I had a doctor appointment today in south Kansas City. On the way back I decided to stay off the highway and thought I would drive a different route home.

Metcalf Avenue, which is one of the old main streets through Overland Park. It has always been a busy street. Traffic got worse and cars got bigger so the problems just grew with so many people. But there was a lot to see, eat, and do along there.

I left KC in 1996, and some time before that was the last time I drove that street until now. Wow…things have really changed in 30+ years. So much new construction has wiped out many of the old places I remember. Hop in and let’s go for a drive!

As a kid I recall riding in the car on Metcalf going past one place in particular that I remember very clearly – it was the Amphicar dealership. These were small cars that would go in the water like a boat because, well…fording a stream happens to me constantly when I am out for a drive. I always thought these little cars were pretty cool. We never stopped so I never got to see one up close before the dealership closed.

Later in life, there was a Peaches record store. It was a corporate chain which helped to put real record stores out of business. Ironically, right behind this store was one of my stops when I went to look at albums – Love Records.

There were a few really good record stores in KC back in the day. Along with Love Records, there was Exile, 7th Heaven, Magic Man, Pennylane Records and Streetside along with others. Another good one was in Lawrence, KS (college town!). And, there was the big one – Caper’s Corners which was owned by the brother of actor Ed Asner.

Younger music aficionados missed out on those types of places. Of course, music is digitally consumed now so trips to record stores are pretty much a dying art. Those old-school stores were pretty special places. We could get import records we had heard about, and if it wasn’t in stock they would order it no extra charge. And there were the rock radio-advertised “tobacco smoking acessories” they carried as well as posters, incense, t-shirts and blacklights.

Of course, all of these stores were ticket outlets for concerts. This was before the internet, Ticketbastards, and even line numbers for the really popular concerts. We would pre-game, pile in the car around 10 PM, and head to Caper’s. There was usually already people there when we arrived and all of us would hang out talking and smoking more of the reefer the whole time. It was a real tribal affair getting concert tickets in those days and it was a very cool experience.

Along those lines, down the road was the Glenwood complex, which had a movie theater where I saw the first run of The Who’s “Tommy” (in Quintaphonic sound no less!). There was also a hotel ballroom there where I did concert lights for The Allman Brothers and Duane Allman Band. There are a lot of new businesses $ buildings in that location now so I do not know if any of those things still exist.

There was a White Castle but it, along with the Runza and Fuddrucker’s, are now long gone. On farther south was a place known as the KenTacoHut when it opened up. It was a Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut because I believe they were all owned by PepsiCo at the time. When I drove by there today I only saw two of the three signs but the traffic was busy and couldn’t see who was missing.

It was an interesting trip back through my past recalling those memories as I drove along. Like it or not things do change. Progress, as well as time, marches on but we do have our memories. As I always say, I never long for the past. I welcome change; things NEED to change.

Thanks for taking this ride with me.

See you next time.

Shawn