Memories.
People write songs about them, they write books about them, they’re afraid of losing them.
Sometimes, a memory comes to the front of your mind after sitting in a backroom of your brain for years, and a lot of times, I find, it brings a smile.
I wrote a column a few years ago for the Prince George Free Press about how to tell if someone has been in Prince George for a while, based on what they know about the city.
Some of what I have today is probably the same, but I know I have had a few memories bubble up recently.
One that came to mind for some reason was remembering old radio stations in the city. I remember when CJCI, AM 620, was at the top of the Inn of the North, while CKPG, AM 550, was downtown, right next to the Outrigger Restaurant.
And don’t even get me, or a lot of other veterans of the local scene, started on restaurants that have come and gone. One I still recall fondly was Shakey’s, which used to be on West Central Street. It was THE place to go for team get-togethers, especially for teams of youngsters. They had pizza, chicken and some incredible potato wedges, I will call them, even though I don’t remember them being a wedge shape.
I was talking to someone a couple of weeks ago, and he still referred to Highway 97 through the city as the Bypass. I have been here long enough to know what he meant, although a lot of people wouldn’t.
There are buildings downtown where I can remember two or three other businesses who were on that site before the current occupants, but I have friends who can go back a couple more previous tenants.
I sometimes think it would be interesting to take a survey, if you will, showing what businesses occupy a specific block downtown, then come back in five years and see how it’s changed.
