Who remembers Tasty Bakery? Stopping by on a Sunday morning to pick up a selection of Danish pastries and gooey pecan rolls; being welcomed by the always-jovial Mrs. Murr, whose grin was only usurped by those on the smiley-faced cookies she sold; and don’t get me started on the bear claws. Too late, those sweet, crunchy cakes that melted in the mouth. I have never found anything like them since.
Talking of food, which is probably my favorite subject, who went to that Naperville gem Cock Robin? Ah, the good old days. When you could get three square — yes square, not round — scoops of rainbow sherbet in a three-sided cone? Mmmmm.
Anyone recall the Beach Inn near the Riverwalk? That was a strange place. Dark and dingy, with floors so sloped you felt drunk even if you’d only quaffed a Tab soda.
Not all my memories are attached to food, however. Just the good ones. Who can forget the Great Blizzard of 1967? It happened on Jan. 26, although I admit I had to look that bit up. The weather had been mild so it was a big surprise when the huge fluffy flakes started to fall.
Before we knew it, everything was covered in a thick, white blanket. So pretty until we realized it wasn’t stopping. It snowed and snowed, until 23 inches covered the ground. We were holed up for days until the snow plows dug out our street.
I’ll never forget the first trip out. My mom gripping the wheel of her new Pontiac Bonneville. The piles were so high we couldn’t see our way around the corner. It was like inching along a giant luge while wearing blinkers.
And who could forget the year the reindeer got loose at the Naperville parade? How we laughed! They had just started pulling the sleigh carrying Santa and Mrs. Claus when they were spooked by a kid in the crowd yelling, “Hey, mom, what’s Santa doing in the St. Patrick’s Day parade?” The head reindeer bolted, pulling the sleigh down Main Street at 50 mph until the whole thing careened into Russell’s Dry Cleaners.
Actually, I may have gotten a little carried away there. Sometimes your memories get a little foggy as you get older. Things get a bit mixed up. It could have been the Memorial Day parade …
Full disclosure, not one of these memories are mine. Since I’ve lived in Naperville, I’ve gathered them via osmosis from those of you who really have lived here for years. It’s part of my American Dream, and one of the many things I like most about living here. Old-timers do not sneer at newcomers, they welcome them with open arms. They share their stories because they are so proud of their hometown they want to keep its history alive.
Speaking of memories, does anyone remember me? I moved here from England 10 years ago. I’ll never forget the first time I stood on the corner of Main and Jefferson in the dead of winter, no one on the streets, just falling in love with what I saw. Stepping into Anderson’s Bookshop, I was almost greeted with a round of applause for just venturing out because I didn’t know then you are supposed to hibernate from January to March.
I was living the dream, and although it sounds like a cliche, it’s true. I had always wanted to live in the United States, and my husband’s company made it happen. How lucky were we that we landed up in what was then Money magazine’s third best place in the country to live, although I think it may have gone downhill a little since we arrived, sorry about that.
I was so excited when I was hired as a freelance reporter by the Naperville Sun! It meant I could get out and meet people legitimately because they do look at you a little oddly if you ask a complete stranger for their life story for no apparent reason. Covering news and writing columns meant I found out what made Naperville tick very quickly. I knew everyone in town, and, possibly even better, they knew me! I couldn’t have been happier … until the bottom fell out of my world.
In December 2011, I wrote my last contribution for the Sun. It was a tearful letter explaining that due to our visa situation, I had lost my right to work until our Green cards arrived. I filled my time meaningfully, volunteering all over town.
I had become used to people recognizing me from my Sun columns. Over time, I went from people stopping me to say how much they looked forward to my work each week to “Didn’t you used to work for the Sun?” to, well, nothing. It’s not that I’m that much of a narcissist, but when you’ve left your entire family to move across the world, you want to know you are making your mark.
Anyhow, the good news is we now have our green cards, and I’m back working again. You have to be a green card holder for at least five years before you can apply for citizenship, and it’s certainly something we are working toward.
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I’ve never lost my child-like enthusiasm for Naperville. A decade on, I find myself missing the old Starbucks on Jefferson and Main, where I used to conduct many of my interviews. I remember Ethel’s, the first chocolate cafe I ever went into, although I have to say I preferred Le Chocolat du Bouchard once that arrived. I remember the first time I went into Potbelly thinking it was a charming, old-fashioned place because I didn’t know it was part of a chain.
Now I’m ready to start creating new memories for all of us. I hope you’ll join me each week and let me know your thoughts about what you read. It’ll be just like sitting at one of those tables sideways on to the window of Tasty Bakery. We can tuck into cream horns and sip a hot cup of coffee, and maybe take a little something home to share.
Hilary Decent is a freelance writer who moved to Naperville from England a decade ago.