I went to Forest Park (actually graduated from first year of West Brook in 1983) and was just wondering who remembers cruising in the Beaumont area in the early 1980s. I guess there wasn't so much to do there, so cruising with your friends was the "default" thing to do on a Friday or Saturday night if you didn't have a date or anything better to do.

My friends and I played sports, but we were also into cars. In the early 1980s muscle cars from the late 1960s/early 1970s were really cheap so it seems like you saw a lot of them around. I drove a 1968 SS 396 Camaro. My friends drove cars including a 1967 Camaro, Pontiac Lemans, a Buick GS, Ford Fairlane convertible among others.

I remember cruising was mostly up and down Dowlen Road with people congregating at Rogers Park. On Saturdays or Sundays (can't remember which) there seemed to be a huge number of people that cruised to somewhere in Nederland during the day - I never knew quite how that got started.

It seemed like some people raced down Keith or Dishman. I tried to stay away from that since I worked hard for my car and knew if I wrecked it I would be catching rides to school.

Before I got my car my friend and his brother used to pick me up for school. They would always show up at my driveway about three minutes before school started so we would always be late. They pulled up in a Buick Cutlass Supreme with the stereo blasting AC/DC, Kansas, or something like that. It was so loud and embarrassing. My mom would always give me a hard time about that.

Just some random memories...

Forest Park? Didn't someone from that school get shot at Jack in the Box on the drag? Not sure if I'm remembering correctly?

I don't remember that. I went to Forest Park my Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior years. My senior year it was West Brook.

Being a native of PA, I recall cruising down Nederland Ave. on Friday and Saturday nights.

____________________________________
I have seen the enemy, and he is us.

____________________________________
Losers make excuses while winners go home with the homecoming queen.

I graduated from Forest Park in 1979. Old Main, I think that would mean you were a freshman when I was a senior? Or, a freshman the year after I graduated? I did plenty of cruising like you describe back in the late '70's.

[This message has been edited by MosesHallRAB83 (edited 3/31/2008 12:03p).]

I was too young to cruise in the early 80's, but by 1988, my friends and I would go down Nederland Avenue a time or two. I didn't have a car, but I always wanted a black trans-am. Or a Monte Carlo.

Rogers Park on Dowlen was the place to be on the weekend. My friends all had cars, I was too poor to have one. They would cruise Dowlen for about an hour and if nothing exciting was going on they would head back home. We always heard rumors of a few kids that would shoot a .22 pistol at passing cars. Never saw it or heard it so we figured it was an urban legend.

My brother used to go to the 11th Street Cruise. Does BMT still have that?

11th st cruise is in aug. Called hot summer nights. Not sure which sat in aug. this year tho.

Here is the Hot Summer Nights schedule:

http://www.thebeaumontcruise.com/

[This message has been edited by vin1041 (edited 4/6/2008 9:25p).]

I graduated from Beaumont High in '74 and remember everyone cruising along 11th St. between I-10 and College every Friday and Saturday. It wasn't a scheduled thing like now and it was mostly Beaumont High kids looking for something to do or someone to hang out with. If you parked it was usually somewhere in the strip center where Sherwin-Williams is. Damn I feel old.

Cruising on 11th street must have died down in the late 1970s just when cruising down Dowlen became popular. It seems like gas in 1983 was about 60 cents a gallon. I remember change would go a long way towards filling up the gas tank back then.

holy ****, i haven't heard nederland avenue in a while. ya'll are making me hungry for some veal's doughnuts.

veals has been closed for years and they built a place on nederland avenue and never reopened !

No good places to cruise around midcounty these days-we usually end up at Port Neches Park-Hwy 73 to Winnie is the best ride-smooth road-few radars-wife's vette loves this road!

Veal's Donuts were the BEST!

Southern Maid doughnuts were the BEST!!!!

How did a cruising thread turn into a commentary on donuts?

When I was in high school (early 1980s) there was some dude that had a 1970something Corvette with a rocket engine that he used to drive down Dowlen. Anyone remember that?

quote:

---

How did a cruising thread turn into a commentary on donuts?

---

Because you gotta eat!

Nederland Ave;
Lets see what I remember
Hardees kickin it in the parking lot
Turn arounds at Veals and again at Market Basket.
Sonic Drive in. Coke for the everclear
Carwash across from Taco Bell where I dropped cash to keep my ride clean
6x9's hooked up to a EQ booster
Mullet and all. Thought I was cool, hell I was in my own mind.
Cool memories. Good Times, Good Times
Sundays after the beach were the best!

Our own American Graffiti in the County

[This message has been edited by bbag (edited 5/2/2008 10:16p).]

I knocked a hole in Kim's Veals donut in HS. She was my girlfriend in HS until her mom took her out of school.
Parents made good donuts but sugar must have got to em. They were wierd. Remember her moms panel station wagon
BTW; its Veals Southern Made Donuts

anyone remember the Vodoo House over by St. Pius Church.

We would drive freshmen over there and throw them out of the car.....

I remember the voodoo house with all the metal totem poles in the yard. Turns out the guy was considered an artist. Several years ago they put all the totem poles on display in the courtyard of the art museum.

As far as art, to each his own I guess.

Anyone remember the Purple Trojan?

Yep, I was crammed into that place many a times.

How about the house off 11th street going back towards Dollinger steel where the old man supposedly killed some little kids and buried them in the yard? There were old, rusted tricycles and stuff all over the yard.

There were also the "kissing statues" down in the cemetary by the river.

Did anyone drive (or ride) down Sara Jane Lane? spooky sheet.

Why is Sara Jane Lane spooky? Is it still spooky?

We did in high school. It was spooky.... I haven't been there in quite a while though.

Where is Sara Jane Lane?

If I remember correctly, it is in Port Neches.

I used to live a couple of miles from Sara Jane road and took that road to PNG High School everyday. Spooky at night but the legend has been debunked, just google and you'll find several articles.

Here is a picture of the road which many of us tried to straighten out in our cars and each year someone from PNG will meet the oak trees on the side of the road. I know of two suicides on that road where people have crashed their cars into the trees.

http://www.landofz.com/index2.html

Found this movie trailer about "Sarah" Jane road and you can get a short look at how the road looks at night.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=27785567