Grand theater.jpg

In this undated photo, the Grand Theater stands near the middle of the second block of North Queen Street, to the right of the Arthur Murray Dance Studio.

 SUBMITTED FIRE PHOTO

Here’s a favorite childhood memory, and other memorable downtown Lancaster thoughts from the mid-1950s.

I remember catching the 10:14 bus (that’s the time it stopped at Roseville Road and Lititz Pike) on a Saturday morning, in time for the all-day cartoon show at the Grand, or the Abbot and Costello double feature at the Hamilton. And watching the youngsters shine shoes at their makeshift outdoor parlors as we anxiously waited in line for the doors to open. I can still hear the snap of their shine cloths.

Before heading home — hopefully one of our dads would pick us up after work — we would hike up North Queen to Speed’s Sandwich Shop for a 55-cent large sub.

For those too young to remember the early theaters, but who are interested in downtown Lancaster history, let me add this to my ’50s memory.

The theaters and nightclubs dominated the second block of North Queen. In addition to the Grand and Hamilton, there was the Colonial (later renamed the Boyd) and the Capitol (which always seemed to show the better movies). I think my first or one of my first movies was “The Charge at Feather River,” starring Guy Madison, who was the original Wild Bill Hickok from the early TV series of the same name. I also remember my young friends and I walking several blocks to see the original “Them!” at the King Theater and running out of theater shortly after the film started as we were too scared to watch the rest of it.

Besides the theaters and nightclubs, the second block of North Queen was home to small popular variety stores — Steinfelt’s and Hoetzel’s — where they had great pinball machines.

For something else to do downtown on a Saturday morning, there was Train Day at the YMCA at Queen and Orange. I can remember climbing up steps to an upper floor to race my American Flyer against the competition.

Back then, buses were everywhere and at all hours of the day and night There always seemed to be a long line parked near Penn Square in front of Watt & Shand on South Queen and in front of Woolworth’s and McCrory’s on North Queen.

As far as restaurants and meals, my favorite was “Chicken in the Basket” at the Hotel Brunswick, where my grandparents often took me after church on Sunday morning.

Spaghetti at the Rose Bowl was a close second.

I hope us older Lancastrians enjoy these memories.

The author lives in Lititz and is a retired reporter from the former Lancaster New Era.

 If you know an interesting story, please write it in 600 words or less and send it to Mary Ellen Wright, LNP editorial department, P.O. Box 1328, Lancaster, PA 17608-1328, or email it to features@lnpnews.com. Please include your phone number and the name of the town you live in.

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