Sunday, July 12, 2009

Flint Postcards: Walli's Drive-In



13 comments:

  1. I got engaged to my ex wife in the parking lot at Wallis on Pierson Rd in 77. Wow! I cant believe this!

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  2. We used to go to Walli's on Pierson Road all the time before it burned. I remember being mesmerized by that big spinning star every time I got on the expressway when I was very young. I think they have it at that flea market store on Dort Highway now.

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  3. My friends and I used to spend time late at night drinking coffee and eating. It was one of the few late night places to go when you couldn't drink.

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  4. First of all let me say that I'm very sad for your city of Flint, Michigan and I think it's wonderful that you are creating this profile of what Flint,Michigan was like.
    I wonder if I may link to this post for the July issue of A Festival of Postcards. Many of the participants and readers of the Festival collect postcards to enrich their own family history work and I think they would be interested in your blog.
    If you would like to see what this is about then you could take a look at the June issue:
    http://acanadianfamily.com/2009/06/24/a-festival-of-postcards-2nd-ed-main-street/
    If you'd like to participate,just drop a line in one of the comment boxes and I'll register you.
    Evelyn in Montreal

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  5. I remember the Walli's on Center Street. Its star didn't spin, but it flashed in a circular fashion.

    I believe that restaurant's still around, although I wonder what condition it's still in. Last time I went there it seemed REALLY old, and not in a "Wow, how historic" way.

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  6. Walli's on Center Road in Burton is still going strong...both restaurant and motel.

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  7. Every time we'd return from vacation seeing the star meant we were almost home. Can't say I'd buy the one from the flea market, though it might make for an interesting conversation piece...

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  8. I went to Walli's on Center Road a couple weeks ago--had the fish and chips, of course. Still the same, still tasty.

    The restaurant has been divided into two establishments--go to the left and you're in the Firkin And Fox Bar and Grill--to the right is Walli's.

    Walli's and I were both born in 1950. I'm sure you are all glad to know that. :^)

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  9. This guy spent a lot of time crusing the Drive-Inn's in the sixty's. Wally's, The Colonel's, A&W(s) and others with fond memories. Fast cars, pretty girls, no drugs and lots of fun.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy Heavner WilhelmDecember 19, 2012 at 4:47 PM

      Hi, that was a long time ago, but I haven't forgotten the good times at Wallis. A little ways down the road from Wallis on the right on Saginaw St. there was another drive in but I cant remember what it was. My friends loved to go there for their burgers not the cruising :). Do you happen to remember the name of that place? We had lots of fun too. And no drugs and no worries about our safety either.

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    2. Probably was the Colonel's just south of Carpenter Rd. There was a second Colonel's on the corner of Saginaw St. and Leith St. Got my first ticket from the Flint City Police for running a stop sign leaving there.

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  10. What a fantastic way to document the history of Flint.. postcards!

    Thanks for sharing.

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  11. My wife and I got married there in one of the conference rooms. After the wedding we had free reign of the buffet an hour before the restaurant was open to the public. Very nice, indeed. So sad to see it has burnt down. The marriage is lasting great, though!

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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.