5 Places I Loved to Visit in Owensboro KY When I Was a Kid

Today on our morning show, Angel and I posed this question.  We asked folks to chime in and fill in this blank.

Kids today will never get to experience ______?

That got me thinking. I started to remember things here in Owensboro that I loved when I was a kid and teenager. Let's be honest. Back in "the day", we had some really cool (and really weird) "must see" landmarks in this town.  So, I decided to compile a list of some of my favorites.

THE 5 PLACES I LOVED TO VISIT IN OWENSBORO WHEN I WAS A KID

When I was a young kid, we didn't have a lot of money. If we went to the movies, it was typically on Tuesday nights. Tuesdays were Bargain Nights at the Malco and you could get in for really cheap. I have vivid memories of seeing several "Bargain Night" movies.  Two in particular that I remember:

POPEYE

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN

Of course, this is hilarious.  The Incredible Shrinking Woman was playing at Malco's location at Wesleyan Park Plaza.  It was released at the same time as the horror movie, Scanners.  Remember that?  I remember telling my parents I was going to the restroom and I sneaked into the theatre where Scanners was playing for a few minutes.  Naturally, it scared the crap out of me so I ran back to the Lily Tomlin movie.

So, fun fact! Bargain Nights actually still exist at the Malco. I chatted with my friend Camilla yesterday.  She has worked for Malco since I was in high school.  I asked her if those discount nights are still around and she said, "Kind of. You have to be a Malco rewards member to qualify for the discount price."

Okay, do you all remember this?  I wasn't totally certain that I had this memory straight in my head.  But, after talking to my friend Spencer, I realized that I did. Back in "the day", a couple of different Owensboro shoe stores sold Red Goose Shoes.  When you bought a pair of those shoes, you would get a golden egg that had some sort of prize stuffed inside it.  I remember shopping for Red Goose Shoes at Oneys Family Shoes. Spencer remembers getting his at Walters'.  It definitely made shopping for shoes WAY more fun.

This place was the freaking best! I can't tell you how many Friday nights in high school I spent with my friends at The Masters. We'd pile into my friend Julile's big old orange Pinto and head over.  That place was a total blast. There was a full miniature golf course inside and a bunch of arcade games too. In fact, remember those huge Nintendo arcade-style games?  The ones that you could sit at?  I remember they had one that was a tennis game.  Of course, I loved tennis then as much as I do now. My friends and I would sit there for hours and play.

And speaking of arcade games.  Any child of the Owensboro 80s remembers this!

Aladdin's Castle was an incredible arcade inside Towne Square Mall.  Now, I will completely geek out here. When I was in high school, my friends and I would pop in there occasionally.  But, I was kind of a brainiac.  I mean, I was on the DCHS Academic Team for crying out loud.  So, I would go to Aladdin's Castle to play one particular arcade game. They had an electronic Trivial Pursuit game and I used to career that thing.  LOL!

And speaking of Towne Square Mall, do you remember this?

I can still remember how T-Shirts Plus smelled. Y'all remember that store, right? You could get a variety of pop culture images hot-pressed onto t-shirts right there in the store while you waited.  And, in true 70s/80s kid fashion, I had some really cool ones.  I am pretty sure I had a Charlie's Angels shirt and a Wonder Woman shirt. Yeah, I was THAT kid!  I'd give anything to sniff one of those hot-of-the-press shirts again.  I loved that smell.

So, what were some of YOUR favorite places to go to when you were a kid. Do they fill in this blank?

Kids today will never get to experience ______?

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