Please submit a State Street memory and check back soon.

 

"My First Bicycle"

From Ben in College Park, MD

Having grown up in Madison, I have countless memories of State Street - but perhaps the most memorable was the purchase of my first bicycle, in 1953. At the time, State Street was largely a Madison "Main Street," an extension of the shopping areas around the Square. For example, Sears and Roebuck was located on State Street. Anyhow, having learned to ride a bike at summer camp. It was time to purchase a bike of my own. Presumably after some research into where best to shop for a bike, my dad took me to B.F. Goodrich on State Street, where I picked out a 24", fire engine red 1-speed balloon tire bike, for the princely sum of $42. That bike proved as rugged as any mountain bike made today, and I enjoyed riding it until I outgrew it at age 11 - at which point I purchased a 26 inch 3-speed from what by then was the big, new Sears store on East Washington Avenue. That bike, as I recall, cost $52.95.

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"The Ring"

from Lori Ann in Madison

My husband proposed to me at Christmastime 1989. Of course, he had a ring for me, but I needed a ring for him. I went to Goodman's Jewelers, which has been on State Street forever, and selected the perfect ring. Unfortunately, I had no clue as to my husband's ring size. I told the salesman that I would bring my husband in that weekend to have his ring sized, but I wanted to keep it a surprise. That weekend was Maxwell Street Days. On the drive to State Street, I discussed the upcoming wedding with my husband, Brian, and acted as if I'd just thought of something. "I don't know your ring size." "Well, I don't know it either." "Tell you what: let's go into the first jewelry store on State Street, and we'll find out your ring size." He agreed. Of course, the first jewelry store we arrived at was Goodman's. I walked in first, and the same salesman from earlier in the week recognized me. I put my finger to my lips in the classic "hush" signal and pointed behind me. The salesman understood that my husband was with me. He greeted us and measured Brian's ring finger. Brian left first, and as I walked out the door, I turned to the salesman. He winked at me. The next time I went in to Goodman's, the ring was ready. I made payments on it every week until I could finally take it home. Brian was pleasantly surprised on our -1 year anniversary (exactly 1 year prior to our marriage) when I presented him with his ring.

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"The Year of the Rose"

from Dan, from Madison

This is my most memorable event of State Street - both scary and thrilling. I was at the Kollege Klub (corner of Lake and State Street) watching a large screen TV where Wisconsin was beating MSU in the last game of the 1993 season. The win sent the Wisconsin football team to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1963 and State Street erupted into one big party. My brother and I walked out of the Kollege Klub and turned the corner onto State Street - we were immediately caught in a swarm of 10,000 people celebrating the win. Champagne and beer was sprayed ever where, band members were marching down the street playing "On Wisconsin", strangers were hugging each other in tears of joy, the cheering of 10, 000 people was deafening. It was the most spectacular event I ever witnessed on State Street. The street quickly became packed body-to-body and mob mentality took over. It was no longer possible to control the direction of my own body. I started to hear the sounds of breaking glass. My brother and were forced onto the sidewalk and I was shoved into a store front window and had visions of crashing through it. Thankfully the glass held. We finally found refuge on top of a large concrete planter. It was from there we observed students doing swan dives from roof tops, individuals climbing trees, and vehicles being tipped over. In the distance I could see a surreal pile of students floating down the street. I was not until the pile moved directly in front of us that I realized there a squad car underneath it. The light bar was dangling along the side, flashing, as the students jumped up and down on the car. After a few hours, the crowd dissipated and we were able to go home. I think I experienced every possible human emotion that night - a night that I will never forget. .

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"The Pedestrian Mall Riot"

from Dave in Madison

The first day of "disturbance" Traffic had just been reopened from the "experimental" mall. The night before at one of the film society showing there had been an informal discussion about whether or not to do anything about the reopening. The opinion of the established radical crowd was there was an election coming up that Paul Soglin had a chance to win and not to "do" anything to cause trouble. As usual on a spring day there were a lot of people out on Library Mall. Some people waiting to see if anything would happen. Stuart Lasine (not sure of the spelling) me and my house mates' Comp. Lit professor stopped down and as we hung out and watched the traffic. Stuart said "there probably going to pave Bascom Hill next so the chancellor will have a place to park. Stuart left and shortly there after my house mate Rick and I picked up a bicycle rack and gently placed it in the middle of the street forcing cars to slow to go around it. Nothing much happened for the next 5 or ten minutes. We decided not to stick around to face getting busted so we went to the Memorial Union. Half an hour later when we returned there were lots of people in the street building barricades. The rest as you know is history. I helped with the boycott of merchants if they didn't support the pedestrian mall. And was at all the subsequent blockages of traffic. The funny I lost my contact were is it in the street "search" by 200 people. The high school kids down for the state basketball pitching in with tons of energy. Our apartment was on the 100 block of state street. The mall would never had happened without Stuart's comments and that first band of law breakers. Neither would it has happened without WSA's and Paul Soglin's organized efforts. Camus said "What history records is a drop in the ocean."

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"Memories Of Vern"

from Bruce in Madison

The scenes with Vern in Streets Without Cars were very touching. I knew him from many years agohaving been a classmate with his sister Lauren and wife Mary at Madison West High. A few years after graduation, we hung out together, going to clubs to see bands and trying to form a band of our own. Back then (early 1980's) he had a house on Madison's west side and a great job at Madison Newspapers. He was a fabulous guitar player, speedy hands on the fret board and a style all his own. Friends told me his downfall came after his wife Mary died in a car accident. The film showed him as he was: funny, caring and very polite - he was a real gentleman. He coached his two boys into forming a band in their basement and they even released CDs. They were nine year old kids in a punk band known as Old Skull. You can see their photo and CDs at: http://www.neteze.com/space/cds/oldskull.htm. Vern always thought of other people before he thought of himself. Perhaps that is the reason he is gone. Streets Without Carsstands as a touching tribute to Vern in the last days of his life.

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