Thursday, January 27, 2011

Flint Artifacts: The Farm Motel


history of flint michigan

A postcard of the Farm Motel (above) at 3615 Clio Road in better days. More recent shots below from 2011, supplied by Jimmy Rutherford, capture the motel and restaurant in its death spiral. It is now demolished.


history of flint michigan
history of flint michigan
history of flint michigan


118 comments:

  1. I don't even wanna know where you came up with that postcard, geewhy! But while we are on the subject, does anyone remember if there was a place called the Red Barn near there in the early seventies? Or if there was a restaurant in The Farm? I'm not thinking of the Pink Elephant, I'm thinking of a restaurant with an entrance on the street behind Clio Rd. Just curious...

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  2. Yes, there was a restaurant attached to The Farm. I think it was cleverly named The Farm Restaurant, but I'm not sure. Speaking of creativity, I love the two nearly identical shots of the two nearly identical rooms. They could have at least used a shot of the lobby.

    Pink Elephant? Are you thinking of The Pink Garter, the steakhouse farther down Clio near O'Toole's?

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    1. My dad had a bakery and made a special rye bread for the Farm Restaurant. They would cut it thin and fry the bread.

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    2. Yes it was the Farm Restaurant my dad was the manager from 1959 to around 1975

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    3. I have an old crock from cheese and it says
      Farm
      3613 Clio Rd
      Flint
      Does anyone know anything about a place that made cheese? I google it and it says property for sale but I’m not coming up with any information on the Farm that produced cheese.

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    4. Morsel, my grandma was a bartender and then office manager there around the same time, Betty Steagald. She designed the window displays too!

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  3. What was I thinking - yes, the Pink Garter! I am also probably thinking of The Farm Restaurant then; who knows where I came up with The Red Barn. I wonder how Daniel Gilbert, or Freud, would interpret that... Remember when The Texan was on the NE corner of Pasadena and Clio?

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  4. wasn't there a nightclub near by, named Ali Baba's? I seem to remember the place thru the fog of uh...time.Seems to me that it was in a mall...

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    1. Ali Baba's was on Cloverlawn off Pierson Rd.

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    2. My parents actually purchased a farm motel in 1979. The farm motel and restaurant were in full operation until they sold it years later. However, while they owned it, at least the restaurant to Chinese people who renamed at the Hunan restaurant. The area itself earned a really bad reputation while we owned the motel. I recall the front desk was robbed eight times in seven days. I myself at the age of 16 was robbed at gunpoint by a man named Gus ivory. For some reason, I still reflect recall “The Farm’s” phone number 732-8000.

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  5. What better name for a place of lodging than "The Farm"?

    The Hungry Penguin was a Clio Rd icon as well. Uh... howza about the A&W? The Grapevine? Ummmmm, any Mayfair Plaza afficianados here? That A & P ruled. Jeez, what was the namee of the pizzeria near the Pink Garter? I think they useta have rectangular pizzas... Was there a PX Barbeque on Clio and Pierson? I heard those mofos were racist as hell. The Fireside Lounge? Sounds cozy... oh sheet, I got one for ya... KKK- Ken's Kustom Kitchens at Clio and Dayton.

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    1. Ken did my kitchen and bathroom on Joliet in Mott Park.

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    2. I remember Venice pizzeria on the nw corner on Clio Rd and Pierson.

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    3. Maybe Roma' pizza?

      They still exist and they still make the best square pizza; on North Saginaw

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  6. Man smurfs, you have a good memory. I was a regular at Grapevine in the later 70's, and one summer in '72 or '73 I went with a neighbor kid on Bent Dr. and his mom to a store in Mayfair Plaza and got that "Magic 8 Ball," which I just had to have and which answered my burning yes/no questions with such brilliant replies as "reply hazy, try again," "outlook not so good," or "don't count on it". I'm mixing up the PX Barbeque and Fireside Lounge: one of them was a reddish-colored building and a biker hangout as far as I know. "Cozy" isn't exactly what comes to mind....

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  7. Wasn't there also a kind of Western wear store on Clio at one point? You could buy boots and cowboy hats and everything. Am I just imagining that?

    And the Pink Garter, as I remember, had pink aluminum siding, but when you went inside, it was pretty fancy by Flint standards and had great food. But I was probably 11 the last time I went there, so my standards of "fancy" and "great" were a little different.

    And I remember "The Texan." Great sign. All the cops used to eat there.

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    1. Yes, the western store was acrossed from the pink garter. And just a few feet away from the gas station to pump your gas for .79 cents a gallon.

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    2. The western wear store was Real America - the same plaza as the PX at Clio and Pierson. Real America also had stores downtown on Saginaw St near Genessee Towers, and in the South Flint Plaza.

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  8. Question:

    There was a hamburger joint -- a drive-in type restaurant where you ordered from your car on Clio Road, just north of Pierson and next to the PX -- but I can't remember the name of it. They made a pretty decent cheap burger.

    And speaking of the Texan and items like "the Magic 8 Ball"....I had a girlfriend who use to work at the Texan. One night, my friend and I went to the restaurant to pick her up after work and having some time to blow we went inside for something to eat. While eating -- somehow the topic of discussion turned to every kid's favorite toy -- "The Etch-A-Sketch". My friend said that he could draw anything on an EAS -- to which I asked, "Do you think you could do a nude?" He said he could -- so we went to either the Fair Store or Arlan's and picked up an EAS and went back to our booth at the Texan. And lo and behold -- he could do it -- and an impressive Etch-A-Sketch nude drawing, if I say so myself.

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    1. The Golden Point was the small hamburg place by the PX

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    2. Golden point. Sold hamburgers for fifteen cents!! It was a real deal.

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  9. Ken's Kustom Kitchens used to be the home of one of my grandpa's Standard Oil gas stations; he was there from mid 1972 (I think) to around 1975. Before that, he ran one at the corner of Lawndale and Pasadena for around twenty years, now housing a liquor store. Does anyone have any pictures from the Clio Road area back then? It's my family's old hood, plus I spend a lot of time in the area now (I work on Lavelle). That would be awesome.

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  10. I'm wondering if the drive-thru burger joint you remember was the Golden Point. I loved that place.

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  11. I remember the Hungry Penquin, The Texan (loved that sign!) and the Golden Point...great burgers! But you all forgot the best place with the best sign...Dawn Donuts!
    My brother-in-law went there recently for his work and he said that DD was scary..Besides donuts, they sell cigarettes...and not friendly either.

    Roadside Diner Lover (Cara)

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  12. anybody remember the arthur treachers that used to be on clio road they had great fish and chips as a kid i used to go there quite a bit with the family

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    1. Do you remember squire jacks fish and chips on Fleming rd. Just north of piersonrd. I worked there then got moved to the one at Pershing and court by Chevy in the hole

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  13. I grew up in the neighborhood right behind The Farm Motel...we used to sneak in there and go exploring and tell ghost stories after the place closed up...then the drug dealers took over. I remember all of the places that you mentioned...and I loved Arthur Treachers...O'Toole's had the best pie...PX had awsome BBQ sauce (I have the recipe)...and how about The Flint Drug Mart next to Dawn Donuts...it makes me sad when I go over that way now...my brother and some of my aunts and uncles are still in that neighborhood so I do get over there quite a bit. I have so many memories of Clio Road...

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    1. O!!! Please post the recipe! My moM
      Stole bottles from the place in her purse to make ribs at home. Yum!

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    2. Oh! I'd love the recipe if you have it! My mom brought home bottles in her bag she loved it so much!

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    3. I used to go there with grandparents. Loved Alex. Could you send me sauce recipe please. Used to know someone said they used cattleman’s as base. Ty

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  14. There were two great pizza places right around there...Palace Pizza was on Clio Road near Myrtle Ave...they had incredible pizza subs....the other was Rizzo's Pizza on Pasadena at the corner of Maywood...they had the big deep dish pizza's.

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    1. The very BEST pizza you would ever eat was served at Palace Pizza on Clio Road. My wife and I ate there every Friday afternoon from 1972 to 1982. Sure wish that place was still around. A super good pizza can still be had at Gina's out just east of Flushing (on Flushing Rd).

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    2. The Palace had the very best pizza!

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  15. Getting back to the Farm Resturant: The motel came pretty late in the game. But the resturant was very fancy, especially in the 1960's. My Aunt Betty worked there as a barmaid and was the one who created the seasonal displays just outside beyond those full-length patio doors. Diners could look out there in any season and see interesting dioramas! One year she won as Michigans' Barmaid-of-the-Year from a national organization that bar workers belonged to. Hey, she was good! She lives in Clio in retirement and is in her late 70's now.

    Moreover, most of us older Flint types remember that CS Mott was a regular there, until his health began to fade before he died in 1973 at age 97. My Aunt knew him well.

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    1. Please tell your Aunt Betty that Pat Callahan's daughter Maureen said hello and I remember her and her windows well.

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    2. I worked with your aunt Betty she was fun to work with. Pat Callahan was my fathers book keeper I didn't realize this until I got hired at the farm. Maureen I thought the world of your mother she treated me so good .

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    3. My Mom, Mary Hanson, was a barmaid at the Farm and worked with your Aunt Betty. I vividly remember those seasonal displays, even though we moved from Flint when I was 7. Especially the Easter one with a live rabbit and a Thanksgiving one with a live Turkey. They were beautiful.

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    4. I used to work there around '77-'78 Pat and Marge Callahan owned it and Mark Kardos and Otis ?? were the managers. Good times, no doubt.

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  16. Great memories, y'all!

    While we're crusin' Clio Road, I played tenor sax in a band, called "M.B. Holcomb." It was named after the group's leader, keyboard/singer Manuel Holcomb.

    This was one of many bands I played in during my Flint days--which included the "Saginaw Valley Scratched Fender Society," "The 6 Pak," and "The Skylarks,"--to name a few.

    In the summer of 1968 we played 9 weeks at The Track--a bar that, if memory serves me, was pretty close to the Pink Garter (next door?), and across the road from Arby's and Burger King.

    I do remember that so many kids would skip out on their check at The Texan, that they started making you pay before you ate.

    That wouldn't have been any of you guys, would it? :^)

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  17. Didn't O'toole's later move to Flushing Road? Near Supreme Donuts and Underhill Drugs?

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    1. O'toole's moved out to the split at Miller and Bristol Rd. Since 2006 ish has changed names.

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    2. The current location by the GM factory in Swartz Creek is cursed. In the last three years it's had at least three different owners. Its last incarnation was open for approximately a month before closing.

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  18. Randall... dude... you MUST have recordings of The Six Pak, Skylarks, and the supremely awesome Saginaw Valley Scratched Fender Society lying around. Please, tell me you do. Photos, flyers, ANYTHING.

    What other bands and teen clubs were around back then?

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  19. Hey, that is a great photo. My dad was the manager of The Farm Restaurant and Motel. It was a very posh place. Many actors and actress' stayed there. All of my brothers worked as busboys at some point or another! My sister and younger brother and I got to have a Shirley Temple on the nights that we had to pick my older brothers up after work. It was so fun! And I remember your Aunt Betty. She came over many times for Christmas parties, etc. Thanks for the memories everyone!

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    1. I see that your comment is from 2008, but in case you get a notification of my reply, was your dad Jerry Gagne? My Mom, Mary Hanson, worked at the Farm and he was her manager. I, too, remember the Shirley Temples made by Cy, the bartender. If you are Jerry's daughter, I remember being at a party at your house when I was a little kid and having BLTs late at night :)

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  20. I was surfing to find out about the Golden Point restaurants of the early 1960s and I saw that Flint had a Golden Point in 1961. My recollection is that Golden Point was a hamburger franchise, much like McDonald's of the same era, but, instead of golden arches, the Golden Point stores each had a towering metal point (thin pyramid) of yellow-orange. I recall that Der Wienershnitzel restaurants may have taken over some Golden Point buildings. I know what little I know because a family friend invested heavily in a Golden Point in 1960-1961 in or near Falls Church, Virginia. I do recall going there at least once (and I certainly liked the hamburger better than the early McDonald's burger). Our friend lost his investment when the franchise chain went under and my father always was glad he hadn't invested. On the other hand, the story reminds us that there is a thin line between success (McDonald's) and failure (Golden Point). John in Denver

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  21. PX Barbeque...my favorite place to eat in Flint. Forget the barbeque, that was the world's greatest spaghetti sauce. And yes, Smurfs Inc. is right. Old Alex (with bad toupee) who owned the place, had a strict caste system. If you were black, you were seated in that side section near the door. If he didn't know you and you looked ok, you were seated in the front room, if you had money or he thought that you were someone, you were seated in the back dining room.

    The Fireside Lounge was next door.

    I think that there was an A&W drive-in down the road not far from Grapevine, also.

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  22. teri could you please send me px recipe been looking for it for 20yrs after the one on bristol closed down thank you shweekie1@yahoo.com

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    1. I found this online. hope it works out for you

      The PX was a restaurant in Flint, Michigan years ago that was famous in this area for its' BBQ ribs. This is a very good sauce to use on ribs after cooking them on a grill.

      1 18 -oz bottle of Open Pit BBQ Sauce
      1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp of French's mustard
      1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp Karo Light Syrup
      1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp molasses
      2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
      2 Tbsp brown sugar
      2 Tbsp liquid smoke
      2 tsp garlic powder
      3/4 cup of Jack Daniels or any good whiskey or bourbon

      Combine all ingredients in a heavy pot bring to a boil, then simmer slowly over low heat for about 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Mop onto grilled ribs, and store any leftovers in refrigerator

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    2. Thanks for the recipe!

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  23. man, the PX! primo...me and Jeff Weeks snuck out there, before we could drive, but could not get in. we ended up at the Texan, peeing our pants 'cause most of the FPD seemed to be there that night...there was a club named Ali Baba's right near there, wasn't there? or am I going thru another coney withdrawal type bends?

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  24. Golden Point had great pineapple shakes. PX right next door. The owner brought semi pro football to Flint for awhile. Golden Nugget Saloon just down the street on Pierson. Ali Baba's was east of Clio Rd next to the Arlen's Dept Store. Yankee's, the Fair, Flint Home Furnishings, Kresge's and Hirsch Jewelers were the main stores in the Northwest Plaza. Got "Tuffy" jeans at the Fair.

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  25. muchas gracias there 'News. couldn't remember to save my soul. I can tell You who were the members in the Iris Bell band, and Stephenie and Method, when they played there, and the names of the waitstaff and 'tenders, but damn! that's as far as the synapses could stretch. They had a waitress there that my old Housemate, The Smiegel, said would make a cosumate Playboy Bunny. and She was....

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    1. Ken? If so, I'm your old housemate... what was her name?

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  26. My Mom would weekly take my sister and me grocery shopping at the Kroger on Clio Road behind the Dawn Doughnuts. Sometimes we would go outside and play on the concrete wall at the western edge of the parking lot. We loved Dawn Doughnuts and, when I get a chance, I still go back there--better than Krispy Kreme for variety.

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  27. I WAS SEARCHING THE FARM RESTAURANT AND CAME ACROSS THIS SITE, I EVEN SEEN THAT MY SISTER HAD LEFT A COMMENT ON HERE. OUR DAD WAS THE MANAGER, I GOT TO SPEND MY BIRTHDAYS AT THE FARM WITH A STEAK DINNER. FUNNY BUT I GREW UP THINKING EVERYONE KNEW WHAT A GOOD STEAK WAS, BOY I MISS THAT PLACE. ANYONE WITH ANY OF "THE FARM" MEMORABILIA LEAVE ME A NOTE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVE.

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    1. In case you still see this, since your original comment was from 2009, I just replied to your sister's comment, as well, wondering if your dad was Jerry Gagne. My Mom, Mary Hanson, worked at the Farm. I have some rock glasses from the bar with the Farm logo on them.

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    2. Would love that too since my husband of nearly 54 years proposed to me there...was very Special place!

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  28. teri the px barbeque sauce was the best i ever had. i remember at one time they sold it at Krogers in the late 80's.could you send me the recipe, it would be most appreciated. I also remember going to LaVillas in mt morris back about 12 to 15 years ago and they had some barbeque sauce that tasted alot like the px. long live the Flint Dogs.

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  29. was there really a business called Ken's Kustom Kitchens, initials KKK????? Was Ken just Klueless, or did he really intend to offend a lot of people with that name???? i can't imagine he had too many African-American customers.

    Regarding "Red Barn;" there was a chain of burger/fried chicken/general fast food joints by that name in the 1970s. i know there were some in the Detroit area, so i would not be surprised if Flint had them too.

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  30. The Golden Point -- fries by the sack! We loved that place. When I was a teenager going to Holmes Jr. High we used to hang out in the ruins of the Golden Point, smoking cigarettes and such. There were lots of ruins to hang out in then -- the Hungry Penguin was one too (this is circa 1973). As for the Farm, it was entering its seedy era then. My cousin Bill Angst owned Palace Pizza in the 80's. The Coney across from Dawn Donuts (Capitol?) was a big Northern HS hangout for us. I lived farther north in Manley Village, and was a paperboy in those apartments just north of the Farm (they burned several years ago.) The wester Saddlery place was just south of Pasadena, on the same side as McDonalds. Oh, and by the way, that was my first ever McDonalds, too -- and we lived down by McLaren Hospital then. And just to round out the area -- don't forget Mary's Sunshine Dairy!

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  31. Teri, I would love a copy of the PX barbaque recipe. I always heard it had honey and grape jelly in it. The best sauce ever!

    Thanks

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    1. I got on here to find the px sauce recipe! Loved the px and that sauce. Im 60 now and would love the recipe. Please share? Lagrinch55@yahoo.com

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  32. Just found this site, many many memories of growing up in the area, all the places mentioned, especially the PX. I already know the sauce recipe, I was a cook there for four years,yeah Alex was kinda like the Archie Bunker of the restaurant business, I'll leave it at that.

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    1. hello i was wondering if you could give me the bbq recipe i have been looking forever for it i would appreciate it thank you
      alisha_25@rocketmail.com

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    2. My mom worked at the PX throughout the 70's and said many times that Alex was a rattlesnake if you bumped him the wrong way. I remember going to his family cookout/swim party every summer and he seemed like a great guy out of the restaurant. I think he was just all biz. BTW, Italia Gardes bought the PX bbq recipe from the family and now uses it on their ribs.

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  33. @ Anonymous:
    That Ken's Kustom Kitchens may very well have had many black customers, unfortunately. I recall when Sambo's, the restaurant chain now called Denny's, had a location on Pierson Road. It had many frequent African-American customers, despite it's name (and it's negative connotations) and reputation as a place for blacks to avoid. Strange but Flint.

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    1. I used to work as a 3rd shift assistant manager at the Dort Hwy Sambo's. On weekends especially, most of our customers were blacks. We used to get crowds from a couple of bars after closing time, including one or two gay bars somewhere around Dort Hwy. The bar crowds went to either Walli's or Sambo's.

      Sambo's had 3 or 4 drawings from the Little Black Sambo story hanging above the seats in the front dining area. I guess the name and the pictures are what caused (eventually) someone to get their knickers in a twist and started protesting the restaurant chain. I never recall anyone mentioning the restaurant name at all while I worked there. All the controversy over the restaurant name came after I had left Flint for greener pastures.

      People ate there because the food was decent and inexpensive.

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  34. Hey, this area was a part of my stomping grounds too!

    My Dad's carpet store (Carpets by Perry) was next to the Farm, and on special occasions we would go there for the best stuffed pork chop I've ever had.

    I spent quite a bit of time on Clio Road. First, it was helping my Dad actually build his store building, and then cruising back and forth between McDonald's and the A&W. In fact, I got my first speeding ticket on Clio Road right in front of my Dad's store. It was during business hours and I was quite embarrassed.

    In later years as I would go to the PX regularly, and Teri, if you could post that recipe, or tell us how to get it by email that would be great!

    And Lisaflint, any chance of getting that pork chop recipe?

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  35. That cannot be Clio Road. Seriously. Is that Clio Road?

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    1. If you're going by the pics, above - that is the road one block west of Clio - I believe it's Thornton Ave., but not sure - it's been too many years - those are pics of the back of the building...Clio Rd. is a 5-lane road.

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  36. My parents would take us to a "nice" resturant once a month so we would learn how to act in nice places. I remember the scenes outside the window, it was so pretty when it was snowing to see all the animals and elves with fresh snow on them. The first time I ever used a finger bowl! Wow, was I impressed.

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  37. Well, the dirt road in the more recent shots is the street that runs parallel to Clio. I think it's Thornton Ave.

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  38. No, that is not Clio Rd. It is the road that ran behind the hotel.

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  39. The Farm Motel has since been demolished. It's not like the building was salvagable, but I did enjoy seeing it when I drove by. The restaurant, however, is still standing and is used for private parties. I saw well dressed people milling about over the summer.

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  40. Hard core memories!

    You are into it. How well I remember the contents of this thread.

    At age 19, as an art major at CMU, I used graph paper from Schnider's Printing in Flint, and pictures form the photo booth at Playland, and configured my fake ID.

    The first place I used it was at Ali Baba's. Heaven knows the rest, I was too screwed up to even remember!

    Flint flows through me, always. I will return in less than 30 days, flying into Bishop Airport to put together a dinner at Hotel Fenton in celebration of my wife, who passed away on December 5th.

    Our last trip we ever took was to Flint and Fenton as we chased down fall and Halo Burgers.

    No regrets. I always, and I mean always, will contribute to this site for free simply because it is worth my time...

    Rosenberg;author/publisher

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  41. Hey Rosenburg. I am sorry about your loss. Flint is a great place for old memories and I for one appreciate everyones comments and continuance. My Dad was the Manager of The Farm Restaurant, it holds very dear memories for me! Hope your celebration goes well, your wife will be pleased I'm sure. Lisa

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  42. I remember the Farm Motel very well, having grown up at the corner of Seneca and McClellan Streets. The motel was under construction at the time the Kroger store burned, and the Kroger was subsequently rebuilt. As I recall the southern wall of the farm was singed a bit by the fire, but that was covered up by the exterior paint. Yes, the dirt street in the photos is Thornton Ave.
    -Mark

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    1. Mark. What year was that? I grew up on McClellan and I'm now 72 yrs young.My husband proposed at the Farm restaurant in 1966. It was just a restaurant ,no motel in as I remember.

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  43. I lived in the Farm Motel for three months with my parents and four siblings when our house burned down (due to an electrical short)in the mid 70s. I remember the Farm's good service, being next door to the Kroger, and of course, Dawn Donuts. I played tennis against the Kroger wall in the parking lot, and fetched balls from the roof. My brothers and sisters and I LOVED that our rooms were regularly cleaned and beds made. That never happened again in our house. Though we tired of eating out, and not sleeping in our own beds, the Farm was a warm place. Cheers to you Farm, it was a good run.

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  44. I always thought it would be neat to live in a hotel when I was a kid. Glad the Farm was there for you, anonymous.

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  45. I was born in a house on Thornton near dartmouth in 1934.On Sundays I had to walk to the Mayfair poultry mkt,pick out a couple chickens,watch them kill and dress them and when I got home my mother would singe them before cooking them.The market was where the shopping center is I think.Powers fruit market was on the SW corner of Clio and Pasadena.Beana Cronkrights grocery was on the corner of
    Thornton.Fongers grocery was on the corner of Clio and Dartmouth.Later a flower shop I think.

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  46. sorry.That was Fangers Mkt.run by Louie and Grace Fanger

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  47. I've been searching the net for 3 hours now, and I need help! Who was the well-known trumpet and horn player from 1950's to 1970's? He performed at the Mayfair, Fireside and others in the area. Not Bob Adado. Anyone remember, I'm going nuts!! Thanks.

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  48. I remember the Sherm Mitchell Trio but I honestly didn't see them at a club and can't tell you what they played. I think Sherm Mitchell played trombone though.

    There was a Band Director and School Principal named Garrett Ebmeyer that played trumpet and was well known for it in Flint, but it wasn't Jazz and I don't think he played in clubs. Unclebuck and Bernard and bustdup probably remember him well.

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  49. Scorpiogal in Las VegasFebruary 19, 2011 at 7:14 PM

    Speaking of the PX, does anyone have or know the recipe for that spaghetti with garlic-butter sauce? I know it was a heart attack waiting to happen but what a taste of heaven!

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  50. We melted a LB of butter in a pan and added garlic powder, that's it.

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  51. I held my "Rehersal Dinner" at The Farm Restaurant when I was married in September 1969 after graduating MSU. I moved away and when I visited Flint a few years ago, The Farm was boarded up and looked like an erie spooky movie.

    My family moved to Castle Lane in Manley Village when my brother and I were in high school so we could attend Northern High (1960-1964). On weekend nights, we constantly drove between the McDonalds and A&W (near Clio). I just LOVED the hot dogs + "Red Sauce". You can only get them at the A&W in Grand Blanc now. You can recreate the experience at home. The "Red Sauce" recipe is on the internet. When in Michigan, do an internet search to find the closest place that sells Kogels Viennas. BBB

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  52. Born 1946 raised on Laport St., Graduated Beecher High School in 1964. Left Flint 1965 with GM Parts. Best memories: Max's Barber Shop Saginaw ST, (Joe & Ann )Farmer's Market Saginaw ST., North Flint Drive Inn, Mt. Morris Skating Rink, A&W, Walli's on Saginaw, Italia Garden when on Saginaw, PX on Saginaw, Buick Elementary School and Beecher Gardens. It breaks my heart to see Flint. My brother recently died and I made my last trip to that God/GM forsaken place.

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  53. Wow! You guys are sure bringing back the memories for me! I took guitar lessons at Shore's Music on Clio Rd. just South of Pasadena. Taught there for awhile also. I remember O'Toole's and yes, they did have great pies! I remember Bob Adado, Dale Alexander at the Fireside. Was the horn player that someone mentioned, Charlie Speights?

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    1. I too took lessons at Shores from Larry Coon in the 60's. I often wonderabout him. He was a great guy. Thinking of him brought me to this site.Always had me laughing. If I were waiting he sometimes would send me across the street to McDonalds to get him lunch. Sue Shore and her father and mother ran the store if I remember correctly. Also being from a large family some of my brothers and I worked at The Farm Resturaunt where my father was manager. He left an impression on me by remembering names and faces of the customers, what they liked to drink. Where they liked to sit and sometimes what they liked to order. A talent I did not share so much. I worked with and remember many of the waitresses and Cy the bartender. Many of our friends worked there and cousins over the years. Our cousin Norm was night cook for quite some time and we meet some of his friends from Hamady. Another cousin worked there early 60's who's family went to St. Lukes. I mention all this because I remember the area well. We had three families of cousin and a grandmother who lived within close proximity to Clio Rd. We lived on Rankin and as youngsters would often walk to St. Micheals to school or ride bikes to Forest Park as we called it. I think it may also been known as Dewey park. The PX, A&W, Flint Record Shop, Track, Pink Garder, Western Auto, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, The Texan, Krogers and Dawn Doughnut all bring back memories. We often frequented The Track after work at The Farm to see some great bands. This was when legal age to drink became 18. And Yankee Store on Pierson Rd. Also the movie theatre next to it that showed movies all night later on. The Copper Skillet by I-75. Many good memories.

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  54. Does anybody remember The Tender Trap lounge of off 475 on Flushing Rd?

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  55. Teri, I dont know if you share the recipe for PX bbq sauce but I would love to have it. If you would part with it...sab427@aol.com

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  56. I remember the Tender Trap lounge, was a GMI student 1976 to 1981 and we used to hang out there. Was known for its Disco ball and dancing. Went back several years later and it had completely changed.

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  57. teri, can you please post or send the recipe?

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  58. My grandmother worked nights at The Farm for a while when I was a little girl back in the late 1950s to early 1960s. Her name was Josephine Colosi.

    I've been putting together a lot of info and collecting memorabilia from my childhood in Flint and just purchased a Mug & Matchbook from The Farm on eBay! What a great find!

    I'd love to see more photos of the The Farm Restaurant as it was back when grandma worked there.
    Ginger

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    1. I so hope you see this reply so many years later. My Mom, Mary Hanson, worked at the Farm and Jo Colosi made all our family birthday cakes! My favorites were a Snow White cake with all the dwarves and a garden drawn on the frosting and a white Cinderella cake with a coach on it. I loved your grandma; I remember going to her house to pick up my cakes. Did she sew, too? I do have pictures taken inside the Farm, also of the cakes :)

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  59. I have fun reading about all the places I remember well.
    If anyone has the recipe for th P.X. bbq sauce I would love to have it,I saw it on this site once and didn't take advantage of it at the time. If anyone could help me out, thank you and please.

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    1. As I stated previously, I know the sauce recipe but we made like 5 gallons at a time so I can't really give a true measurement of ingredients and Alex or his wife would personally add them to the base sauce which BTW is'nt available, as the CO Derby, went out of business but you can do it with your favorite but it shoud be without honey or sugar, and you'll have to just eyeball what you add. If they bottled it and sold it it was after I quit and they must,ve had an outside CO do it B/C we were way to busy to be bottling sauce.

      Ingredients: Your fav sauce
      A dash of liguid smoke(this stuff is potent)
      Worcestershire sauce
      Yellow mustard
      Garlic powder (not salt)
      Molasses
      White Karo syrup
      Ground cloves
      Very simple but I think the base sauce had alot to do with the taste but if you use original Open Pit or plain anything it will be close, good luck!

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  60. Ha! Just found this site by chance while looking for something else, and it brought back a lot of memories as a little kid in the early to mid 70's.

    Alex... I remember him well. Poking my baby brother and barking out, "How're you, fat boy!" and laughing while waving his cigar. My family spent a lot of money in there and I remember how he'd pull us to the front of the line and seat us, and the annoyed looks from the rest of the waiting customers we'd invariably receive. But the food was always good; at least I remember it being good, anyway.

    And I saw someone mentioned the Tender Trap on Dolan Drive, behind the McDonald's on Pierson? My Grandpa owned that place, but I was too young to even remember what the bar looked like inside. I've always wondered what the atmosphere of that place was like. My family still owns the building, which is basically just a shell, now.

    Flint's deteriorated so much that it's practically unrecognizable from what it once was. I'm glad that downtown, after so many years of being all but dead, is at least showing some signs of revitalization.

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    1. It's sad about the PX because all Alex talked about was getting into a new building but the Clio and Pierson location was such a goldmine that when he moved to Bristol rd he went out of business. Now I don't really know why, it could've been the location, food quality (he stopped getting his beef from Kroger) his health maybe(his wife had passed away)all I know is he filed for bankruptcy and closed. He was hard to work for but it was my first real job and I have good memories that's all that matters.

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    2. My father was the bartender at the tender trap. He was very proud of that said he made good tips . Jim harrington ... had to have been the early seventys

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  61. Does any remember The Harbor House Restaurant on Dort Hwy? It was suppose to be all you can eat, but after the first serving you had to tackle the waitress to reorder.

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    1. Was the Harbor House two doors south of Dort and Bristol on the west side?

      The most recent incarnation there was A Plate Above, a neighborhood type place, but it's closed again.

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    2. Wasn't harbor house more like a seafood restaurant? It's where I first and last tried frog legs!

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  62. There use to be a small restaurant on Saginaw street just past Austin street and they had the biggest and best hamburgers. My dad would take us up there and we would sit on the stools and thought we were something. It was kiddy korner from ben franklin store and just before the cemetery. Does anyone know the name of it. Small diner.

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    1. Jim's Lunch. I loved those burgers. They were huge!! And good!!

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  63. Does anyone recall a "Chris' BBQ" on Dort or Saginaw in the 1950s?

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  64. I used to go to the Tender Trap to listen to the band Friendly Persuasion. I loved their Beatles tribute. Great memories of great times!

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  65. hi im looking for anyone that remembers the tender trap from 1962-1964 anyone who spent a lot of time there my mother in law spent a lot of time there and it would be great to bring back some memories for her

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  66. Anyone remember the Sweden House on Clio Rd.? Swedish smorgasbord! Further north on Clio Rd was Herrimans Dairy....great ice cream.

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    1. My dad would take us kids to Herrimans for banana splits . As kids we thought it was great!

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    2. I grew up on the northwest side and knew both of those places well. My friends and I would go to Herrimans for their Hot fudge sundaes

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  67. I worked at the Farm restuarant around 1977-78, Mark Kardos was the cook. I really liked Marge alot. I think Betty was the bartender. I can't remember the waitresses name that always did the banquets upstairs, but she was a hoot. Goog times, sorry to see much the area has declined.

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  68. For all the flint people out there that remember... isn’t Pierson and Clio where Donald juice Williams brother fleetwood was killed? Is that murder unsolved?

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  69. For all the flint people out there that remember... isn’t Pierson and Clio where Donald juice Williams brother fleetwood was killed? Is that murder unsolved?

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  70. For all the flint people out there that remember... isn’t Pierson and Clio where Donald juice Williams brother fleetwood was killed? Is that murder unsolved?

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.