Beacon July 2023

Page 6A THE BEACON July 2023
THE MEMORIES LINGER ON
The Elm Drive-In in 1962
By Mary-Alice Helms
“The song has ended, but
the melody lingers on..”
Those are some of the lyrics
of an old song that was
a favorite of the 1930s and
1940s crooners. Perhaps the
words could be “The building’s
gone, but the memories
linger on.”
They are things of the past,
those buildings where we
would meet, tell jokes, laugh,
share secrets, and snack when
we were teenagers. Lost either
to the wrecking balls or repurposed
for a more relevant
use in today’s world, most of
those spots which we loved
would not be granted a second
look in today’s world.
Obviously not created for
aesthetics or ambiance, they
simply were places where
the town’s families could go
to see friends and eat a good
meal at a reasonable price.
For us, as teenagers, they
were great hang-outs.
The “Elm Drive-In” comes
to mind when the memories
take over. It was a rather
nondescript wooden building
sitting in the middle of a large
lot on State Road 1, about a
mile north of Brookville. The
owners, Irvin and Joy Hertel
had built the place next to
their neat home. There were
only a couple of booths or
tables for inside dining. The
action was in the parking lot!
That lot, which I remember
as gravel, often was jampacked
with vehicles of every
description. Customers were
greeted by a car-hop, the
name given to the young waitresses
who took the orders
from the customers, and later
delivered the food. I remember
one time when a harried
car hop neglected to lock the
heavy tray of food securely to
the car. Consequently, the tray
tipped into the car, spilling ice
and cold soda into the lap of
the non-too-happy customer.
The frazzled car-hop apologized
and tried desperately to
help the soaked customer save
his dress pants, the remains
of dinner, and his dignity. It
didn’t work. No tip there, I’m
afraid. The “Elm Drive-In”
has been gone for many years,
but never forgotten.
As teenagers, few of us
had access to cars except on
weekends when the family
chariot might be used for a
“date night”. Also, we had
little money, so our entertainment
had to be within walking
distance and very inexpensive.
We found places in town
that made good gathering
spots. We walked everywhere.
It was not unusual to see
groups of teens walking up or
down Main Street. “The Dairy
Bar” on Main Street was a
good destination. Located on
the northwest corner of 8th
and Main, it was a mecca of
ice cream cones, sundaes,
sodas, and banana splits. An
added attraction was its jukebox
with its endless collection
of popular songs and its
flashing red and blue lights.
When replacement records
arrived, the proprietors would
sell the used ones for 10 cents
each. Quite a bargain, except
that many of the most popular
records were more than a bit
“used”. “The Dairy Bar” also
was torn down some years
ago, and never replaced.
My best friend, Carol, and
I liked going farther down
Main Street to a little shop
owned by Hilda Wirtz. We
loved the little round tables
and chairs with their cast-iron
scrolled backs and legs. A bag
of chips and a soft drink cost a
total of 15 cents. Hilda didn’t
The counter inside the Elm Drive-In in 1971.
mind how long we sat, giggling,
chatting, and admiring
the beautiful costume jewelry
displayed in glass cabinets
along the wall. That building
was among those sacrificed
to progress when the Valley
House apartments were built.
So many other “gathering
places” should be mentioned,
including Hertel’s Restaurant,
Cap’s Place, the home
of the famous Cap’s Chili,
the Owl Tavern, the 440 Grill
and Greyhound Station, The
Goldfinch Restaurant, the Valley
House Hotel and Restaurant,
the Case House and the
one which people who were
kids at the time will always
remember the “Jack and Jill
Restaurant.”
“Jack and Jill Restaurant”
was located on State Road
One in the spot which is now
occupied by First Financial
Bank. I remember it for its
uniqueness. It was a dinerstyle
building, the likes of
which had not previously
been seen in Brookville.
The front part of the building
was made of stainless
steel and was said to have
cost $100,000! I remember
the flashing neon sign on
the front of the structure. In
these days of light shows and
animation, it probably would
not have been as noticeable.
When it opened in 1956, it
was thought to be spectacular.
The neon lights were timed
and arranged so that the
overall effect was a 3D image
of Jack and Jill falling down
the hill. Quite a show-stopper.
While I remember the food at
the restaurant as being very
good, it was not a successful
venture. It lasted only two
years, closing in 1958. The
stainless steel diner part of
the structure was moved from
the hill, and the kitchen/dining
area, which had been built
on the site, remained. That
portion was purchased and
renovated by the Borne family
and used as their home for
a number of years. It was sold
to People’s Trust company
bank and then to First Financial
Bank.
While the current generation
probably has never heard
of many of these places, there
are those “golden oldies”
among us who can remember
them all. Some of them are
gone forever, but the memories
will linger on.
Budgeting Makes It All Worthwhile
A BETTER WAY TO GET
THE MONEY YOU NEED.
By Alan Thorup, CRMP
In my last article, I mentioned
budgeting in regard
to a home purchase with a
mortgage. Expanding on that,
a budget put together well is
a valuable financial tool for
individuals and families to
meet their immediate/monthly
needs as well as set aside
funds for both anticipated and
unanticipated needs. Just as
valuable is the discipline to
follow it!
To begin with, collect
paystubs/direct deposit
information for determining
regular monthly household
net income (after taxes and
benefits are deducted). Next,
collect all your recurring bills
for utilities, auto/other fixed
payment loans, and credit
card minimum payments.
Additional documentation
on other recurring payments
for insurance (health, dental,
prescription, etc.), and then
any additional payments
made regularly such as church
donations will also need to be
added.
Once all of this is collected,
you have the $ amounts you
need to put in writing or input
into a spreadsheet your fixed
net income and expenses.
Hopefully, you have a positive
number after deducting
your fixed expenses from your
net income, and if so, this is
the amount you have left over
to cover groceries as well
as unexpected expenses and
future needs for large-item
purchases, vacations, etc.
To cover anticipated needs
for those large purchases and
unexpected expenses, a good
way to accomplish that is to
set aside money regularly to
‘pay yourself’. If after plugging
in the net income and
expense numbers, you have a
positive number at the bottom,
add in an amount you
can comfortably save while
maintaining payments on all
your other obligations, and
put that into a separate savings
account. Further, you
can set up a spreadsheet that
details what those $ are for in
your savings account such as;
vacation, home improvement/
maintenance, car purchase,
new tires/brakes for the car,
etc., and pull those funds out
as needed, and adjust your
spreadsheet.
Finally, maintaining the discipline
to follow your budget
is critical for both short and
long-term financial success.
We all see, read, and hear
about things daily that we
would like to have or do. For
most of us, the reality is that
we can’t afford to act on impulse
to satisfy every ‘want’
we have. However, going
through the exercise above on
a regular basis, and adjusting
the budget as income and expenses
change, provide us the
opportunity to become much
more aware of what we have
to do in order to purchase
things responsibly today, and
in the future.
The team at FCN Bank is ready
to help you find a better way
to get the money you need.
Instead of high-interest credit
card debt, FCN Bank offers
better options such as home
equity loans, personal loans,
home refinancing and more.
BRATER - WINTER
FUNERAL HOMES
fcnbank.com
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