Time Blogs of Kathi Stringer
8/6/05
I wonder what happened to our teenage acquaintances since Rainey Jr. High and
Corona High School. Let me see if I can remember some of them. Karen
Little, Valerie Royce, Steve Baldwin, Jeff Lewcheck, Debbie Terry, Tim Right,
Kenny Johnson, Ricky Roberts, Mark Opitz and hmmmm...the mind fades.
8/6/05
When Jim and I were fourteen and fifteen, we were best friends. We'd pal
around the whole town of Corona on foot. We knew every shortcut and just
about the name of every street. We both went to Rainey Jr. High. The
school was only 2 years old. The original Del Taco was on the corner of
Main and Third Street. Del Panther was still in business and a gas station
called Terrible Herbs was on the corner of West Sixth Street and Grand.
Terrible Herbs was a landmark for teens. They had the cheapest cigarettes
in town under 30 cents a pack. Of course cigarettes could also be had at
the Del Taco machine in the eating area and it was out of site from the
employees. Winchells Donut shop was on the corner of Lincoln and West
Sixth Street, just down from Corona High School. That was the hot spot for
teen hangout during lunch time. Usually a group of us would make the trek
for a coke pored over ice. The Corona Library was still on South Main in
an old wooden building. I remember the old book cases grounded on wooden
floors that creaked. Index cards containing book location and information
were still in style. Since then that library was demolished in the wake of
two others. Fish & Chips take-out food was just down the street.
The Chief of Police was Chief Greer and his station has been demolished in trade
for a larger one. The Sassy Lassy was on North Main Street out toward
Norco, and it's competition the Love Inn that was across the street have both
faded into the inroads of time. Going North on Main Street was the main
entrance into Norco from Corona. Everyday and every night the endless
trains would cross North Main. Cars would sit for twenty minutes while
drivers would wonder how much longer it would be until an overpass would be
built. I wondered what an ambulance would do in a situation like that.
Norco didn't have any hospitals and the main entrance into Corona was blocked.
8/6/05
When I was 23 years old back in 1978, I bought a 5-acre ranch on the south
end of Main Street in Corona. It was nested inside the Cleveland National
Forest. I had a lot of fun making ranch 'improvements' building little
cabins like the ones at Knott's Berry Farm. It was only several miles
south of the 91 Freeway. Nothing but orange trees were beyond Ontario and
Main street . From there the street narrowed to 2-lane road. Except
for me and an occasional tractor there was hardy any traffic. Many times during
a breezy afternoon I would sped up south Main Street in my Corvette and the goal
was to hit 100 miles per hour. Man I was flying. I'd slow it
down up at the turnoff into the dirt road and let out a refreshing laugh.
It was especially refreshing Saturday mornings when it was overcast with a mist
in the air. Everything seemed to fresh and clean. The city and
neighbors didn't seem to exist. Only the forest, rustic cabins, and well
water painted the atmosphere. It was truly a world of its own.
8/6/05
I was born in Riverside, California March 28, 1955 at Riverside Community
Hospital. My first memories of life in Riverside was about 4 years old.
Mom and dad bought a 3 bedroom house on Challen Street close to Wells and Van
Buren Blvd. Those are also my first memories of my younger brother Jim,
and then came along our Sister Judy and then Jay. Jim and I were good pals
playing with out wooden snap trains while Judy played with her Chatty Cathy.
Jay was still only just a baby.
I remember having a good time as a kid playing in the back yard. It was all dirt and no grass. I'd make roads with my hands and push my dad's trophy cars in play. He'd remind me later how I'd get those cars. He'd take his supped up 57 Chevy and race it onto fame holding the record. The fine looking trophies would come home into his collection. Then one day I broke the cars off the wooden mounts and they wound up in the back yard. I guess to a 5 year old it seemed the cars outta be played with, being so shinny and all.
8/6/05
One day when I was 5 years old my dad drove past the new Jr. Highschool on Wells
street. He said, "Someday you will be going to that school." I
wasn't thrilled with the idea. I distinctly remember looking at the kids
in the play yard sitting around on the ground chatting. That did not look
like my idea of recess. I was only in Kindergarten and going to Foothill
Elementary at the time. Foothill by contrast had kids running round
playing during their recess. I still remember this large pipe that would
tower over our heads and we'd run though it or pretend it was a fort of some
sort. Now that was fun.