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Teen Town kept youth busy

Have you ever heard a teenager say,We dont have anything to do in this town!? Through the years that has been a familiar cry. But truth be told, downtown Clinton has often been just the place for teenagers to find food, friends and fun. In the 30s and 40s one place for fun along Frisco Avenue was the Bungalo. In 1926 the Thornbroughs built the store building at 604 Frisco and leased the first floor to Bungalo Drug Store. Later, the Bungalo moved to 612 Frisco. CHS 44 grad Juanita Harrell Meacham remembered that establishment well. It was a drug store up front with a dance floor and a nickelodeon in the back. That is where everybody hung out. It was close to the Rialto Theatre, and right around the corner from Teen Town. According to an article in the Clinton Daily News on May 7, 1970, the Bungalo closed in the early 40s which led community leaders to create Teen Town. The article stated, Dr. and Mrs. Lloyd Church had closed the old Bungalo Drug, which had a dance floor, a juke box and which had been well-supervised. The nearby Clinton Naval Air Station was being built, which was expected to bring problems to the area. Teen Town was set up on a city government model with a mayor, a city council and a charter. It was formed in 1942-43, and it spawned many similar organizations throughout the nation. The original Teen Town was on 6th Street south of Frisco where Linderer Printing is now. Juanita Meacham recalled its beginnings, My husband Zeke was a senior when they started it. He graduated in 1942 and went to Oklahoma A & M for a semester, but then he had to come home to farm during the war. I was still in high school, and they really questioned letting him in at Teen Town because he was older. Marge Fransen also talked of Teen Towns beginning in a CDN article on April 6, 2002. Harvey and I started dating when I was a sophomore. He was speaking to a group because they were going to start Teen Town. That was a place where you could get a coke. There were pool tables, a place to dance, and it was chaperoned. Reportedly, Teen Town was housed in several locations in the downtown area. In the late 40s and early 50s it was where the current Oklahoma Bank and Trust is located. 1952 CHS graduate Cecil Reinke said, It was on Choctaw right behind the library. I ran for mayor but didnt win the election. Ruth Ramsey remembered going to Teen Town on Avant. She said, When I went, it was in the middle of the block on Avant on the south side between 5th and 6th Street. In the 60s it was located on the north side of Frisco between 7th and 8th Street. Ironically, that location has since housed the Alpha Chi House, a youth center sponsored by the First Christian Church. Mavis Stevens-Wilks remembered Teen Town there. She said, There was a juke box, table tennis, shuffleboard, and we could dance or just sit and talk. We had an adult on site who oversaw that everyone behaved properly. It was a lot of fun! Wed go there trying to find girls, Randy Meacham admitted. Wed stand on the sidewalk out front and wave. Then wed jump in with somebody and ride around for a while. During that era the Clinton Daily News ran an article Teen Town Receives a New Face. The article told of clean up work done by the following: Mickey Brower, Linda Armstrong, Marilynn Meyer, Kay Meacham, Mary Lou Ford, Ruth Hire and Doug Greer. Sponsors were R K Wallace and Leland Forrester. Elizebeth Wallace Wilson also remembered her father and CHS math teacher Bob Graham sponsoring Teen Town. Kathy Allison related that in the late 60s Teen Town was located in the old Wilson Jr. High building on 11th Street. Others remembered the dances and adventures at that sight as well. Even with all the changes through the years, the great tradition continued!

600 Block
Engleman Park Hutchinsons Communi cations Hayden Harris Oil Co. Continental Oil Co. Stehr Conoco Hatfield Conoco Mike Taylors Conoco Culwells Conoco Station The Mulberry Bush The Emporium Wood N Things Arleens Clinton Beauty College Miller Thornbrough Drug The Bungalo Masonic Hall Clinton Business College Clinton Novelty & Sales Midget Oil Company Resolution Apparel Small Gift Shop Quinton Jenkins, Auctioneer

Times change, but

600

F W Braffett Insurance Guys and Dolls Burroughs Add Machine Co. Charles Oliver Insurance Kiah Hodges Insurance R L Browning Residence Resolution Apparel State Beauty Supply Redland Theatre Rialto Theatre Jacks Barber Shop Dotties Simons Department Store Lintz The Bungalo Drug Store B A Jackson, Dentist Dr. Alexander Dr. Church R B Ogle, Dentist First Pyramid Life Ins.

608

604

610A 612

604 1/2

612

606

Announcement was made that Fred W (Happy) Braffett will establish an exclusive tailor shop for men here, to open February 1. It will be ocated at 606 Frisco in the Rialto Theatre building. Clinton Daily News 1937