Nostalgia is a picky thing.
Sometimes it is looking back with rose-coloured glasses, creatively remembering around the bad parts to find the lovely memories over the tough times.
Sometimes nostalgia is smaller and more fleeting than that; a scent that brings back a wave of memories that is gone like the vapour on a bathroom mirror.
With 50 years of history under our belts, Kerby News has plenty to remember. Here’s an article written in 1993, celebrating our 20th Anniversary, that looks back at what was happening and what the world was like in 1973, the very year Kerby Centre opened its doors.
“What were we all doing then and what was happening in the news during 1973, the year of Kerby Centre’s inception?
A perusal of the Calgary newspapers of the year brings back a lot of memories, not the least of which that the Managing Editor of The Albertan was current Kerby News contributor Tom Moore.
Among his columnists were Shirlee Gordon, Fred Kennedy, Eva Reid, and Linda Curtis. Over at the Calgary Herald, we could read Ken Liddell, Jamie Portman, Mary Biner, Bill Mussel-white, Hal Walker and Nancy Stahl. What good newspapers we had in 1973! And the cost? 75 cents per week!
From those papers were learned that a new airplane was to be introduced to Calgary service, the Lockheed 1001. Pacific Western Airlines offered a return flight to London on their 707 for $229. Miles Smeeton’s pet moose was shot near Cochrane creating an indignant uproar. IBM stock was trading at $289 a share, Penny Lane Mall had its grand opening.
The Dayliner trip to Edmonton and return by rail was only $16.90. In playoff action, Lanny McDonald scored the winning shorthanded goal for the Medicine Hat Tigers with 7 seconds remaining. Pablo Picasso died. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip came to open the Calgary Stampede for the 100th anniversary of the RCMP (NWMP).
Work started on the Convention Centre and Glenbow Museum. Robin Hood Mills was demolished at the 4. St W. level-rail crossing. Calgary’s population was 424,787.
Many of those citizens were riding the bus to work for a 25-cent ticket. Premier Lougheed announced that Calgary would have a new park — Fish Creek Park. The U of C was about to open their Law School. Among the sadder reports was the news that Canadian sailors would no longer receive their daily tot of rum.
Among the movie theatres were Studio 82, Tivoli, Chinook, Odeon, and the Palace, plus 5 drive-ins. Showing at the time were, The Way You Were, Midnight Cowboy, The Godfather, Deliverance and Cabaret. One could smoke at the Uptown on the upper balcony. A good seat at the Jubilee to hear the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra was $5.
A four-course meal was offered at the Panorama Room of the Calgary Tower for $4.95. The Stampede presented The Music Man at the Kinsmen Centre. At the Corral, Bill Hunter’s Alberta Oilers met the Minnesota Fighting Saints in playoff action — reserved seats were $6.00. A day at the Calgary Zoo was a bargain at 50 cents.
Or one could plan for the next day’s shopping. There were many increases from the spring to the fall of that year: Flour 20 lb. $1.49 to $2.69, Side bacon 0.79 to $1.09, rump roast lb. 1.19 to $1.59, Ham lb. 0.75 to $1.09. At Easter, bread and butter were still inexpensive with bread at 5 loaves for $1.00 and butter at 7 cents per pound.
The classifieds ads offered to rent a three-bedroom home in Bridgeland with a refrigerator and stove for $185. You could purchase a home in Acadia with four bedrooms, broadloom carpets, stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, heated garage and landscaped for $27,900. A new car for that garage included; Chevrolet, $3,899; Mustang, $3,382; Mercury Comet, $2,848; and Chrysler Charger, $2,877.
And all the while, Frank Sinatra was singing, “That Was a Very Good Year.”
It certainly was for Kerby Centre and the seniors of Calgary.”
