Old School Pinellas County

You know you're old-school Pinellas if...
You ever had Sunday dinner with your family at the Kapok Tree Inn restaurant.
You remember when Chief Charlie's had the best steaks in town.
You drove by the old rundown dump of a building called "World's Worst Pizza" on Gulf-to-Bay, before it became the home to the original Hooter's.
You went to the Brown Derby for prime rib…….and the salad bar was nice too.
Pier 60 had a pool.
If you remember Chick Smith Ford in "Sparkling Downtown Clearwater".
"Free wine, Free beer, Good Food, Good Cheer" at Brewmaster's.
If you remember the Allied Discount Tires guy yelling "Tiiiiiiires Ain’t purtty!"
When WFSO AM 570 was the only rock station you used to listen to.
When WQSR FM was known as "Quad 102 ½" and actually broadcasted in quadraphonic sound.
If you trusted Salty Sal Fleischman, Andy Hardy, Roy Leep and Hugh Smith to deliver the news, sports and weather.
If you remember when Gayle Sierens was the "sports chick" on Channel 8.
If you remember when US 19 had two lanes, and the traffic flowed even better then.
If you remember seeing incredible live bands at Skip's on Madeira Beach.
When G. David Howard was the only comedy show in town.
You went to Scotty's or Cox for all your hardware & lumber needs.
Art Grindal, for Bob Wilson Dodge.
Dr. Paul Bearer * Gordon Solie. * Hubert Rutland.
When you could read the Clearwater Sun & St. Pete's "The Independent", and on rainy days, they gave the newspapers away for free and opened up the paper boxes.
Lakeland Civic Center, Bayfront Center , Bishop Planetarium and Curtis Hixon Hall.
Boot Ranch when it was an actual ranch.
Every small city and beach town had their own police department.
You went to the Sky View, 28th St., Thunderbird & Garden drive-in movies and got bit by mosquitoes in sweltering heat watching horrible movies while eating cardboard pizza and sickeningly-sweet snow cones.
Lum's Hotdogs on 5 Ave. & one 4st at 38 ave.
Capogna's was where you went for Italian.
Busch Gardens when the admission was just $8.00
Driving over the old Skyway Bridge (It used to look like it went up into the clouds)
The old 2 lane bridge that led to the abandoned forest called Oldsmar.
Palm Harbor was farmland you drove by, on your way to Tarpon Springs.
East Lake " and "Countryside" were just roads, not entire districts.
Worlds Worst Pizza was also the 'Weeping Willow' Lounge.
Drive-thru Farm Stores [beer stores] were everywhere.
Oldsmar Drag Strip on Race Track Road .
If you remember: Burdines * Maas Brothers * Barnett Bank * 95YNF * Jeans Giant * Clearwater Mall * Sunshine Mall * Denim Den * Countryside Six Theaters * Wrestling with Gordon Solie * Saturday afternoon Creature Feature with Dr. Paul Bearer * Skyway Jack's * The Rowdies * Hugh Culverhouse * the Tampa Bay Bandits......
The Savoy Lounge * The Cock and Bull * The Surfer's Club
Eat/Meat sign at the SCL rail road hump 9th Ave N.
Changing the film in your Brownie camera in a fake hollow tree at Bush Gardens
The huge Bonfire sign on Redington
Gulf Blvd was only 4 lanes in front of the Tides and Howard Johnson’s
The "Clean Air Capital" billboard where the post office in Largo is
Patty the porpoise
The Porpoise Pub had a porpoise and sea lions
St. Pete. Beach had a curfew
We heard the top 40 hits on WLCY 2 to 3 weeks after they were released in NYC
Barney's was the only motorcycle dealer
The Gandy bridge, Indian Rocks bridge and Johns Pass were made of wood
The glass blower's shack on the Treasure Island side of John's Pass
The Sunday parties at the Red barn
The Electric Zoo
Jonny's do it yourself boat yard
The Cashmere Cat
The Pavilion in Indian Rocks Beach
Burger Chef and Sandy's
Lil Generals and 7-11 were open air
Cars used to run over rattle snakes that stretched across old Oakhurst Rd
St. Cloud was a general store with gas pumps
The who's who of Largo and Pinellas Park hung out at the feed store
Sears Town The old Dhume mansion Al Capone's cabin on Park St. Beer Can Beach (Sand Key) Skinks and chameleons Eckerd's sold Zig Zags for a nickel The Tierra Verde ferry The who's who of St Pete Beach hung out at the Oyster Shucker
Hulk Hogan played bass in a country rock band called Monarch
You went to the Sea Farer on Gandy for rock shrimp
Or the old blue crabber who lived out in the mangroves there
How could we forget Webb's City or Wolfie’s
And AC was a luxury