5 Things I Miss in Shreveport

Progress isn't always all it's cracked up to be.  It seems we want to make things 'bigger & better,' but sometimes the original is... well... better. (Who thought it was a good idea to remake the Pink Panther movies?  As much as I love Steve Martin, even he couldn't improve on Peter Sellers' original Inspector Clouseau.)  A search of Shreveport history shows that we've lost some absolutely beautiful buildings both in downtown, and throughout the city. And when new buildings are built, there seems to be no thought to aesthetics, or actual personality... it's strictly functionality.

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But it also got me to thinking about places and things in Shreveport I wish were still around.  And here're just a few of those.

Hamel's Park & Dairy

A lot of people remember Hamel's Amusement Park, but did you know it started as a dairy, and used to house a zoo?  Going back to the 30's, Hamel's started as a dairy that delivered milk, cheese, cream, and other dairy products directly to your door.  And the milk was delivered in those awesome, thick glass bottles. Hamel's Zoo featured exotic animals and a small guage train that took guests around the property.

Toy Fair

When we were kids, there wasn't shopping online, Toys R US, or malls. You only got to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings, and 'interactive gaming' was playing football in the empty lot until it got dark. And a real treat was getting to go to Toy Fair in Shreve City.  I still remember their sign with the letters in each round red dot.  I was fortunate to get to play a very small part in Toy Fair history, when I was Santa for the last few years at their Pierremont Mall location.

Sears

This was another wonderful childhood memory involving Santa.  Mall St. Vincent had "Santa's Rocket Sleigh", or something like that, which was a converted bus, but as a kid, it was awesome.  And who didn't try to run up the down escalator.

Ford Park Zoo & Storyland

If you're really lucky, you remember when Ford Park featured the Story Themed Park & Zoo.  Hickory Dickory Dock and the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe were just some of the features in the park.  And from where ever you were in the park, you could always hear the bell on the locomotive that kids could climb on and pull the rope to ring the bell.

The CNB Tower Time & Temp Clock

Even though it's pretty much superfluous.... with clocks in our dash that tell us the time and even the temperature, it was just cool to come into downtown and see the sign flash.. "CNB... 3:54... 84... (or whatever the current time and temp was!)

There were a lot of honorable mentions I could have included..  Cobb's BBQ, the original Tick Tock Grill, South Park Mall... to name just a few.  And I'm sure there are a lot on your list as well.