Fantastic writeup in today's Standard-Examiner, thanks to Std-Ex reporter Linda East Brady:
Here's the Go Kokomo front cover, which features KoKoMo Club owners Eddie Simone and his lovely wife Cindy Simone, friends of your blogmeister, and friends of dang near everyone else in Ogden City:
• Std-Ex GO! section Front CoverAnd here's the Std-Ex main story, dedicated to celebration of the KoKoMo's fifty years as a 25th Street Ogden Business Icon:
• For fifty year in Ogden... There's a place called KoKoMoLast but least, here's a fantastic human interest story, which goes a long way toward explaining what the KoKoMo Ogden historical legacy is all about:
• Hotel goes up in flames; mural has a backstoryFive Giant Weber County Forum Hat Tips to Eddie and Cindy... one each for each decade of Two-Five Drive dedication.
Don't miss the KokoMo Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration on Saturday. Don't be surprised if you find your blogmeister there, wearing the usual Giant Hawaiian Shirt with the ubiquitous Pink Carnation.
2 comments:
Congratulations to Eddie and the KoKoMo. It is great that there is still an example of what Two Bit Street was world famous for back in the day. I remember when the whole street was lined from top to bottom with joints like the KoKoMo. The street was non stop full of people night and day. It is now a yuppiefied excuse for a true walk on the wild side. Hope Eddie and Cindy can hold out for another 50 years.
Does any one remember the Washaki club, the originally on Washington just south of 25th? And more specifically it's long time bar owner who was killed in a car wreck out on south Harrison sometime in the early 60's?
And how about Detective Roberts Carver who was a 25th Street legend back in those days, complete with shoot outs in bars with bad guys. Does any one know if he is still alive? I heard a few years ago that he was still around and in his late 90's.
Oz:
I remember, on my very first visit to Ogden ten years ago, picking up an Ogden promotional brochure down at Union Station and finding in it, in a little section on Historic 25th Street, this: "No one ever went broke in the liquor business in Ogden." And I remember thinking, "Sounds like my kinda town."
But you've hit on one key element of bringing Historic 25th Street [and downtown Ogden in general] back to life: there is not much pedestrian traffic on the street at night. There is in other entertainment districts in other cities, even mid-sized cities, but not here. People drive up to the restaurant doors, go in, eat, come out and hop into their cars yards away and go.
Vibrant, live downtowns have people on the streets when the sun goes down, particularly on a Friday or Saturday night. Lots of them. Walking, poking around still open shops, bar hopping, or just out strolling, people watching.
We're not there yet, Oz. Not by a long shot.
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