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Carol Perkins: Lets talk . . . about Depps Restaurant For Metcalfe County kids of the 60s, Depp's and Gene's Freeze (the latter still a popular Edmonton restaurant) were favorite hangouts. Robert and Nell Depp and their three popular children made everyone welcome. The food was generously served at reasonable prices, and it was delicious. "Those were good days and fun times and I am grateful to Robert and Nell Depp for putting up with us young people. I just wished I had told them," Carol Perkins writes in this article about memories which will be shared at the Metcalfe County Sesquicentennial and MCHS Reunion on Labor Day Weekend. The next earlier Carol Perkins column, A Free Trip By Carol Perkins Depps Dump wasnt a dump at all. How this establishment came to be known among its younger patrons as Depps Dump, I dont know, but it did. Maybe Robert Depp and his wife Nell, owners of the restaurant/grocery store, were offended by the name, but if they were, they never showed it. Maybe the name came from one of their three children, all teenagers when I was. No matter from where it came, the name stuck and was a place where teenagers liked to be in the 60s. This generation was lucky My generation was lucky. We had a movie theater, Genes Freeze, and Depps. After home basketball games, we teenagers often gathered at Depps. Some danced, others ate, some swirled around on the counter stools, and others sat at tables and talked. The music was continuous, the talk loud, and the older patrons left when we arrived! None of this bothered the parents of P.D., Nancy Kate, and J.R. The location of Depps was at the Y. The Marathon Station at the bottom of the hill at the stockyard is the former site. We all knew that the bottom of the hill wasnt a direction, but a destination. It wasnt a fancy place, but it was homey. As a customer walked through the front door, he faced a U shaped counter. Mr. Depp was usually behind that counter and his wife was working the tables or in the kitchen. I think she did all the cooking. Surrounding the counter, of course, were stools covered in red vinyl. I have swirled on my share of them. To the left of the entrance were tables and chairs. To the right was an open spot for dancers to fill the jukebox with quarters and twist to Chubby Checker. Girls and boys didnt have to be dating to dance with each other. There was a whole lot of shakin' goin' on There was a whole lot of shakin goin on at the bottom of the hill. Depps was also a grocery store and one of the few places to buy a gallon of milk after dark. I can vividly remember riding down to Depps with my dad to get milk for supper. This was long before convenient stores. It was also a place for families to eat Sunday dinner. The food was delicious. For years, the Depp family lived in an apartment on the left side of the building. Nancy Kate often had slumber parties, and even though my friends and I were a little younger, she was kind enough to ask us. We felt so grown! For parents, they could rest assured that after a game or a big event in town their teenager was safe when he/she was at Depps. Looking back now, I realize that they were glad to have us because that meant their own kids were not somewhere else, too. Hughes' Restaurant was off limits for kids While my memories are of Depps and Genes Freeze, those who grew up in the 50s had even more choices of hangouts. Ms. Lillie Hughes Restaurant was off limits to youngsters, but teenagers found going there very daring and evidently lots of fun. Im fairly certain that a fight or two probably broke out occasionally in the parking lot, and maybe inside too, but I missed those events! By the time I was in seventh grade, the reputation of the establishment had softened and on the way to town after school, we would stop in and have a soda. There was also Cozy Inn and Corner Restaurant We also had the Cozy Inn and the Corner Restaurant, both on the side of the square where Herb Sparks office is today. The Corner Restaurant was more of a family restaurant if teenagers didnt crowd them out on weekends. Kids are going to hang out somewhere. I was lucky to have safe places that were supervised without my friends and me feeling guarded. However, we never lost sight of the fact that if we misbehaved, our parents would be apt to know before morning. Adults kept a strict eye on young people back then (which often produced sneaky kids!). Those were good days and fun times and I am grateful to Robert and Nell Depp for putting up with us young people. I just wished I had told them. ATTENTION: (Those who attended MCHS from 1957-1994, mark your reunion at the location of the original MCHS (now the middle school). The event begins at 3pmCT on Sunday, September 5, 2010l and is the final event of the Sesquicentennial Celebration and is hosted by the middle school principal, Allen Trotter. Look for more details to follow. If every person would email/Facebook/contact as many people/ classmates as you can to tell them about this event it will help to spread the word. I will keep you posted on Facebook, too.) -CAROL PERKINS This story was posted on 2010-08-29 14:58:35
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Carol Perkins:
Carol Perkins: A Free Trip Carol Perkins: School Bullies, Part II Carol Perkins article on School Bullies draws interest Carol Perkins: School Bullies I Carol Perkins: Parasailing Carol Perkins: London Carol Perkins: Hoosier hospitality in outlet mall Carol Perkins: The Hitching Post Carol Perkins: Who is watching your children? Carol Perkins: Feeling Like Myself View even more articles in topic Carol Perkins |
 
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