Christmas time in El Centro, mid 1950s
December always makes me remember back to when I was a kid in El Centro. Back then the population was about 13,000 and El Centro seemed like a small town with a lot of energy. This was long before shopping centers and the town spread out. Downtown on Main Street is where it was “happening.” There was lots of activity from the 400 block through to Eighth and Main. My mom and my two brothers and I lived in the 700 block of Broadway. I spent a lot of time on Main Street. Saturdays were for going to the old Valley Theater to see the cartoons, a serial, and two flicks for fifteen cents. My brother Jimmie and I bought newspapers from The Post Press at four cents apiece to sell them for seven cents, always hoping the customer would give us a dime and say “keep the change, Kid.” At one time I had my own paper route with The Press, covering the four and five hundred blocks from State Street over to Park. I had a lot of nice customers and learned from that experience.
December also reminds me of the street lights and the great nighttime Christmas parade, always with someone “special” as the Grand Marshall, and with Santa in a stagecoach at the end of the parade. Those cold, brisk nights standing at the corner of Seventh and Main at the Barbara Worth Hotel. The Salvation Army bell ringer in front of the JJ Newberry store in the 500 block. I remember buying perfume for my mother in the Newberry store. I thought it smelled so good and it only cost me seventeen cents!
Walking on Main Street it seemed like I would always see someone I knew. There was such a good “buzz” in the air and people were happy and excited about the holiday. A few years later and I was in high school and then it was even more fun to go into the stores because some of my girl classmates were either clerking or had wrapping jobs.
Christmas trees were mostly bought at the neighborhood stores. My uncle owned the property at Eighth and Broadway where the Imperial Valley Press is now located. Back then it was mostly rented as a used car lot. For several years my uncle let the Optimist Club use it to sell Christmas trees. I think it was probably their big fund raising event for the year. Because we lived so near the lot, Jimmie and I would go hang out with the men and “help them out.” It was really cold most of the time but we didn’t care. Pretty soon we were helping the customers and selling trees...just like the big guys! After Christmas the Optimist Club invited Jimmie and me to come to their lunch meeting. They not only said what great little salesmen we were, but also gave us each twenty five dollars! That was a lot of money to us. Wow!
Some of my memories of being a kid in El Centro. Merry Christmas!