“Wanta’ Go Riding Around?”

Miles of Memories

Many of our older generation have not been in the dating scene for six or seven decades and let me tell you “Boomers” and elders, things have changed since the fifties and sixties. First of all, dates no longer begin around 7 p.m.; today’s dates don’t begin until at least nine or ten I’ve been told while visiting a great nephew. Curfew? WHAT curfew? After questioning this young relative from a very conservative family he told me girls texted HIM to ask him out. In my younger world, this would have been a paramount “No-No.” BOYS asked the girls in my day and I would have been labeled a bad name had I called a boy or asked him out for a date!

Looking back in time, this is how it worked in the late 50s. Imagine, if you will, several girls sitting on someone’s porch swing or in lawn chairs or parked at the drugstore drinking cokes. A car would drive by with one or more boys inside and they would drive around the big block in Carthage several times before slowing down and stopping—either in front of the house or next to them at the drugstore. After a minute or two (while the girls began whispering and giggling quietly among themselves) the boy driver would lean out the window, his other hand still on the knob of the steering wheel, and ask, “Hey there! How’d you like to ride around?” This could mean our downtown, or out to the big Y at the highway or a nearby town that had a drive-in such as “The Dixie Dog” in Fordyce or the “Yellow Jacket” in Sheridan. If we girls liked the way the boys looked or liked their cars (’56, ‘57 and ’58 Chevys and Fords were a huge turn-on) we would consult each other for a moment before agreeing to join them in their car. Next, came the seating arrangement negotiations… These were mainly whispered by the girls, “You sit up front!,,,”No, YOU!”…”But you like Tommy more than I do!”…”I am NOT sitting by Norman—he wheezes when he laughs!”…” Just get in the back seat and hush—no one’s asking you to marry him— Good Grief!” As more whispering continued, it could take up to five minutes for the seating arrangements to be finalized while the driver was idled away his precious dollar spent on gas.

We’ll pretend here that they went riding up to the Sheridan drive-in. The girls all screamed utterances such as “EEEEK!” and “EE-YEW!” when the driver pretended to turn in at Farindale which consisted of only one building—the only liquor store around.

The boys laughed their faces off as if this had been the coolest pretense ever!

Upon arrival in Sheridan, the driver would slowly circle the Courthouse Square a few times while he showed off his Smitty mufflers to impress other young drivers and draw frowns from the older people on the sidewalk. But most of the time they would wind up at the drive-in.

Here is where the dining and dating etiquette came into play. If the girl had her purse or billfold with her, she could order her own Coke or even a milkshake if she had enough change. But the monied girls remained silent at first while waiting to hear if the boy next to her would offer to treat her. If he did not offer, she was then free to order her own drink. Now, if he did propose treating her, she would always order the “small” drink… nothing more. Hamburgers and French fries were only ordered if it was a real date and the boy insisted. The same rule applied to the drinks – fountain drinks only – not a fancy sundae or malt which could cost up to fifty cents. If she had really taken a shine to the boy sitting next to her, she would hide her napkin or crinkle up her straw and stash it in her purse or pocket or beneath her waist band to be labeled (boy’s name, the place, the date) to later place it in her growing scrapbook.

Now, for a few other dating tips from the 50s … The car radio would always be on and often the boy asked if the station was okay with the girls. YES, always. It was also okay to mention a particular song if you liked it (make a memory for his future reference) but nothing too suggestive like “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” by Paul Anka or “Wake Up Little Susie” by the Everly Brothers. Which leads to the “Good Night” dilemma. Only a generic “I had fun” was the standard. If you had decided you really liked him, a sweet smile could be accepted as encouragement. If you got Norman The Wheezer, just run for the car or your front door.

Later, you would spend hours talking to your friends and getting their feelings/impressions of the “riding around” experience. And, if you really liked one of the boys, you would be sure to smile and say, “I really had fun Saturday night” and pray with all your might that he would ask you out again for a real date.

Let me tell you from experience, this waiting period could be a killer.

“Riding Around” was a special treat while I was growing up, you see.

Other nostalgic drives I remember even more vividly were those taken on Sunday afternoons with my parents. Owning a store, my daddy only had one day off a week and that was Sunday. After church in the morning, he often asked Mama and me if we would like “to ride around somewhere.” Our answer was always a hearty, “Yes!”

On occasion, the “somewhere” might be driving to Malvern or Hot Springs for a late Sunday meal and, at other times, we might go to a movie playing in Little Rock or another town closer to home. Most often, however, it just meant “riding around” in the Big Woods or other nearby pretty drives.

The change of seasons, whether the lime-green blooming of spring or the reds, yellows and oranges of fall, motivated these family outings. I have to believe these experiences had to be something many baby boomer kids enjoyed with their parents. Sometimes we did not eat first and Mama would pack a lunch in the picnic basket and we’d take along a blanket or quilt when we knew our little jaunt would be finding a roadside picnic table. I recall several afternoons when we pulled from the road into a parking area and spread the blanket-table cloth on the ground for a makeshift table. Those were definitely memorable events for me and either Suzanne or Other-Brenda or other friend I had invited to “ride around” with us.

I don’t see or hear of such family activities anymore, not since favorite teams play on Sunday afternoon, movies are streamed on our television screens and video games have become so popular for the younger set. Personally, I think they are missing out a lot on family time and afternoons just being spent “riding around.”

The only diversions we had back during my youth were conversations with each other and finding a flower or pretty colored leaf to take home. Riding in the back seat for two hours today just can’t compete. Alas, Sunday afternoon drives are forever in America’s rearview mirror.

You can contact former La Grange resident Brenda Miles at brenstar61@gmail.com