Tucson of the 60s,70s and 80s (Scottsdale, Tempe: price, activity)

[azmemories]

Okay, so ghosts throwing rocks aside, I was just browsing through a Phoenix thread and somebody mentioned a tradition in Tucson I had forgotten about. There is a community called Winter Haven in which every house is elaborately decorated for the Christmas season.

Does anyone remember taking their cars through Winter Haven during their time in Tucson? Apparently that is not even a thing of the past as it is still going on.

Thanks to the people who did provide feedback about the rock bombing back in the 80s. It came as a real surprise that someone else did remember and that the story is followed by paranormal enthusiasts. I had a good time researching it!

[beTucsonan]

Originally Posted by azmemories

Does anyone remember taking their cars through Winter Haven during their time in Tucson? Apparently that is not even a thing of the past as it is still going on.

Yep - still going. I had some friends who lived in the neighborhood when I was in high school and they and their parents absolutely hated it. There was no joy in it for them after years and years of neighborhood-mandated decorated, but they made their home look joyful anyhow, since they had to ... that changed my perspective on the whole thing and I haven't been back in the 20 years since.

[OceanaMan]

Originally Posted by WilmaWildcat

Wow, the Santa Rita was a great old place. We went there to the original Poca Cosa before it was torn down. I remember seeing it in the first episode of The Fugitive; but the Fugitive has a LOT of Tucson scenery. I think my favorite was the lady's apartment at the "El Cap" apartments. El Capitan is still there and look great, just south of biosciences off 6th Street

Thanks for the Reminders, Wilma. I mentioned a while back that my Mom, 2 sisters, brother and I were extras in the pilot episode of The Fugitive. Here's a link to the YouTube page of the episode "Fear In A Desert City:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91HEzSJFeEg

At 1:47 into the episode a couple of kids run up and over a gazebo across from the bus station; one of the kids is my brother (now 63 years old!) but it's hard to say which one, as the film is pretty grainy. I better ask him which he was. At 22:45 Richard Kimble and the Vera Miles character are at an amusement park (which was on East Speedway if I remember correctly) and my whole family was there as extras, paid $20 each for the day. We hung around all day waiting, waiting for each scene to be filmed. The part I remember most vividly comes at 27:00 when the two pony riders and train cross the scene as the stars walk by.

Yeah, the El Capitan Apartments on Park Ave were popular in my U of A days '69-'74.

[OceanaMan]

Originally Posted by azmemories

Okay, so ghosts throwing rocks aside, I was just browsing through a Phoenix thread and somebody mentioned a tradition in Tucson I had forgotten about. There is a community called Winter Haven in which every house is elaborately decorated for the Christmas season.

Does anyone remember taking their cars through Winter Haven during their time in Tucson? Apparently that is not even a thing of the past as it is still going on.

Thanks to the people who did provide feedback about the rock bombing back in the 80s. It came as a real surprise that someone else did remember and that the story is followed by paranormal enthusiasts. I had a good time researching it!

Who could forget Winterhaven!? When I was a kid we drove through every year. It was pretty much the area between Prince, Ft. Lowell, Country Club and Tucson Blvd. On the National Register of Historic Places. Funny thing is when I later lived in Minneapolis, where there's a real winter, there was nothing on the scale of Winterhaven in the desert!

[azmemories]

Originally Posted by beTucsonan

Yep - still going. I had some friends who lived in the neighborhood when I was in high school and they and their parents absolutely hated it. There was no joy in it for them after years and years of neighborhood-mandated decorated, but they made their home look joyful anyhow, since they had to ... that changed my perspective on the whole thing and I haven't been back in the 20 years since.

I also remember the subject of mandatory decorations being a topic of discussion. Despite this, there were homes without lights on at least one Christmas. Either nobody lived in the house, found some sort of loophole, or faced the consequences for non-compliance.

In addition to the chore of being required to decorate your home. Residents of Winterhaven probably had to really rearrange their lives in December to negotiate the crowds when coming and going during the evenings.

[musicfreeq]

Late to the discussion, and this subject is prob'ly pretty stale, but, hey, the holidays are right around the corner so maybe still timely I definitely remember Winterhaven - it was not close to home so we were didn't to get to see it every year but recall it was a real treat and as a kid, I was envious of anyone living there.

As an adult, I lived in a neighborhood here in SoCal that was the Winterhaven equivalent. We would park my BF's old 1936 vintage truck on the front lawn and sit a stuffed Santa in it. Not too much work other than the lights around the roof, but others went all out. Nowadays, there is a neighborhood near us that we take the granddaughter to every year: the yards and homes are absolutely grandiose and the residents must spend a fortune lighting and decorating for the month of December. I would NOT want to participate in that, but we love going and reaping the rewards of others' hard work!

Back to Tucson: we are going to see HEART tonight. I can't wait as I have never seen them in concert. I went to pull the setlist to see what they're playing and see that they were in Tucson last night: at the Desert Diamond. Anyone go? The reviews say they Wilson sisters are as good as ever and I can't wait to hear them do "Crazy on You!"

[musicfreeq]

I just watched the first couple minutes of The Fugitive episode that O'Man posted again: boy, does that ever take me back! I LOVED that show and seeing just a tiny bit of one makes me want to binge watch it all over again! Do you think they are available, O'Man - or just on you tube?

Maybe it's the colder weather or the holidays, but I just wanna reminisce some more

[mrwumpus]

Here are a few minutes of KWFM Tucson my family recorded in the early 70s (73 or 74 I think).

https://archive.org/details/kwfm_tucson_1970s

I will forever miss the Sonoran Desert. I can still smell the wet creosote after a rapid monsoon rain.

[musicfreeq]

mrwumpus: Thanks for posting that! I esp enjoyed references to Todd Rundgren's "elevator shaft" sound and Grand Funk's need for Todd helping give them a new sound ... and the announcements of the missing pets - several dogs and a cat - one with an infected eye! I do not recall this practice, and when would you ever hear such a thing now, right?

Thanks again - makes me want to watch a few YouTubes of Todd back in his heyday: "Hello, It's Me ... " Sigh.

[OceanaMan]

Originally Posted by musicfreeq

I just watched the first couple minutes of The Fugitive episode that O'Man posted again: boy, does that ever take me back! I LOVED that show and seeing just a tiny bit of one makes me want to binge watch it all over again! Do you think they are available, O'Man - or just on you tube?

Maybe it's the colder weather or the holidays, but I just wanna reminisce some more

The only place I've found it for free streaming is You Tube. Amazon sells some DVDs of the show.