Note: Second of two parts.

By Ed Shannon, Tribune feature writer

In the 1950s, ’60s, and even into the ’70s, three business locations on West Clark Street became interesting parts of life for the students at Albert Lea High School at lunchtime and after school.

During the lunch hour at the school, which in reality was divided into three sections of 20 minutes each, the students had four choices for eating.

A few students may have brought sack lunches from home to school. Their noontime challenge consisted of finding a place to eat.

For many students there was the school’s cafeteria.

Some students, for various reasons, just didn’t eat lunch.

And for other students the daily lunch period offered the opportunity to get out of the building in both good and bad weather to eat food and/or beverages purchased somewhere else.

One of the now nearly forgotten aspects of local life was seeing students, mostly boys, running past or across Central Park on the way to a business place on West Clark Street about lunch time.

Because of the time factor, many of these students would order their food and drinks, then eat their portable lunches on the walk back to school.

One of the most popular non-cafeteria choices for students about four to five decades ago was Shea’s Ice Cream Store, 206 W. Clark St. This business was owned and operated by Bill Shea from 1947 to 1968. He was a World War II U.S. Army Air Corps B-24 pilot and combat veteran of the south Pacific Theatre.

This particular store sold Schwen’s brand of ice cream. A menu from the 1950s shows ice cream sodas, malted milk, milk shakes, and sundaes priced from 20 to 30 cents each. Two dips of ice cream or sherbet, with a choice of flavors, cost 15 cents. A specialty item was called Tigers and consisted of vanilla ice cream with toppings of chocolate syrup and malted milk powder. The cost of this concoction with a strong school connection was 15 cents.

For beverages, Shea’s had hot chocolate, orange and tomato juice, and coffee for a nickel a cup on the menu.

Sandwiches ranged from 15-cent hamburgers to tuna salad, ham salad, egg salad and chip steak at 20 to 25 cents each.

Shea’s store was also a popular after school, weekend and vacation time destination for many classes of ALHS students.

(Bill and his wife Jeanne Shea are now living at Thorne Crest Retirement Center.)

For a few years in the early 1970s the Shea location operated as Tony’s Sweet Shop. Then this

site on West Clark Street became a U.S. Navy Recruiting Station and is now an Allstate Insurance office.

In the third block to the east of the high school building were two more once -popular destinations for hungry students.

One was Gretchen’s Sweets, 121 W. Clark St., which was owned and operated by Mrs. Agnes Emstad from 1950 to 1968. This store specialized in ice cream treats and candy.

In either late 1968 or early 1969 the facade of this store was changed to a striped design and the name of Tiffany’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream and Candy Store. The 1969, ’70

and ’71 city directories list the owner of this store as Gerald Tiffany.

During those years these two stores were located in the rear portion, next to the alley, of a brick building which then had a drug store at the corner of South Broadway Avenue and West Clark Street. At the present time this part of the building behind the Taco King is designated as the Community Hearing Center.

Probably the best known lunch and snack destination for ALHS students and many other area residents was a place known as Merrill’s Popcorn.

In 1958 Merrill M. Nelson started his popcorn business in a red and white trailer located at the &uot;dime store corner,&uot; South Broadway Avenue and West William Street. Two years later he moved one block north to the &uot;Unique corner.&uot; It’s this small niche at 102 W. Clark St. that many people still recall as the location of Merrill’s Popcorn for many years. In fact, the enclosed space he once used as a popcorn sales site is still very visible.

There was just enough room for his popcorn popper, a refrigerator, several shelves and space for Merrill’s wheelchair. (He became partially paralyzed with polio in 1948.)

For years Merrill sold regular popcorn, caramel corn based on a special recipe, and soft drinks. Some of his customers were business people, shoppers, ALHS students, and people from out of town who made his stand one of their destinations.

One special visitor and customer of what was certainly one of the city’s smallest business locations was famous newscaster and commentator Paul Harvey. On his visits to Radio Station KATE or other places in the region, Harvey would make it a special point to go see Merrill. Thus, after Nelson’s death on Sept. 21, 1983, Harvey eulogized his friend with a intimate knowledge during a national broadcast a few days later.

During the years since 1983 this business has been operated out of the trailer at several locations by Merrill’s wife, daughter, and now by granddaughter, Sue Mickelson of Clarks Grove.

The trailer is now located on East Main Street between Wendy’s and Domino Pizza. The hours are 3:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, and 3:30 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Mickelson said the place which many people feel is still a tasty nostalgic link with the past will be open during the winter months.

Other places which once served as non-cafeteria student eating and beverage sites until ALHS moved in 2000 have included the Arctic Circle Drive In on West Main Street, A Taste of the Big Apple (pizza), Jake’s Pizza, The Rock, and a private home on North St. Mary Avenue.

(Contact

Ed Shannon at ed.shannnon@albertleatribune.com or call 379-3434.)