“What do you miss from past days in Sturgeon Bay?” from the May 10, 1977 Door County Advocate
What do you miss from past days in Sturgeon Bay?
Jean Austad, 942 Memorial Dr.: “They don’t make as much of the cherry industry now as they did when I was younger and I liked that. We used to look forward to picking cherries, the migrants and the cherry festival and Blossom Sunday. We were out driving a week ago and went past the old orchards and factories and they are defunct now.”
Chan Harris, 1020 Memorial Dr: “I miss the band concerts at Martin Park, Pleck’s ice cream and hamburgers at Larsen’s Lunch.
Diane Tebon, R. 1: “I miss the booths and soda fountain at Bassett’s drug store. I grew up in Algoma but everytime we came to Sturgeon Bay we used to stop at Bassett’s. I also miss Delain’s Ice cream Parlour because we used to go there every Sunday for ice cream.
Eleanor Serrahn, 744 N. 8th: “There is too much traffic in Sturgeon Bay now. I miss the two-way streets and the quiet we used to have after the tourist season. Now we are too big a city.”
Karl May, 232 S. 9th Ave.: “I miss the chit chat in the barbershops. I recall when Durkee’s barbershop used to be a gathering place. As a youth I got my hair cut there and also got a lot of my education.”
Gloria Pankratz, 529 W. Oak: “There are too many people in Sturgeon Bay now. It’s gotten too big. Sturgeon Bay is like a little Chicago. I liked it better when I was a young girl and Sturgeon Bay was just a small town.”
Bob Ostrand, R. 3: “We used to have good perch fishing in the bay of Sturgeon Bay and I miss that. I also miss the old hotels Swoboda and Carmen — they were sort of landmarks and a nice place to go for a relaxing dinner. And of course I miss the old time restaurants like Paulos’ Kandy Kitchen and the Cherryland.
Eugene H. Bernhardt, 216 N. 6th: “To a certain degree I miss athletics in Sturgeon Bay because I think they have deteriorated as far as the talent is concerned. I also miss the lack of athletic spirit among the natives. l was at a track meet the other night and only a few parents were present.”
Stanley Greene, 122 S. Seventh Ave.: “There are several things that I recall vividly from the past that are gone now. I miss the whistle of the Ahnapee coming up to the West side station. I also miss the sound of horses going over the old wooden bridge at night. One of the most dramatic things was the sight of fire truck going into action with the big horses dashing madly down the street, bells ringing and firemen hanging on. I remember the freedom l had as a child to go up and down the beach along the bay and exploring the old wrecks along the beach and in shallow water.”
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
Articles by Linda Adams
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/linda-adams
Articles by Stanley Greene
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/stanley-greene