She danced as Miss Waukegan 1959

I started dancing at 3 years old in Waukegan. I took toe, ballet and tap. I attended the Metzler School of Dance on Genesee Streets. My teachers were Elaine Tonigan and Delores Delkus, an ex-Rockette dancer.

I also took baton twirling from two different teachers in Waukegan — Eugene Shea and Berdene Smith.

I was a solo drum majorette for the Waukegan Drum and Bugle Corps, the Homer Dahringer Post No. 281. We were in many competitions and parades. The Corps practiced in the old Sears parking lot on Washington Street across from the American Legion.

I have danced at the Swedish Glee Club, Masonic Temple, Waukegan Elks Club, Waukegan Moose, the USO on Sheridan Road, Eagles and many other places. My dance recitals were held at Slovenic Hall.

I graduated from Waukegan High School in 1954. I danced in different events all through high school and was captain of the cheerleaders. I was in drama class with Jerry Orbach.

Studying dance and acrobatics in Chicago led to my professional dancing. I worked at the Palmer House, Conrad Hilton, Edgewater Beach, to name a few, as a solo dancer.

When the Waukegan Centennial came into being. someone from the centennial committee called and asked me to perform a dance number at the pageant at Weiss Field. My routine was an Indian jazz-acrobatic dance.

Later on, I found out someone had entered me in the Miss Waukegan contest. I won Miss Waukegan in June 1959, danced my solo routine at the 10-day pageant at Weiss Field, met Jack Benny and attended all events as Miss Waukegan. My girlfriend and I went to Jamaica and I learned the limbo from the Jamaicans.

I am married to Carl Fons.

Barbara Berta Fons

Waukegan

‘Off we went to the end of the line’

As a young child during summer vacations from school, I would spend time at my auntie’s apartment in Waukegan, on the corner of Franklin and North. The apartment was above a tavern, next being a small drug store where I purchased salt and pepper shakers for my collection.

Next to that was a store where Meadow Gold products were sold. A dairy was behind my aunt’s apartment with a lot of noise in the early hours of the morning when the trucks were being loaded.

Then the street car would stop on the corner (brick pavement) and pick up Auntie and me with a picnic lunch she had packed, and off we went to the end of the line by Lake Michigan for a wonder fun-filled day.

As I got older, my friends and I would hop the North Shore in Rondout to Lake Bluff, transfer in Lake Bluff and go to Waukegan. We shopped at the Three Sisters, a neat store with three mannequins dressed for the season — from prom to weddings, holiday and summer attire.

We also shoped at Hein’s and The Globe. At the corner of Washington and Genesee was a book store and clothing store, one being upstairs of the other.

Across from these two stores was Walgreens, a fun place also. And what neat stores Woolworth’s and Neisner’s were. We need the 5- and 10-cent stores to come back. As young girls we made our Christmas gift purchases at those stores.

Then on down to the Dry Goods. I loved watching the shoots carry your money to someplace after a purchase and the shoot the change back.

There were also a few theaters, Genesee, Rialto, Times and the Academy. One used to give away cranberry dishes. Maybe that’s why Auntie took me to the show so often — she liked the dishes.

There were also lovely shoe stores, jewelry stores, flower shops. Everything we needed was on Genesee Street.

L. Johnson

Lake Bluff

‘Everybody knew your name’

I was fortunate to live in the era when Waukegan was at its greatest peak with wonderful families.

My parents, Helen and John Iskalis owned the property on the corner of Washington street and St. James, all the way down to Glen Rock. The homes at 619 Washington St. and 11 S. St. James were the homes that the famous writer Ray Bradbury grew up in. When he would return to Waukegan for a visit, he would always pull up to 11 S. St. James in his limo and knock on the door. My parents lived in that house in their late years, and they were always eager to greet him and invite him in, because he always wanted to walk through the home he spent his childhood years in.

My brother and I grew up in the corner home that was 619 Washington St.

I have the best memories of that neighborhood. I remember walking with my friends to Central School, which was located where the current library stands today. One memory of that school takes me back to the metal cylinder fire escapes that were located on each side of the building. When there was a fire drill we would have to slide town those tubes. The whole process was great fun and a little scary. That school had the greatest teachers on staff at that time: Ms. Thorsen, Ms. Crowder, Ms. Sherwood, Ms. Peterson, Ms. Hunter and Mr. Conzelman.

Another great memory was the Moose Lodge, located right across the street from our home. Every December they had speakers at the top of their building what would play Christmas carols during the beautiful snowy evenings. That was so wonderful to hear during the Christmas season.

Shopping at the best stores that any town could offer was also great: Hein’s, Globe, Lindberg’s, Feinberg’s, Durkin’s, Pierce Book Store, Henderson Jewelers, Sears, three dime stores to choose from and the Community Bakery. (I would love to talk into a bakery like that again.) The best part was that all these stores knew your name when you walked in and knew exactly what you were shopping for.

The best memory I have saved for last and that was walking with my friends to the Genesee Theatre on Sunday afternoon for a matinee and then stopping at Rexall Drug Store for a soda on the way home.

That was when Waukegan was at its greatest.

Sharon Iskalis Camacaris