come to fruition.

Keep growing UA and don't let downtown politicians tell you where to place future sports facilities. Let UA stay UA and downtown stay downtown!

David Culp, class of '75, Akron

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Hi David,

I was so saddened to hear of the demolition of the Sun Bar and Grill. It comes so fast after the closing of another Akron landmark, The Bucket Shop.

My friends and I have many fond memories of Spicertown during our college years. There are really too many mention, some that might incriminate me and probably more that I've surpressed.

We bar hopped from Mitch's Lounge, the Sun , The Splash, and the TownHouse. One night we met Mark Calcaveccia at the Sun. He was in town for the World Series of Golf. Best of all, I met my husband at the Sun in summer of 1989 and today we have two wonderful kids. Sad to see those places go, but its time for a change.

Stacy Rose, Uniontown

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David,

As a college student in the early 70s, the weekend rally cry was "to the Sun for one!"

Spicertown's Sun Grill was an eclectic mix of middle-aged locals and long-haired hippies. Content to drink from the same pool, the two groups peacefully co-existed. One night two of the middle-aged regulars got into a scuffle. Their buddy, who was as thin as a broomstick, jumped in between them.

However, he lacked the strength to push them apart. Each combatant threw at least six punches with their skinny pal wedged between them before they calmed down. The hilarious part was that they were firing away from about 3 feet apart and neither guy landed a single punch. They took out their hostility on air molecules. This "Battle of the Titans" still brings a smile today as I reflect on that era.

Here is one more memory from Spicertown:

It was springtime in Spicertown during the early 1970s. I was visiting a friend who lived in one of the two apartments above The Odd Corner at the intersection of East Exchange and Brown streets. He was hanging out of his apartment window when an attractive, young lady caught his attention. My buddy yelled and uttered his now infamous pick up line, "Wither dither doest thou goest?" They exchanged a few words and then I confronted The Bard from Spicertown. I teased, "wither dither doest thou goest, you've got to be kidding me!" Much to my amazement, there was a knock on the door. There stood the young damsel from the street. It was time for me to goest home or risk withering out my welcome. I gave Romeo and Juliet some privacy so that they could weave their sonnets in private.

Larry Holden, Green, Ohio

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Hi David,

My grandfather (Salvatore Palermo, Sr.) lived on Sumner Street about three houses up from Thorton Street I have fond memories of staying the night and listening to the many cars roll down the brick street. It would lull you to sleep. I also loved going to the corner store (n the corner of Thorton and Sumner to buy candy).

Grandpa was an entrepreneur and kept his businesses and rentals close to where he lived. He built the rectangular building that was at the corner of Goodkirk and E. Exchange St. I didn't realize it was part of U of A's take-over and one day I drove by it was there and the next it was totally gone. I would have loved to have had a brick or something from the building, because of all the memories I have.

Grandpa built the building on Exchange for a chicken store. I'll never forget the time I was helping him collect the eggs from the cages when he asked if I'd like to pet his rooster. I was about 5 and loved animals, so I excitedly said yes. He got the rooster down from on top of the cages with a crow bar. When I went to pet the rooster it let out a loud cock-a-doodle-do and I was so scared I ran out of the front door screaming for my dad, who had gone to the Lawson's store across the street. Needless to say, my dad was laughing, as he scolded my grandpa for scarring me so bad.

Grandpa owned several homes in the area that he rented. He owned about three or four of the homes that are boarded up behind and next to where his chicken store was located. I remember how sad I was when grandpa sold the building to Owen's Aluminum, because that was a building grandpa built with his own hands. Over the years I have seen that building change hands and businesses have been varied to say the least. Each time I passed that building, I always felt close to my grandfather. Now, those feelings won't quite be the same. Things change . . . new memories will be built along with all the buildings....

Toni J. Longville, Norton

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Hello Dave,

Across from the Sun Grill there were tow bars, The Armadillo and Chinchillas . . . even by East Akron standards . . . Chinchillas was a dive. In the summer of '70 or '71, a few of us walked into Chinchillas at about 8 p.m., looking for a friend who sometimes started the night there. It was still daylight, the bartender (wearing a food stained wife beater undershirt) was drinking a beer and smoking a joint . . . all this with the door open to Exchange Street. He just looked at us like "you guys want a beer or something"

There were holes along a wall, where legend said, our buddy, a guy we all knew since grade school, head butted the drywall, until he hit a stud and knocked himself out. We just looked around, figured all that can happen in there that night would be trouble and headed across the street for the Sun. I remember thinking, man anyone who hangs in there really needs to have their tetanus shots up to date.

I do not remember much about the Armadillo. I think you had to pay a cover to get in!

I have no idea what happened to those bars in late '70s but I still lived in Akron when BW3 went up in the general area of that block.

The Sun was the best place for chicks and all around fun. Odens Den, further west at Exchange and Brown, was a good time, too.

At that time, it seemed that if you had about $10 or $12, you could have a pretty good night and might get lucky and find a date for Saturday.

I know I lost a lot of good brain cells on Exchange Street that I need now.

Jim Schafer, Palm Harbor Fl since 1991

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David,

Read your column today and it brought back some memories for both my wife and me.

As for me, I remember going there on Friday nights to watch the Friday night fights. This was 1948 and 1949. We didn't own a TV, so it was off to Sun Grill to see the fights on their 14 inch screen.

As for my wife, I was going to school one night a week and she would take our young son to an afternoon movie and stop at the Sun Grill for a bite to eat before going home. We were living on Nash Street at the time, right where they are building the stadium.

Keep those columns coming, I'm looking forward to reading your book.

Warren M Miller, Akron

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While reading your article about the Zip Strip coming to an end of an era, I felt compelled to write to you for me and the others that have the same memories I have.

As an alumni I am excited about the new stadium. But, I am more saddened that the true spirit of what makes The University of Akron so special is ending.

I started at The University of Akron in 1991 -- an 18-year-old ready to start a new life outside of the Columbus area. What I learned the most from the University of Akron was not from a classroom, but from living life on my own and learning how to take care of myself. When I think of life at the University of Akron, my first memories are my friends and hanging out at the Zip Strip.

For those of us who were not commuters and stayed on campus or off campus, the Zip Strip was our social life. There was no downtown Akron to go to and go out. It was the Zip Strip that helped us make new friends, socialize and be part of the University of Akron community.

Those bars will forever have a place in my heart -- not because they were a bar but because when you were there you felt like you belonged. So thank you to Joe, Manny and the rest of the owners who have welcomed us into there places and allowed us to hang our hats and enjoy what little time we all had together as students of the University of Akron.

Angie (Guisinger) Kerley

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I went to AU 1981 and spent many weekends down at "Lil Niks." Nick himself was a quite the presence in the bar. Nice guy. Quite. Always with his pipe. Never any trouble. At closing time we would play Frisbee in the middle of Exchange Street! Good times!

Jennifer (Mayard) Sample

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The Sun Bar and Grill is where I "DRANK MY PLEDGE PIN" a tradition at Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. It was fall 1972. You were pledged and then walked down to the Sun for the official celbration. All the frat brothers would gather around and drop your pledge pin in a pitcher of beer. Back then it was $2 a pitcher! Then you had to try to chug the pitcher to get to your pledge pin in the bottom. This tradition dies with the Sun being torn down. Sad, very sad I guess nothing stands forever. So says my wife.lol Phi Sig

David Oakes, Carrollton, Ohio

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Dear David,

I just read your article about the Zip Strip. I read the Beacon online almost daily from my home outside Raleigh, NC. I grew up in Wadsworth and am an alumnus of Kent State and was a weekend "regular" of Bobba-Louie's and the other bars in the late '80s / early '90s - your article literally brought a tear to my eye and a smile on my face.

I can remember hanging out with some of the Lone Star Fraternity brothers at Bobba-Louie's and "scoring" a date to their frat formal. I also remember having my fake ID taken away not once, but twice at the Sun. I also danced the night away more than once at Splash.

I think it was at Splash that I met a Marine who sparked my interest in military men! I am now married to one (but not that one - we dated awhile and I can't even recall his name). Good times.

Bobba-Louie's, however, holds memories very near and dear to my heart. It was there that I have the best memories of college life, great friends, and the Purple Hooter shot! I wish that I could go back to go to the Sun one more time. I am sure it has changed dramatically from the late '80s / early '90s when I was "21" for a few years in a row. I remember being in Bobba-Louies one night and seeing the Akron PD walk down the street in full riot gear. I think it might have been May Day. Scary - we did manage to get out and find our way back to Kent. I truly miss those days as now I am a grown up! Thanks for the memories!

Jennifer Gaskill

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So Lit'l Nik's is gone...

Here's a few recollections:

I was in high school in the early '70s and as soon as we could drive, we'd head to "Spicertown" and bought clothes and records and head shop stuff. Growing up in Kenmore, this was my Greenwich Village and lots more fun than going to the mall. My first vegetarian meal was there and I picked up my first Scene Magazine there and saw my first pawn shop and blood bank there. I remember a wood floored dive on the south side of Exchange that had pinball machines and black lights and loud music - it didn't serve alcohol, so in hindsight it probably paid the rent selling who knows what.

In the '80s, Lit'l Nik's had the best jukebox in town, ever! Our friend Dick Robbins was the manager and he'd put any 7" 45 we gave him - from the Rubber City Rebels version of Paper Dolls and Black Flag's Sixpack to Ed "Kookie" Byrnes' Kookie's Mad Pad and Nervous Norvus's Transfusion. I was there when I heard John Lennon had been killed.

But it stays in my heart as the place where the Clampetts turned into a party band. We went from one serious set at JB's and the Bank to three loose sets every Monday at Lit'l Nik's with a roster of guests as long as your arm.

Everybody had a song or two they'd get up and do, from the bartenders to the Akron U. kids to the elder guitar players in town who came down on their night off. In the Spicertown spirit, the "stage," was just the corner booth with the table removed. I remember people had to walk between Brother Bob and me to get to the bathrooms it was so tight, but we used to pack 200 people through the door in a night. That was 25 years ago when the drinking age was 18 and going out dancing to live music was a major part of growing up.

And then there was "Appliance Night" where people brought outrageous electrical contraptions and we'd plug 'em in a power strip until the breaker went - I still have one of the flyers: "Blow a fuse, get a free drink." Or the night the manager got in a fight throwing some drunk girl out and had to hide on the roof from the police. All this with no pool table! It was a very independent area with some great non-corporate history.

Cheers and good luck with the article. Send it to me if you can, even if you don't use this.

My best to your family - nice to see Gina at Danny's. And the Brothers,

JT

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Hello,

So much has changed and yet so much has stayed the same. Does anyone else remember Levitation? I remember it in the area where the Chinese restaurant and Aroma Coffee and Tea are now. It was an odd shaped building (I believe it was "cool" then, and they carried all the "cool" clothes.)

Spicertown was the "in" spot to be back in the '70s. My speed was more McDonald's. I'm not and never was a bar hopper. But I do remember other folks I knew buying "collectibles" at The Odd Corner. Have a wonderful time remembering!

Loree McKiernan, Akron, Ohio

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With the stadium being built, this adds to the list of all the places we used to love that are gone: Wannies, Joes All Star, Mitchs, Shortstop, Gold Bar, Katmandu, Party Time, Exchequer, Magoos, Joe Hunters, The Met, The Taj. I always thought it was cool to hit beer and shot bars that I know hadn't changed the jukebox since my dad had spent quality time there. I guess it took Akron 25 years after the rubber mills shut down to finally shutter the bars that represented Akron as a working class, shot and beer town. Too bad. I have no desire to go pay $5.75 for a weak ass Sammy at a place that would have been better off staying the Tea House Inn.

Good times.

JL -Jim Lawrence

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LETTERS:

I was an Akron U student (that's what we called it then) from 1975-1981, but my first foray into Spicertown was when I was in high school. There were lots of neat shops in the buildings around the Sun, and there was a store there called Legendary Leather that sold Frye boots, which were very popular at the time. I couldn't see paying that much for boots, but I did buy a pair of Zodiac brand clogs there, which I still have.

Across the street from the old McDonald's was a plant store called the Indoor Garden, and I purchased a spider plant and a jade plant there, which I also still have. I also recall that there was a store that sold Levis called Leviathan where Manny's is now.

O

f course, I have memories form college, also. We waited in line on Thursday through Saturday to get into the Townhouse, at Exchange and Brown, where you got your hand stamped by a football player bouncer for under or over 21. (Remember 3.2 beer?) They also had a disco light dance floor and DJ there. My best friend used to take her own can of Tab in, because they didn't serve diet pop.

There was a bar called Mugs in the '80s just east of Li'l Nik's that was a Booklein bookstore at one time. I had a sorority sister who worked there. I always wished then that there could be a Taco Bell closer than Tallmadge Avenue, and of course, now there is! The Sun expanded into the next storefront in the '80s, also, and put in a dance floor. I went in there more often after I was out of college. That place intimidated me when I was younger. The Armadilo, where BW3 is now, seemed to cater to a more upscale, but still fun crowd. Their bathroom walls were always fun to read.

I had lunch with three of my sorority sisters last week, and we talked of trying to go to the Sun again for old times' sake. One of them was reminiscing about celebrating her 21st birthday there. It seems like yesterday!

Karen Taylor Heffley, Cuyahoga Falls

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In 1931, my dad, Weldon Alley, moved my mother, Jane, and me to Harvey Court. In 1953, I moved Dad, Mom, my wife Ruth and myself to the Falls, 22 years later. I know Dad had a few beers at the Sun Bar after a days work at the Goodrich. One memory of Spicer and Exchange was the day in 1937 when Admiral Richard Byrd's snowcruiser drove down Exchange to the Goodyear, where the four 10-foot tires were built. I never had seen anything so huge. I went from attending Spicer, Central and Akron U. to 35 years teaching in Akron. I took a lot of Spicer Street, the people and middle class values with me.

Jim Alley, Adams, TN

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During the 1950s and 1960s, my grandfather's chiropractic office was in a suite of rooms directly above the Sun Grill. He had a large practice when that area was, as I remember it, a very busy place. I have fond memories of spending time with him at his office. On days when he didn't have time to come home for lunch, I would walk from our home on Sherman Street to deliver lunch to him. There may still be people in the area who remember him - Dr. Joseph Diebold.

Linda Taylor, Fairlawn

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The undersigned was a law student at the University of Akron from 1994 to 1997. My classmates and I enjoyed many late evenings of debauchery at Joe's Sun Bar & Grill located on Exchange Street. The law school held many of its social events there and one, always looked forward to with a great deal of anticipation, was the law school's annual Halloween party.

The enclosed photos depict one such event where several of my classmates and I dressed as the Village People for the Halloween costume competition. The posed photo was taken while we were rehearsing our dance routine in the basement of our house on Gage Street. The other photo depicts us performing on stage for the costume competition at Joe's Sun Bar & Grill on Halloween night. While we had a thoroughly enjoyable time, we had to settle for second place because first place was taken by another law student dressed as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader.

Richard A. Lohr, Medina

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As a lifelong resident of the area, I have several stories. Like the Odd Corner was the Green Gas House before the Odd Corner. Or how about Robert Hall clothes; at Christmas, their jingle was, "I'm doing my Christmas shopping at Robert Hall this year." Or when McDonald's was built it was our Friday night hangout until Don the cop chased us out, because in those days it had no dining room. Or Amy Joy donuts, which is the Aroma and Chop Stix now. Mannie's Pub used to be Willie Mosconi's Pool Hall or Levitation where you went for your Levi jeans. The big red house that's boarded up now was Legendary Leather where I bought my first pair of Frye boots. This is just a few of my memories of the area of Spicertowen from the '50s, '60s and '70s to now. I've seen many changes in the past 45 years.

Jim Kroah, Akron

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The old Burley's confectionery used to be right next to the Odd Corner when I was growing up at 457 Nast Street, just a few houses away. (My homestead is now a parking lot for UA.) Mr. And Mrs. Burley were an elderly couple who ran the store from their house, which was connected. They had the corner property and the store was built onto the Brown Street side of the house. One end of the store fronted Brown and the other Exchange. The Brown Street side was just a windowless, two-story "slab" which some sign painter had usually paid them to put a huge advertising display. Burley's must have predated the Odd Corner by at least 15 or 20 years.

Robert Creswell

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My closest moment to Animal House - I roll into the fish store next to the Splash. This is the day after four of us haul a cast iron claw footed bathtub home from the curb to may apartment on Sherman Street. Being the interior decorator I was at the time, I painted the outside ODOT orange, the inside jet black and went to the fish store and asked for 250 gold fish please ("Can I have 10,000 marbles please?"). Dumped them in. Quite a site. Unfortunately they all got eaten within a week.

Jim Lawrence

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