Dixon Dominates

 

Over the Back Fence

Growing Up in Dixon

by

Vicki L Bishop

 

One of the reasons that I wanted to re-boot “Over the Back Fence” was to share stories about my hometown; and so those stories could be remembered for future generations.  As we get older, we really see the importance of sharing stories and experiences so that such things are not lost to TIME.

As I am out and about town, I have run into a few people who have brought up a common topic:  How great it was to grow up in Dixon.  Today, I would like to share some of my stories about that topic with you.

Dixon may seem like it hasn’t changed in years; but there really have been changes.  For instance, once upon a time there was no Wal-Mart in Pulaski County.  Before it was Wal-Mart, it was known as Ben Franklin—a kind of dime store meets department store.  Yes, that is right—dime store—not dollar store.  I don’t remember anyone driving all the way to St. Robert to go to Ben Franklin.  Why would anyone do that?  We had Barnett’s Departments Store, Clark’s Sundries, a dime store, the IGA Food liner.  If you didn’t obtain your clothes from Barnett’s, or yard sales, your other choice was to order them through the Sears Catalog.  If none of these options worked, you could drive to Rolla for specialty items.   There was no internet, no computers, no cell phones and the fashion statements in Dixon were routinely years behind larger cities.   Also, there were few impulse purchases from anyone, and most households leaned toward a minimalism of belongings.

In the summertime, there was an unwritten rule for children that if was not raining, you played outside.  I often wonder if children today watch some of these older movies or shows where neighborhood kids roamed from dawn till dusk in packs on their bicycles with no parental oversight.  It really was like that!  Check in with your parents?  Well, maybe sometimes.  I personally had orders from my mother not to call her at work unless one of the following had occurred:  death, blood, broken bones.  As long as you were on time for dinner, everything was fine.  We knew what houses we were allowed to be inside, and which ones were off limits.   

We had adventures and clubhouses in back yards and in the couple sets of woods that flanked my neighborhood.   One of my favorites was a quasi-tree house that we called “the boat”.  This is where we decided which houses in the neighborhood were haunted and which eccentric resident was really an alien from Mars.   Another area was a set of woods behind the middle school where I am sure there are still paths today that we wore from trail riding on our bicycles or if you were a bit spoiled, then perhaps a three-wheeler.

After dinner on those long summer nights, we could catch lightening bugs (I never remember calling them fireflies).  Or run up to Hauck Addition and play a game of spotlight.  Spotlight was a form of hide and seek meets tag where if you get tagged by the beam of light from the flashlight, then you are ‘it’.  Town was considered safe, even after dark and no one locked their doors.

Most years we had a fireworks display for the town.  Dixon had some of the most epic bottle rocket and roman candle wars that likely ever happened.  The water tower that sits in the Lions Club Park was not fenced and people would regularly climb up it and set off fireworks. 

When I first moved here, the roads were not paved.  The town and some of the residents poured used motor oil over them in the summer to keep the dust down.   We never wore shoes in the summer.  Not because we couldn’t afford them, but because we didn’t need them.  We ran bare foot across rocks all the time and never thought twice about it.  One time I remember the Goodyear Blimp flying over, but at a very low altitude.  Several of the neighborhood kids thought it was going to land at the air strip (now Canuck Lane) so we all ran about a mile in bare feet chasing the Goodyear Blimp because it was going to land in Dixon! Well, it didn’t but it was fun while it lasted.

I lived in a neighborhood that had a lot of kids, and most were similar in age.  We played Charlie Angles with Sheri Glawson playing Farrah, but they always made me Sabrina.  After a while, I got used to being the ‘smart angel.’  That same summer, skateboards arrived in Dixon—everyone had one because Farrah had one.  I think the boys played Bionic Man as I saw a lot of slow motion running and jumping going on.  And even Stretch Armstrong has his limits, and he did not survive my neighborhood gang.  We put Stretch to the test.

When I got to be just a little older, probably around 11, my grandfather surprised me with membership to the country club pool because of my good grades.  I really loved swimming, but it was always so crowded there I really wanted to be there just once where I could swim by myself.  So, I hatched a plan to skip Sunday school and church one week and go to the pool instead—by myself.  I showed up betting the doors would be open and dived off the board swimming to the other side and the smile on my face must have been something.  When I came out of the water at the other end, Carl Durtschi stood looking down at me.  “Does your mother know you are here swimming by yourself?  You are not old enough for that.  Why aren’t you in church anyway?” Responding as sweetly as possible I pointed out that “I guess we both missed church today, Sir”.  So, I obediently got out and waited for more people to arrive before I got back in.  Even today, occasionally I catch a dip that pool when no one else is there and I always remember Carl Durtschi correcting me that day—and perhaps my rebellious side correcting him too.  Swimming in that pool is still one of my most treasured memories.

The golf course has come a long way.  When I first moved here it had sand greens that were later replaced with ‘onmi-greens’ in the 80s which was sort of like astro turf.   I sometimes think our golf course gets taken for granted as it truly an Ozark gem with its lakes, mature oak, rolling hills and lush green turf.

If the country club wasn’t your scene, there was always Jones Creek-Fifth hole or the rope swing at Riddle Bridge.  There is just a certain happiness and peace that comes from spending the day at the creek with friends around a small campfire.   Riddle Bridge has been replaced since those days—the old one had a wooden plank driving surface that was particularly frightening to cross.

Floating the Gasconade back in the days where it was a peaceful lazy river.  Nothing fancy, just nature for miles and miles.  You might come across another canoe or two, but other than an occasional fisherman, you were mostly alone.

Girls who attended Dixon Schools were required to wear dresses to school until around 1974.   Our grading system was based on ESMIF (Excellent, Satisfactory, Medium/Average, Inferior, Fail) as opposed to our current ABCDF system that changed when I was in high school—mid 80s.  When you received your report card that last day or school in May, everyone would quickly flip to the back page to make sure the box next to “Promoted” was checked.

Many of the town kids played in the Kourey League.  Many of the old-time farm team players as well as retired pro player, Wally Schang, helped form this youth league that is still prominent today and provides Dixon youth with basic skills in softball and baseball that are critical for secondary level play. 

Our summers ran from around just before Memorial Day to just before Labor Day.  When the dog days of late August came and daylight got shorter and the heat and horseflies make most outdoor activities unbearable, we would all change our focus to returning to school.  None of the schools had air conditioning, with a few rare exceptions that included administration areas, the biology area and later the computer labs.  Even those so-called air-conditioned areas barely took the edge off of a steamy Missouri late summer day.  The first two or three weeks of school were usually quite uncomfortable.

There would always be that relative from afar who came to visit around Labor Day, to attend the family reunion. They would look at me and comment:  There is NOTHING to do here.  With a quiet smile on my face, I would say “Yes, I know”.   In my heart, I knew better.  We never ran out of things to do, adventures, riding bikes, playing in the creeks and woods.  We didn’t have video games, nor did we need them.

In this age of cell phones, security cameras, video games and cars that drive themselves, it is hard to believe that once upon a time things were so simple, and we were all happy living that way.  When I was young, we walked to the dime store.  When my son grew up, he walked to the Dollar Store.  I am curious to see the next reincarnation of discount chains and how they address the next generation of inflation.  Will it be the ten dollar store?  Perhaps the Score Store. 

Growing up in Dixon really was great.  It was the best of times.  Summers seemed like they lasted forever.  Sometimes, I wish I could go back.