HANGOUTS WERE PLENTIFUL IN CAPE DURING '50s, '60s

Freeman Lewis bought a Kingshighway hamburger stand called Wimpy's in 1942. His parents, Fred and Ethel, ran it while he and his brother, Frank, attended to World War II. When they returned, Wimpy's moved across the street to the northeast corner of Broadway and Cape Rock Drive formerly occupied by the popular Haman's Sandwich Shop.

To teen-agers of the 1950s and '60s, Wimpy's became the hangout, the place to be and to be seen.

Lewis is still a bit mystified by how that happened in the 1950s. "It was more of a family-type thing before then," he said. "We had a big Sunday trade. And soda and hamburgers were all we had."

But teen-ages started coming in their cars, and kept coming even when the high school cut their lunch period to half an hour. It was still just 15-cent burgers and fries, curb hops and a jukebox, along with some groceries sold on the side.

The operation expanded in the '60s to include a restaurant called Wimpy's Wigwam across from Houck Field House. But all the cars and competition from McDonald's, the A&W Drive-In and other places, caught up to Wimpy's in the late '60s.

Cruisers who filled the parking lot for long periods of time hurt business, Lewis says. "By dark we had just about all the parking places filled up. We did just about everything we could think of, but we never could cure it so we sold out."

In 1973 the land was sold to Boatmen's Bank.

But Bill Lewis, a younger brother, maintains a dine-in Wimpy's today at 506 S. Kingshighway.

Wimpy's was far from the only hangout in the 1950s. Tenkhoff's Drug Store at the corner of Broadway and Ellis was popular for cherry Cokes. Many high school students also had a standing lunch order at Thompson's Drive-In in the 1900 block of Broadway.

Wayne's Grill at the northeast corner of Broadway and Pacific drew a crowd after football games.

Jan Wittenborn, a Murphysboro, Ill., resident who graduated from Central High School in 1955, recalls working to help open a Teen Town housed in the top floor of the building at the southeast corner of Themis and Spanish.

"There was none of this meanness and orneriness there is now," she said. "We played records by the McGuire Sisters and Nat King Cole." Her pal, Gretchen Fee, said of Teen Town: "We painted it, made curtains and managed to get a soda machine. We played donated records and there was no air conditioning. You danced until you dropped."

Round-shaped Pfister's drive-in in the 2100 block of Broadway was another place to go.

And everyone cruised Broadway.

The 1960s

The upheaval of forces that shook the country in the 1960s did not diminish the need to hang out. And pizza was popular.

A pizza parlor named Tony's in the 400 block of Broadway became a late-night meeting spot. A Pizza Inn on Clark Street was another.

The A&W Drive-in had some of the same cruising problems experienced by Wimpy's. The Blue Hole barbecue moved to Kingshighway and became a popular place to turn around.

Another stop for burgers was the Dairy Castle on North Kingshighway, which offered curly fries and seven burgers for about a dollar.

A new Teen Town opened on Broadview and was successful, showcasing the rock 'n' roll bands that seemed to be growing in every garage.

And, of course, everyone cruised Broadway.

The 1970s

Rock clubs called the Spanish Door and the Bill of Rights opened in the 1970s, and Shakey's Pizza Parlor at the southwest corner of Ellis and Broadway had a vogue period before it burned down.

In the late 1970s, the Hushpuppy opened across the river in Illinois, offering 18-year-olds a place to dance and drink.

After school, students went to McDonald's or Burger King. Central students seemed to prefer McDonald's, and Notre Dame students Burger King, one '70s student recalls.

The 1980s

A bar called Rumors on Main Street offered a popular teen night once a week.

The Mule Lip Saloon on north Main street attracted a clientele of varying ages.

An attempt to operate a Teen Town on Water Street failed. Another in the old Esquire Theater also died due to lack of interest.

Construction of West Park Mall gave young people a new world of meeting spots. Some teens went there on weekends. But "All we ever did was cruise," says Julie Pierce, who graduated from high school in the 1980s.

The city tried to curtail cruising by making it illegal to turn around on Broadway at the circle in front of Houck Stadium. "It didn't work. We just went down to the (Centenary Methodist) church parking lot," Pierce said.

Teens gathered in parking lots of businesses where they knew someone and wouldn't be chased away, she said.

The 1990s

The penchant for congregating in parking lots continues in the 1990s. And the mall has become even more institutionalized as a meeting spot, especially on weekends and in cold weather.

The Ice at the Galleria has supplanted the roller-skating rinks of the 1950s (Mary Ann), '60s and '70s (Skateland) as a place to hang out.

Southeast basketball games are hot tickets among high-school students.

Fast-food restaurants have swamped the few Wimpy's-type holdouts in terms of popularity.

But on a weekend, you can bet most of Cape Girardeau's young adults will be hanging out just as their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents did. On Broadway.