I received a phone call as I was nodding off after work today. My caller informed me that another window into the past was about to be permanently closed. Kind of a bittersweet feeling since probably quite a few of us experienced an afternoon or evening at the infamous Skateland on Old Summer Rd. Maybe you even went there in a classic Chevy. Skateland's glorious sign has been dim for a while now, but you kind of have to figure that the fat lady has sung her last tune when they start pulling up the floor and start offering it for sale. So if the den needs a hardwood floor with a history, don't miss your chance.

I really don't approve of the continuous dismantling of Americana. Sure, sometimes you need something new, but it's a good thing to recognize when something is unique as well. We don't have to bulldoze everything. I first noticed this trend when all the pinball machines vanished, then it was the gas stations with actual mechanics on duty. Next to go were the public phone booths, and now it's skating rinks. Drive-in movies have been on life support for years, (although we still have one functional passion pit in Memphis) and the drive-in restaurant was gone before I ever noticed. I completely missed the automat and 3D movies. After they razed my high school and let Lakeland drag strip return to nature, I realized that most anything connected to my recent past was quickly disappearing. I wasn't alone, and it became apparent that an entire segment of popular American culture was vanishing without a trace, or falling into disrepair. Evidence in the mostly abandoned roadside kitsch that is part of the Mother Road.

If anyone knows where the huge neon root beer mug on top of the now demolished Getwell Rd. Frostop went will you please tell me?

LK