The Cal-look Lounge

Last Sunday morning, the wife and I drove down to The Original House of Pancakes in Anaheim for breakfast.  Afterwards, we decided to take a look at downtown Anaheim and visit some of the old DKP "historical hot spots."  As we were looking around, I thought it might be fun to drive back home and get the bug and the camera and share some of the history with you guys...  I tried the black and white deal for the nostalgic look  ::) ;D

I didn't take this first pic, but it will give you a feel for downtown Anaheim in the early '60's.  The Pickwick on the right was our old meeting place.  It was established in 1929 and demolished in 1988.

This next shot is out in front of what used to be Select Auto Sales on Harbor Blvd.  We spent a lot of time parked here heckling passers by for race action.  :o ;)  The original Carl's restaurant was directly across the street and was the site of many fried chicken eating contests.  I think Don Crane held the record at 21 pieces  ::)

Around the corner from Select is La Palma Park.  Our first DKP car show was held there in the mid '60's.

Down the street from La Palma Park is Anchor Muffler where damn near all of us had our exhaust systems modified...

Way cool Sarge :D

very very nice picture sarge

Cool stuff, Sarge.  What happens if you take your Bug there for an exaust today???   ;)

Where did all the drinking take place?  ;D

this is so cool, thanks for showing us.

Thanks, Sheep!  Heading south on Anaheim Blvd, the next stop is at the old site of The Warehouse which was the club's favorite watering hole.  The bar was about forty feet long and had a conveyor belt inside it with passing Playboy jokes attached to it and was lit up with Christmas bulbs  8) 8) 8)!!  There were cool posters on every square inch of wall space.  Many a heated game of FosBall were played here, too!  ;D  Next door to The Warehouse is where it all began...the original location of Schneider Motors.  Mike Mahaffey spent all his spare time (and money!) here.  John Lazenby spent a lot of time here, too.  I got my first of many Porsche diaphram clutch jobs done here.  8) 

cool pics sarge!!!!  Thanks!!!  8)

Ratto got his mullet done at that beauty salon  :-*

NICE PIC'S SARGE AND EVEN NICER STORYS...KEEP THEM COMING

is that the one where got your waxing done?  ;D

you bringing the beer Sunday or what?

Heading south on Anaheim Blvd, just past the Pickwick, is the Anaheim Public Library.  In the summer, when it was too hot in the clubhouse, we'd have meetings outside on the lawn...a perfect place to harrass passing motorists for a little race... ;D

my bikini wax  :D :-*

Sorry dude!!!  I'll be in San Diego on Sunday (work related) !!!  I owe you guys some cold ones!!!  ;D

that is an awesome picture.............  :)

great story sarge -- let the pix coming...

In this pic, I'm parked in front of what used to be the clubhouse...imagine two bugs, lined up in the opposite direction, blasting off down the street.  It happened MANY times  :o ;)

Ok guys, that's it...show's over.  One last shot from the early '60's looking north on Anaheim Blvd.  8) 8) 8)  Many thanks to Fabs for helping with the photos once again!  ;)

Thank You!


Don't ask... :o ::)


Aside from The Warehouse, Elmer's Play-More Lounge across from the Pickwick...I can still smell the inside of that place!


Thanks Nicolas!


Your welcome, Carlos!  Somebody say MULLET??  ::) ;D



THANKS, JOHN!


Thanks, Turtle!

Great pics and some cool memories there Sarge!

--louis

Awsome thread dude and thnks for the pic's  :)

Is that the same Schneider Motors that was later located on Chapman in Orange??

great story!

Thanks Sarge,
   I like the photos that have just your car in them. You cannot tell what year it was. Could have been yesterday, could have been a long time ago.. I also like the old photos.  All of the cars are cool..Maybe see you Sunday    Bill

One more for the road... ;)  See you Sunday, Bill!

Very very cool Sarge. Wish I coulda been there to enjoy it with you- no matter if it was 35 years ago, or yesterday :)

Thanks for the history lesson, sarge. Cool pictures. I need to take my car out and get some pictures, but it will have to wait till a dryer weekend >:(

Thanks Sarge for the history lessons. I just don't get enough of this stuff. Always facinated on how it was back then! The times I do talk to you I always ask you questions about that time of how it started. I think this is a good beginning of a book that should be published. ;) ;D

more  ;) more :) more :D more ;D more :P

:D

Is that your old beetle infront of the Pickwick hotel Sarge in that 60's photo? ;D

Nice pics,will visit tohose spots if i remember when i'm in th eusa in april

wow too beautiful picture I admired extremely on behalf of sarge lol still still ;)

cool pictures sarge  ;) the last one look  the park where the 90's dkp reunion take place

"thanks jim"aka:"sarge"....i had forgotten about the many memories until you (re)scribed my brain with those shots...pickwick had a great " magazine selection" ah...er...mmm...so im told...LOL...i can remember when k.c. kassum(sp)? the popular radio/disc jockey and t.v. host and other hollywood celebs  would come to downtown anaheim  and buy "smut mags"as well as a host of other consumer goods....to include top quality shoes at the S.Q.R. shoe store....LOL >> the 60's were "bitchin" in old anaheim as i worked at several places of interest back then...i started my very first 3 piece garage band and played the top 20(beatles and other cool stuff) at the masonic temple lodge on lincoln(my first paying gig/job)//do you remember the "chung king" chinese restaurant? i worked there for a while >THE cockroach capital of anaheim..LOL ...and also worked at the anaheim elks lodge on anaheim blvd...and the old "foster/tastee freeze" across from anaheim high school and remember some good times at ..."the warehouse" and the "bean hut" too..!!   also worked at "ernie gray's" gas station on the corner of state college /vermont ..across from boysen(airplane park)...and after seeing don cranes 67 in 67 with anchor muffler and the dkp racing lettering on the back lid parked at roosevelt elementary school across from my house ...i was hooked..!!  i still remember the first welded on small exhaust tips after the (bell /megaphone type) exhaust mufflers..not to mention the car rallys at the orangefair mall on harbor where one could see hundreds of snarling sounding vw's...my friend bill taormina who you know and built the first repro of the aronson/holmes car..owns all that property (and more) in your pictures and we are planning something of interest to all vw cal lookers  soon in "08"..!!  sorry if i "hijacked" your post/no malice intended but thanks again for yet another great walk thru time...when those were the days..!! aaaahhhh..(sigh)!!   your pal, dyno

I'm glad I gave you a hard time until you went a bought a digital camera Sarge  ;)

Cool photos  ;D

Hey Sarge...Just curious why did you choose Pickwick? Local area? Did the club have its own meeting room there?

WOW!!!  Just strolled into work and flipped on the computer...thanks for all the kind words, guys!  I do have another really old photo of the Pickwick for you...when it was known os the El Torre (no, that's not MY ride parked out front!!).  If the weather holds next weekend, I'll be out for another cruise and more pics. ;)

Glad to see you made it home safe, did you have to send up a flare or break out the life boat? When I got home , the weatherman was showing the doppler image and said, hey look at Chino, it's like a waterfall.

4pm up in Simi it was like the ocean was poured on us. Sorry missed you all.

DUDE...it was really UGLY!!


No problem, Jim...I ate an extra double cheese in your honor  :o ;D

Sorry, I was ready to travel to Fullerton as well, but it POURED down rain at 4:30 in Redondo Beach.
See you guys next month.

Stephan,of all the people who could have made it I would expect you too,us europeans are used to the rain :)  It shouldnt have stopped you :P

cheers richie,uk

Yes i was there in the green car :o

Nice to meet you last night, Richie...it was a big surprise when the green car swam into the lot!

("no, thats not MY ride parked out front!!")
Damit Sarge !!!! you read my mind ;D

 ::) ;D

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D :D :D :D

Cal-lookers out in the rain in California???  I need pics! 

Not only that, one with REAL BRM's!  :o  8)

How about slicks?  :D

--louis

No,treads cause it was to wet to get on the floor and swap them out for the slicks:D

Only pics I took were before the rain came down back at Daves shop

It was pretty ugly yesterday... I decided that the warmth of home was a better idea!  ;)

I remember crossing a culvert during a heavy rain in my '67 and had water washing up the hood to the windshield. Wish I had a picture of that.

Dave's car is officially one of my favorites.  Richie, can you tell me if the front tires on that car are the 155 Vredesteins?  I have one on my spare, and plan on running them in the future.  They look about right.

mike i'm 1000% sure they are.
and i've got about 6 of em in our garage - as they're dutch tyres.

can i get one thing straight? has been sold to an englishman or why does richie comment on the car lately.
no offense meant at all, but i'm just wondering. i thought the car was still in so cal?  ::)

Richie is a good friend of Dave Rhoads and is out in SoCal on holiday - I think the green bug is his rental car... ;)

http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt4z09q1zc/?docId=kt4z09q1zc&layout=printable-details

http://www.anaheimcolony.com/historicdist2.htm

Great photos. Isn't it grand that Sarge was around back then to take those snap shots in person? From what I hear, the mighty DKP could return to the Chestnut/Anaheim Blvd. (general) location for a monthly cruise...... With the huge redevolopment going on in that area, a certain land baron with a soft spot for the club and fast VWs, has something in mind that will be very cool. Stay tuned.

thanks steve for the cool info...im still healing up my detail spirits for next time if still wanting  again..?? >>> some good shots of "the rolling blackout" in volksworld 07 issue on page 36..fyi     ...and deano...ssssshhhhh..!! LOL...with good progress...sans the rain ...all should be ready around april..!! good weather for a certain blue 67...??  and some good fun for all..!!

Thanks for the info. Dyno. Rolling Blackout only occurs in Dyno fashion! Yer the man...

Now back to our history class..... ;D

Let's see...2+2+Bill Taoromina =  ;D  8) ;D 8)

got to hand it to a guy like Sarge, still doing this stuff after all those years...(no offense dude). Like it was said in another post, being part of the scene that these guys started 40+ years ago is an honor. To drive around OC and see some of the old haunts these guys used to frequent is pretty special. I wouldn't have been saving my dough for Webers for my VW when I was 17 if Sarge and his friends wouldn't have chased down the V8 crew way back when. To hang out at Nicks and have Sarge and Mike Mahaffey, Roger Crawford and Ron Fleming hanging around with us, it's like hanging out backstage with your favorite band or something.

What did you call these places, Sarge, "hallowed ground?"

AMEN dude!!!!...................... 

Hey, thanks for all the nice words, guys.  Over the years, I've often wondered why I kept at it for so long and I've come to the conclusion that it's the people.  I've kicked around the idea of building a street rod over the years, but I don't know anybody in street rod land...all of my friends are VW people, my career has spun around VW's and I would be hard pressed to not be a part of the scene anymore.  As for hallowed ground, you bet it is!  Thanks for the props.

VW people are what keep me coming back even though it's been over 25 years since I've had a running car.

With all this talk and photos of the famous Pickwick Hotel.... here are a few questions that Sarge needs to answer; Did anyone known ever stay at the Hotel? What was the rent for the clubhouse? Did anyone ever sleep over night in the clubhouse? And why there? I think the DKP needs a new club house, one with the same level of charm, decorating theme (or lack of) and rodant population.  Besides, when the DKP moved out, the Pickwick Hotel went downhill, and the only thing left was to level it...

sarge here's a picture of your headquater 8) 8)
pict take from KS bible pict from ron F 

That was a wonderful history lesson Sarge !
A few years ago, Glenn Miller, who was the staff Empi photographer took me on an all day guided tour of Riverside to show me where all the old shops and Empi buildings used to be.
I'll never forget it .
 ;D

Hey Sarge, very cool shots! I think you have the best pictures on anyone. I know Greg Bunch has a big collection also. It would be great to get him on this site.

yes   8) 8)

Left to right...Mike Johnston, Ron Fleming, Jerry Harmon and Craig Foster.  8) ;)

We need to get Glenn on here too!

It is the same Schneider Motors.  I attended a surprise party for Joe Schenider when he retired in 1997 and his son Norbert took the business over.  It has now been sold and I have no idea what happened to Joe.  Two things I'll always remember about that event was that Joe was so happy to see me after several years and as everyone said how long they had known him I blew them all away as I stated since 1963.   He could be in his late 70's or early 80's now.  We use to receive a Christmas card from them every year, but then that stopped.  Life is a precious thing so enjoy it while you have it before you.

John Lazenby