Bowling

This article appeared in The Raymond News, March 30, 1972

This article brought back a lot of good memories of the bowling alley. It was named the "The Raymond Bowl," when it was organized on March 16, 1961 by a group of eight local men. The group purchased the Raymond Community Theatre Corp. and transformed the building into a modern, air conditioned "recreation center" with eight bowling lanes and a snack bar.

Members of the group were Cecil Pitchford, Howard Rebhan, William Anderson, Fred Hantla, Henry Nail, Lester Lessman, Kenneth Smith, and Gerald Langen.

Some of my memories of the bowling alley include:

• Women's and Men's leagues were held a few nights per week, and there were enough teams to have early bowling at 7:00 p.m.and late bowling at 9:00 p.m.
• All the parking spaces on Main Street would be full and the side streets would be lined with cars and trucks (during Halloween week this allowed for many opportunities for "soaping" -- so I've been told). 
• A junior league was held on Saturday mornings. If you got a strike when the red pin was in the center (number 1) position, you won a free game of bowling.
• Hearing the pins crashing from all the way across the street.
• Listening to the jukebox and playing pinball. Spending your last quarter and then being lucky enough to "match" and win another game. 
• The snack bar.
• The black ball with the pink spots.
• Score sheets that clipped on the score tables, next to the built-in ashtrays. 
• Checking the Raymond paper each week to view the team scores and individual high scores. 

Thanks for reading this week's TBT blog. I hope you will share some of your own memories of the bowling alley in Raymond.  

Raymond-Harvel Ambulance

(from The Raymond News, February 3, 1977)

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It's hard to believe that 37 years have passed since the Raymond-Harvel Ambulance service was formed. The first emergency call was on October 17, 1977 when a "Raymond youth" was injured in a bicycle accident. Sharon Holder and Rick Broaddus were the two volunteer emergency medical technicians who responded to the scene. Charter members of the squad included: Paul Ananias, Myrtle Barto, Don Bergdolt, Mick Broaddus, Rick Broaddus, Sally Broaddus, Theo Brown, Ross Clark, Dennis Held, Kay Held, Sharon Holder, Gary Irwin, Dave Leonard, Ray Marten, Joe Martin, Vonnie Martin, Ron McIintire, Marcella Mitts, Rex Pitchford, Linda Poggenpohl, Russ Poggenpohl, Joanne Porter, Charlie Pryor, Don Richter, Shirley Seifert, Harold Wagahoff, and Bill Vanzant. A few of the charter members remain active on the squad today.

One of Raymond's first ambulances

Prior to 1977, Bob and Temple Hough, owners of Hough Funeral Home in Raymond, provided the ambulance service. Bob Hough (dad always called him Robert A.), drove the ambulance and relied on friends and neighbors to ride along in the back with the patient to administer oxygen and other first aid treatment. Back in the early 70's, there were a few times when my dad was called upon to help, and I can remember Bob Hough barreling into our driveway in the dark blue station wagon that had a single red light mounted on the top.

The Hough family operated the ambulance for 37 years, and it was often a hectic job, especially due to all the accidents out on Route 66. Bob Hough once said that his busiest day ever occurred one year during the Illinois State Fair when he had five calls on the same day.

Thanks to Danny Hough for providing the picture above of an early ambulance. The Houghs' purchased a Nash ambulance in the 40's and the original back window from that ambulance is located above the front entrance of Hough Funeral Home in Raymond. Check it out sometime.